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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 3 |
| 1861 | 11 |
| 1862 | 7 |
| 1863 | 3 |
24 stories matching portion
- The Widow and the Will: A Legal Battle Over the Ebey Donation Claim
After the death of Isaac N. Ebey, the courts faced a complex dispute between his widow, his children, and an unexecuted will, testing the limits of land ownership in the Washington Territory.
- The Capitol Betrayal: Olympia’s Seat of Power Shipped to Vancouver
In a stunning political maneuver, the Territorial Legislature has voted to move the capital from Olympia to Vancouver and the penitentiary to Port Townsend, sparking outrage among local editors who see it as a betrayal of trust.
- The U.S. Government Pushes for Tribal Land Relinquishment
Federal legislators secure funding for moving California tribes and pushing the Nez Perce off their reservation in Washington Territory.
- The Fight for Recognition in the Sanitary Fund
Olympia locals demand that their contributions to the war effort be credited to Washington Territory, not Oregon.
- Backstage Brawl Ends Performance for Traveling Troupe
A musical performance in Olympia turned into an unintended comedy when a stage-manager's reprimand led to a physical confrontation.
- The Plot to Hijack the Revenue Cutter
Confederate sympathizers were rumored to be conspiring to seize a U.S. revenue cutter in the Puget Sound, heightening Civil War tensions in the Pacific Northwest.
- The Territory Opens Its First University Schools
A new collegiate and primary institution launches in Seattle under the leadership of A. S. Mercer.
- Territorial Legislature Declares Allegiance to the Union
As the clouds of civil war gather in the East, the Washington Territorial Legislature takes a firm stance for the preservation of the national Union.
- Olympia Declares War on Loose Hogs
A newly passed town ordinance empowers the Marshall to seize and auction off any swine wandering through the streets of Olympia north of Union Street.
- The Nez Perce Gold Rush Begins
Vivid reports from Walla Walla suggest a major new gold strike is underway in the Nez Perce country, drawing hundreds of prospectors despite brutal winter conditions.
- An Early Coastal Survey of the Quillehuyt River
James G. Swan documents his journey to the Quillayute River, describing the geography, the Indigenous stronghold at James Island, and the aftermath of the Southerner shipwreck.
- The Smuggler's Hold in Port Townsend
A US Customs inspection reveals a secret cargo of sugar and pork, risking vessel forfeiture and perjury charges.
- A Frontier Call to Stand by the Union
Meeting in Steilacoom, Pierce County Republicans resolve to support the Constitution and condemn the removal of the Territorial Capitol.
- The Gold Rush Mania: A Cautionary Tale for Settlers
As disheartened miners return from the upper Columbia, the Standard warns local farmers and mechanics that steady work at home is worth more than the speculative, dangerous 'El Dorado' scramble.
- The Struggle for an Inland Route
Olympia’s leadership frets that without a wagon road over the Cascades, the capital city risks losing its status to the burgeoning trade of the Upper Columbia.
- The Beacon at the Edge of the World
A rare dispatch from the remote Tatoosh Island lighthouse reveals the technical marvel of the Fresnel lens and the isolation of the keepers guarding the Pacific entrance.
- An Explorer’s Report from the Northwestern Frontier
A detailed dispatch describing the agricultural potential, wildlife, and natural beauty of the Clallam County prairies.
- The Town That 'Resorted to Flat-Boats'
A skeptical writer from Walla Walla mocked Olympia’s tide-swept landscape, prompting a sharp, defensive retort from the local editor.
- The Brutality of T. W. Glasgow
After Olympia women organized against his domestic violence, a local man attempts a public defense, calling his wife 'deranged' and denying the physical abuse that witnesses reported.
- The First Republican Banner in the Territory
A local correspondent celebrates the arrival of a new political voice in Whatcom, marking a rare moment of partisan pride in the remote frontier.
- The Shipwreck of the Persevere
A vessel founders near Cape Flattery, leading to a precarious encounter with local tribes and a recovery effort by Indian Agent H.A. Webster.
- The Bachelor Frontiersmen of White River
An early settler describes the agricultural promise of the river valley and the social isolation of the men carving out homesteads in the dense wilderness.
- The Divorce Dozen: Olympia’s Council Clears a Path for Broken Marriages
In December 1860, the Washington Territory Council processed a flurry of divorce petitions, including one from prominent local figure Carson D. Boren, revealing the fragile nature of domestic life in the frontier.
- Four Subscriptions Canceled: Tumwater Punishes the Editor for Printing Olympia's County-Seat Pitch
The Standard ran the Olympia town trustees' case for moving the county seat — and four Tumwater readers struck back the only way they could: 'Stop my paper!' The editor is not gracious about it.