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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1903 | 60 |
| 1904 | 4 |
64 stories matching develop
- Walla Walla's Water War: Springs, a Bank, and a $250,000 Bond
In December 1903, an editorial backed Councilman Glasford's plan to use Thomas Springs rather than buy bank-owned ranch land or bond for Mill Creek water.
- Two Plans, One Spring, and a $25,000 Holdup
Walla Walla's council will let voters choose between a $191,000 pipeline up Mill Creek and a cheaper gravity system at Thomas Springs — but the editor suspects a land speculation scheme is baked into the ballot question.
- The Price of a Dry Well
After the city sunk $15,000 into a failed water development project at Thomas Springs, the local paper recounts its long-running battle against municipal mismanagement.
- A $650,000 Mortgage Put Walla Walla’s Gas, Electric, and Water Future in Philadelphia Hands
The Northwestern Gas and Electric Company mortgaged its Walla Walla County plants, franchises, and water rights to secure a major bond issue—and announced new power development on the Walla Walla River.
- Battle for Yakima Valley Water Rights
A state land dispute pits the Sunnyside Canal Company against the Yakima Development Company in a high-stakes fight for irrigation rights.
- City Council Battles Over Future Water Source
Walla Walla officials debate a costly Mill Creek pipeline versus tapping the Thomas ranch springs to quench the city's growing thirst.
- The Walla Walla Water Fiasco
A city committee braves a 'biting wind' to discover that their expensive new water development is just collecting surface runoff from irrigation ditches.
- The Empire Builder’s Pacific Dream
Railroad tycoon James J. Hill argues that the future of Northwest agriculture depends not on Europe, but on aggressively securing trade routes to China.
- Smallpox Returns to Walla Walla
City and county officials establish a new health board as cases emerge at the local pest house.
- The City’s Crumbling Infrastructure
Walla Walla's decaying water main system is thwarting local efforts to lower insurance costs.
- A Seattle Preacher Tells Society Women They Are Marching Their Children to the Gallows
Preaching to women only on "Dying Mothers and Starving Children," Rev. M. A. Matthews calls society "the emptiness of emptiness" — and blames card parties, prizes and maternal neglect for juvenile crime.
- Walla Walla’s Great Water Debate
The City Council faces a fractured path forward as they weigh options for a new gravity water system to solve the city's supply crisis.
- Four Wooden Buildings to a Quarter-Million: Whitman College Counts Its Decade of Growth
President Penrose's tenth-year report to the trustees charts enrollment rising from 93 to more than 320, an endowment grown from $4,500 to $236,652.92 — and a debt that prompts a demand for half a million dollars and a new academy building.
- The Clairvoyant of the Bee Hive
A self-proclaimed prophetess operating out of the Bee Hive lodging house in Walla Walla claims to be drawing large crowds.
- The Loss of Tribal Sovereignty in Puyallup
A federal ruling stripped the Puyallup Tribe of their status as wards, opening reservation lands to unrestricted sale and private development.
- The Moses of Tacoma
A Tacoma minister initiates an ambitious, secret plan to assist Black families fleeing the Jim Crow South for the Pacific Northwest.
- The Unsolved Murder of Johnny Seymour
A well-known farmer found dead on a roadside following a Fourth of July outing raises suspicions of foul play and potential arrests in the Colville area.
- A Child’s Desperate Escape
A twelve-year-old girl pleads with a judge to send her to reform school to escape her abusive stepfather.
- The Convict Philosopher Walks Free
After years in the state penitentiary, a young man charged with forgery is released to mourn his brother—leaving behind a legacy of 'convict letters' on redemption.
- Brutality Uncovered at the Soldiers' Home
Following an investigation, the state board of control fires a hospital steward accused of subjecting elderly, vulnerable veterans to inhuman conditions.
- The Great Seattle Manhole Swindle
A persistent insurance claim agent uncovers a ring of traveling grifters who fooled the city council into paying thousands for imaginary injuries.
- Officer Gunned Down in Seattle Scuffle
A patrolman was killed in a midnight shootout while attempting to arrest a suspected bandit, triggering a city-wide manhunt.
- The Water Under Walla Walla
As the city weighs Mill Creek against artesian wells, old-timers warn that riparian lawsuits could drown the project.
- The Strategic Sabotage of Sunday Closing Laws
When Wenatchee saloon owners were pressured to close on Sundays, the statewide Liquor Dealers’ Protective Association advised a calculated move: force every business in town to close, too, and wait for public frustration to boil over.
- A Tragic End at Sea
A sailor suffering from mental health crises committed suicide by fire while aboard the schooner Siimson.