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1. The Yesler Will Case: A Dead Millionaire, a Missing Will, and a Widow on Trial

   In a Seattle courtroom, prosecutors argue that Mrs. Yesler conspired to destroy her husband's will—while defense lawyers call the case a web of speculation and newspaper rumor.

   Feb 16, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money · True Crime

2. The Great Tax Assessment Revolt

   Citizens and officials clash in Olympia over whether property should be assessed at 'full cash value' or kept artificially low to protect against Territorial overreach.

   May 25, 1884Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money · City Hall

3. The 'Ram's Horn' Waterfront Fight

   A landmark court battle over railroad right-of-ways and the city's power to control its streets against corporate expansion.

   May 10, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerColumbia Street, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money

4. The High-Stakes Legal Battle Over Yesler’s Millions

   A courtroom drama unfolds as attorneys argue over whether a secret will exists—or if a massive, convoluted conspiracy to defraud the widow is afoot.

   Feb 14, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money · True Crime

5. Washington Lawmaker Urges Sale of Puyallup Reservation Land

   Representative John L. Wilson argues that the Puyallup reservation hinders Tacoma's industrial growth, proposing the removal of restrictions on land sales to clear the way for white development.

   Apr 11, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPuyallup Reservation, Tacoma, Pierce CountyExclusion & Resistance

6. Senate Weighs Puyallup Land Rights and Citizenship

   Senator Allen argues that citizenship should grant Puyallup tribal members the right to sell their property, challenging federal restrictions on the reservation.

   Jul 21, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPuyallup Reservation, Tacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money

7. The Governor’s Dilemma: Can Washington Skip Congress to Become a State?

   Territory’s top lawyers clash over whether the Governor can unilaterally call a constitutional convention to bypass federal delays in statehood.

   Feb 10, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

8. The Mayor's Power to Fire: Seattle's Removed Police Commissioners Fight for Their Jobs

   J. G. Niggle and E. G. Cheasty argue that Mayor Byron Phelps removed them without notice or hearing—and that the city charter requires cause, not whim.

   Sep 15, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSuperior Court of Washington for King County, SeattleCity Hall

9. Two Offices Hang on a Pile of Double-Marked Ballots

   Lawyers spend a full day before Judge Langley fighting over the sheriff's and coroner's seats, as Moyer and Van de Vanter trade technicalities over initials, stamps and hundreds of spoiled ballots.

   Jan 11, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerKing County Courthouse, SeattleCity Hall

10. The Politics of Bread and Butter

    South Tacoma Democrats rally to challenge the incumbent mayor's record on labor, utility rates, and public integrity in the 1904 municipal campaign.

    Mar 23, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyWork & Pay · Boom & Bust · City Hall

11. Chaos at City Hall: A Dispute Over Who Is Mayor

    A heated council meeting descends into procedural gridlock as members argue over the legitimacy of the city's leadership.

    Feb 17, 1892The Olympia TribuneCity Hall, OlympiaCity Hall

12. The Fight for Foreign-Born Suffrage

    A legal challenge emerges as the city clerk denies voter registration to naturalized citizens lacking paper proof.

    Jan 10, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

13. A Newspaper Editor's Silence in Court: The Lugrin Libel Trial

    C. H. Lugrin, managing editor of the Seattle Telegraph, rested his defense without calling witnesses in a libel trial brought by Police Chief Rogers. The case now goes to the jury.

    Aug 10, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

14. A Waterfront Tug of War

    Tacoma’s city council demands a $100,000 fireboat to protect the harbor, sparking a heated debate over whether the Northern Pacific Railway should foot the bill.

    Apr 15, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

15. The Temperance Crusade Comes to Olympia

    A prominent attorney argues for a 'Maine Liquor Law' to suppress the liquor trade in Washington Territory.

    Apr 1, 1854Pioneer and DemocratMain Street, Olympia, Thurston CountyNightlife

16. The Fight Over Washington’s Missing School Sections

    A Port Townsend case over “lieu lands” reaches a federal courtroom—and the title to hundreds of thousands of acres of school land.

    Apr 29, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPort Townsend, Jefferson CountyFollow the Money

17. The Human Cost of Efficiency

    Labor leaders speak out against the 'Taylor system,' arguing that industrial time-management schemes treat men like machine parts and lead to physical decline.

    Jun 9, 1911The Labor JournalEverett, Snohomish CountyWork & Pay

18. The Christian as a Citizen

    A local minister argues that true civic virtue requires separating municipal politics from national party machines.

    Jul 10, 1903The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyCity Hall

19. The Church as a Public Refuge

    Rev. Wallace Nutting argues that churches should be open 24/7, serving the city as community centers with drinking fountains and social services rather than just Sunday pulpits.

    Oct 4, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerChamber of Commerce, Seattle, King County

20. The Battle for the Territory’s Capital

    A scrappy, promotional rivalry between Ellensburg and North Yakima to become the official seat of government for Washington Territory.

    Sep 30, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

21. The Case for Statehood and Scientific Farming

    In an 1876 address to local farmers, W.M.T. McNeill argues that Washington Territory's path to prosperity lies in statehood, agricultural colleges, and the modernization of rural industry.

    Oct 7, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall

22. Seattle Rallies Against Chinese Labor at the Standard Theater

    An overflow crowd packs the Standard Theater to demand the total exclusion of Chinese laborers and the termination of the Burlingame Treaty, revealing the deep economic anxieties of the era.

    Dec 6, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyExclusion & Resistance

23. The Shadow of the Chinese Exclusion Act

    Three men arrested under the 1882 Exclusion Act face deportation despite claims of residency; Judge Hanford declares the legal rights of Chinese laborers effectively suspended.

    Jan 16, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyExclusion & Resistance

24. The Cable Car Veto: How a 1889 Power Struggle Defined Seattle’s Streets

    Mayor Robert Moran’s refusal to approve a cable railway franchise on Front Street—citing private greed over public interest—mirrors Seattle’s century-long battle with developers and transit infrastructure.

    Jul 21, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFront Street, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money

25. The Battle Over Corporate Power at Washington’s Constitutional Convention

    As Washington delegates gathered to draft a new state constitution, a heated clash erupted over whether to explicitly restrain the influence of monopolies and the Northern Pacific Railroad.

    May 8, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOpera House, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money

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