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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1903 | 41 |
| 1904 | 3 |
44 stories matching ranch
- The Fight for Walla Walla's Subterranean Water
City officials and private landowners clash over the future of the municipal water supply at the Thomas Ranch.
- The Water Monopoly
Critics allege the First National Bank is steering the city council toward an expensive water project to inflate the value of land it holds in escrow.
- 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.
- Youths Sentenced to Penitentiary Following Wild Ranch Chase
A trio of young men who terrorized farms and sheep ranches near Walla Walla are headed to prison after a dramatic Christmas Eve pursuit.
- The Ghost of Windom Ranch
A lonely rancher’s remains are discovered months after he vanished from his homestead.
- The Passing of a Territorial Pioneer
James V. Odell, a prominent early lawyer and delegate to the first constitutional convention, dies at his ranch near Penawawa.
- 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.
- The Subdivision of the Boyer Ranch
A significant 800-acre land deal signals shifting ownership in the Walla Walla valley.
- Broken Leg on the Offner Ranch
A routine day of breaking horses turns painful when a bookkeeper is struck by an iron-shod hoof.
- The Mystery of the Plummeting Balloonist
Two hunters near the Blalock ranch witnessed a terrifying mid-air event: a man plunging from a balloon into the clouds.
- The Mayoral Candidate Who Wanted to Open the City’s Books
Running on a platform of transparency, Frank S. Dement challenged the city's plan to purchase the Thomas ranch for $25,000, calling for a 'business administration' that prioritized public oversight.
- The Shadow Mayor of Walla Walla
A biting editorial exposes the financial entanglement between the sitting mayor and the local bank.
- The Horseshoe Saloon Robbery
A young ranch hand’s night out ends in a courtroom drama after his money and watch vanish in the back of a saloon.
- Walla Walla Questions Paying Twice for Water Rights
City officials and the press lock horns over a costly, potentially unnecessary land acquisition for a municipal gravity water system.
- A Private Gamble for Public Welfare
C. B. Hysom attempts to save a stalled orphanage project by linking it to a commercial dairy ranch.
- Con Men Target Ranch Owner With Locked-Box Poker
A Spokane County farmer loses his life savings in a classic confidence scheme involving a locked box and a mysterious stranger.
- A Short-Lived Union
A Snohomish County couple files for divorce just two months after their wedding day, citing incompatibility and the isolation of ranch life.
- Walla Walla Weighs Water Rights Against Costly Lawsuits
A legal dispute over riparian rights forces the city to weigh the cost of a new gravity system against the risk of massive damages.
- A Close Call in the Columbia River Gorge
A young woman on horseback survives an encounter with a starving cougar.
- The Hazards of the Harvest
Industrial machinery brings pain to the fields as two laborers are severely injured in separate harvest accidents.
- Livestock Disease Hits Dayton Ranches
Deputy State Veterinary Surgeon investigates an outbreak of blackleg in local cattle, tracing it back to imported herds from the Eureka Flat.
- 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 Gas Monopoly and the Hunt Administration
A political war over city franchises and utility prices threatens to lock Walla Walla into a high-cost energy future.
- The Walla Walla Horse Thief Chase Ends in Seattle
After trailing stolen stock from Walla Walla to the Puget Sound, a deputy sheriff finally corners the desperadoes near Beacon Hill.
- 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.