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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1876 | 10 |
| 1877 | 7 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 5 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 4 |
| 1893 | 7 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 15 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 5 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1916 | 3 |
91 stories matching annum
- City Council Proposals for Austerity
A budget-cutting proposal seeks to shutter streetlights and dismiss night watchmen to offset the costs of a bridge to North Aberdeen.
- The Hypocrisy of a 'People's' Candidate
Promissory notes reveal the high-interest lending practices of a gubernatorial candidate campaigning on cheap money.
- Seattle’s First Steam Fire Engine
Facing a growing city's vulnerability, Seattle’s leadership authorized a massive expenditure in 1878 to modernize the local fire brigade.
- The Price of City Hall
Tacoma prepares to put a price tag on its public servants, setting new salary caps for city officials ahead of the April 1904 election.
- A County Pay Raise in the Middle of a Depression
Wahkiakum County officers got an extra $895 a year from the legislature. The Cathlamet Gazette asked who would pay for it.
- The Price of Power: Benton County’s 1916 Election Scuffle
Candidates in the 1916 election face off over county spending, with one challenger promising a tax-payer-funded bond to slash office costs.
- Territorial Jobs and the Politics of Pay Cuts
Local outrage over congressional moves to slash federal salaries in Washington Territory, sparking fears of a political power grab.
- The Great Horticultural Graft
A scathing editorial from The Ranch magazine accuses the state legislature of creating a bloated, ineffective bureaucracy under the guise of agricultural protection.
- The Seattle-Walla Walla Rail Ambition
An 1877 editorial proposes leveraging global capital gluts to fund the critical narrow-gauge railway connection, a lifeline for the territory's economic future.
- The High License Debate
Cities across the Pacific Northwest are raising liquor license fees to curb the influence of 'low dens' and corrupt establishments.
- Seattle’s First Great Austerity Drive
Facing municipal budget woes in 1885, the City Council slashed worker salaries and abandoned the investigation into a scandal involving the Police Chief.
- The Price of Avoiding Competition
A railroad's attempt to secure a monopoly through bribery backfires on local consumers, offering a cautionary tale about corporate greed.
- The Industrial War Between Seattle and Tacoma
Fresh census data is weaponized in a heated civic rivalry over wages, manufacturing growth, and economic dominance.
- The Dream of Ownership in 1886 Seattle
A real estate advertisement from 1886 captures the enduring promise—and pressure—of the Seattle housing market.
- Spokane County Finds Eastern Investors Hungry for Western Bonds
A local treasurer successfully refinances county debt in Chicago, signaling a shift in how Western infrastructure was financed at the turn of the century.
- Yakima Votes on Sewerage Bonds
A critical 1890 civic vote to authorize $40,000 for the city's nascent sewer system.
- The Price of Infrastructure
The Aberdeen City Council finalizes a massive payout and establishes a new water superintendent position, marking the city's rapid shift toward municipal utility control.
- The Territory's Mismatched Mail
A collapse in mail delivery leaves residents in the dark as federal contracts fall into chaos.
- Engineers Say Snoqualmie Falls Can Light the Sound
A New York journal sizes up the 260-foot falls at 18,000 horsepower and predicts a company will soon wire Seattle and Tacoma to the river.
- The Great Seattle Bonding Debate
City Hall hosts a fiery town hall where residents and officials clash over debt, taxation, and the future of municipal infrastructure.
- The Unfinished Dream of Connecting the Lakes
A look at the immense civic benefits of cutting a waterway between Lake Union and Lake Washington.
- A Blackmail Scheme at the Statehouse?
Legislators suspect a proposed liquor licensing bill is less about temperance and more about extorting the state's saloon owners.
- A New Financial Player in Town
A Chicago-based firm prepares to disrupt Walla Walla's local banking sector by offering interest on deposits, a practice recently abandoned by local institutions.
- The High Cost of Muddy Roads
A new engineering report argues that upgrading Whitman County's agricultural infrastructure could save farmers millions annually.
- The State Tries to Soften the Panic for Delinquent Taxpayers
The Senate passes a bill remitting penalties and interest on delinquent 1893–94 taxes, citing “great financial stringency” and declaring an emergency.