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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 4 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 4 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 27 |
| 1877 | 33 |
| 1878 | 29 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 4 |
| 1883 | 22 |
| 1884 | 10 |
| 1885 | 19 |
| 1886 | 11 |
| 1887 | 6 |
| 1888 | 26 |
| 1889 | 38 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 16 |
| 1892 | 33 |
| 1893 | 26 |
| 1894 | 59 |
| 1895 | 49 |
| 1897 | 4 |
| 1898 | 7 |
| 1899 | 12 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 16 |
| 1904 | 16 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 6 |
| 1909 | 9 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 8 |
| 1917 | 5 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
530 stories matching afford
- An Admiral’s Vision for a Seattle Naval Power
In 1885, an naval report touted the strategic brilliance of the Puget Sound as a future stronghold for the American Navy.
- The Double Standard of Seattle Justice
An editorial challenges the public sympathy afforded to a female slayer, arguing that the law must remain blind to gender in cases of homicide.
- Tacoma’s Financial Sewer Fight
A fierce public debate over whether Tacoma can afford a new water plant while simultaneously funding critical sewer infrastructure.
- The Global Ambitions of American Maize
A visiting correspondent argues that American corn could be the key to capturing European markets and feeding a continent.
- The Last Stand of Yesler’s House: Seattle’s First Skyscraper Rises on the Site of a Pioneer Home
In November 1876, King County Commissioners approved the demolition of Henry Yesler’s historic residence to make way for a three-story artificial stone business block, marking the end of an era and the beginning of Seattle's commercial boom.
- The Ruins on the Hilltop
Tacoma’s newspaper calls for a new high school, suggesting the city convert a blighted hotel site into a centerpiece for civic growth.
- Legislature Offers Tax Relief to Struggling Property Owners
A new bill aims to waive penalties and interest for delinquent taxpayers, while proposing a shift to semi-annual payments to ease the burden on residents.
- A Newspaper Opens a Fund So Poor Men Can Afford the Keeley Cure
The Tribune sets a contribution box at Main and Fourth for Olympia residents too poor to pay for the Keeley Institute's addiction treatment, seeding the fund with $5 and naming a committee to vet applicants.
- The Featherweight 'Blood' Match at South Prairie
A much-hyped prizefight between two heavyweights in a dance hall turned out to be less about violence and more about a bizarre, non-contact stalemate.
- The Consul’s Advice: How to Sell to China
Consul General John Goodnow advises Tacoma merchants that success in the Orient depends on cultural sensitivity and precise adherence to local conventions.
- The Ghost Caboose of Seattle
A high-wind storm sends a riderless train car hurtling down the tracks in a moment of unexpected local drama.
- Forest Fire Near Port Angeles
A careless picnic party triggers a massive blaze that destroys timber between Port Angeles and Port Crescent.
- The Historic Normal Institute: When Seattle Became a Center for Educational Reform
In the summer of 1885, Seattle hosted its first genuine normal institute, inviting educators from across the Pacific Northwest to learn progressive New England teaching methods.
- Railroad workers fire Chinese employees
The assistant superintendent of the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad initiates the firing of Chinese laborers along the line to make way for white workers.
- The Price of a Seattle Lot in 1876
A modest classified advertisement offers a glimpse into the vanished affordability of downtown Seattle real estate.
- Seattle's Water System Passes Its First Big Test
A morning fire reveals that recent upgrades to the city's hydrant system are already paying dividends for public safety.
- The Fight to Retain Benton County’s First Agriculturist
As local agricultural expert Lee M. Lampson eyes an offer in a bigger field, the editor argues that losing his local expertise would cost farmers more than a salary raise.
- The Rebirth of the Riverside Hotel
New management promises a first-class experience for travelers in Snohomish City.
- The Struggle for Home Ownership in Early Seattle
An 1877 editorial argues that the city's growth is being stifled by speculative land hoarding, keeping affordable homes out of reach for the working class.
- The Midnight Poker Raid on Jackson Street
Police break up a late-night game in a saloon, arresting seven men who couldn't afford to bail themselves out.
- The Temperance Hotel of La Conner
An 1880s hotel proprietor promises a clean, quiet, and liquor-free establishment for the weary traveler.
- The Contract for Indian Education
Federal authorities push to integrate Indigenous children into public schools to swell local district funds.
- The $100,000 Flip: How a Seattle Speculator Made a Fortune on the Corner of Pike and Pioneer
While the city debates housing affordability, a quiet real estate deal reveals how early developers turned modest lots into massive wealth in just one year.
- A Sawmill Owner's Terrible Day: The Buzz Saw That Took a Leg and Nearly Two
James P. Allison was cutting logs at Clear Lake when a cant hook threw him into the teeth of an immense saw. Doctors were summoned from Olympia, Centralia and Bucoda, but the injured man waited hours for relief.
- Bridge Collapse Leaves Richland Stranded
Without a bridge, Richland business leaders struggle to find affordable transport to Kennewick.
Also about this, in other words
- The True Cost of Living
A haunting poem from the era exposes the impossibility of supporting a family on a mill worker's starvation wage.
- The True Cost of a Working Family's Survival
A Spokane laborer’s wife shares a harrowing account of household expenses, revealing that despite steady employment, her family is left with nearly nothing for clothing or healthcare.