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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1894 | 4 |
| 1895 | 4 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1909 | 5 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 1 |
24 stories matching balk
- A Brutal End for a Balky Horse
A North Seattle man kills his horse after it refuses to move, drawing the attention of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
- City Council Balks at High Cost of Traffic Signals
Tacoma's effort to modernize street safety hits a snag when bid costs far exceed original estimates.
- City Council Balks at Hospital Fees
Tacoma officials clash with Fannie Paddock Hospital over the rising costs of public health and scarlet fever care.
- Over the Side of the Ferry Dock
A horse balks at the free ferry landing and takes the buggy — and Mrs. Edith Olson — ten feet down toward the water. She rolled clear with bruises and a smashed rig.
- Richland Voters Balk at a New Benton County Courthouse
With taxes already high, Richland residents—even friends of the commissioners—oppose building a new county courthouse in Prosser, Kennewick, or Horse Heaven.
- The Great Northern Election Heist
Democrats and Populists battle the county commissioners over a controversial registration district on the mountain range.
- A Nine-Acre Gulch for a Park—and a City Council That Hesitates
Tacoma is offered a ready-made public park, but the council balks at changing Tacoma Avenue and removing a bridge near the tennis club grounds.
- Spokane Guardsmen Refuse to Break Strike
A Washington state militia company refuses to man a non-union train, sparking a tense standoff over labor loyalty and the role of the National Guard.
- The Un-bucking Bronco
A town’s attempt to humble a cocky stranger with a legendary bucking horse backfires when the animal decides to behave.
- The Railway Party’s Near-Drowning in the Yakima River
A VIP delegation touring irrigation infrastructure narrowly escapes disaster when their wagon team bolts into a deep river slough.
- Power Company Balks at Rate Cut
Pacific Power & Light manager warns that a state-mandated rate reduction will kill rural electricity expansion.
- The Courthouse Contract That Took Three Tries
The lowest bid lacked a certified check; the next-lowest contractor balked at its own price; the job finally went to Colville builder Lee Gayman.
- Streetcar Companies Balk at City Lighting Mandate
Seattle's transit operators claim they cannot afford to install lights along their tracks as ordered by the City Council.
- Pay Rent or We Drive the Flocks Elsewhere: Sheepmen Balk at the Railroad's Grazing Leases
Dan Goodman tells a reporter that if the Northern Pacific charges for pasture, whole bands of sheep will be pushed off its line — while the company says the leases exist to keep outside herds from eating out the range.
- Council Balks at Nearly $15,000 in Street Bids
Newport's council opened proposals for crosswalks and three street grades, then sent the whole package to committee after the low bids gave them sticker shock.
- The Senatorial Duel: A Tale of Two Cities and One Beltway Seat
As the Washington legislature prepares to convene in 1891, the race for the U.S. Senate descends into a fierce local rivalry between established incumbent Watson C. Squire of Seattle and the ambitious newcomer Judge William H. Calkins of Tacoma.
- The Fair, the Band, and the Union Telegram
When Tacoma's Interstate Fair hired an out-of-town military band, the local musicians' union balked—prompting an angry telegram and a last-minute scramble to catch the train.
- Oregon's Lobbyists Descend on Olympia for the Lewis and Clark Fair
Washington legislators balk at donating $200,000 to Portland's 1905 exposition, as Senator J. P. Sharp calls it an indiscriminate giveaway of public funds.
- Seattle's Schools Stay Open While Two Boards Square Off Over Scarlet Fever
When the Board of Health ordered South and Rainier schools closed during a scarlet fever scare, the school board filed the order and refused to shut the doors.
- Whatcom and Fairhaven Almost Become One City — but Fairhaven Balked
A proposed merger of the two bay towns raised questions of debt, water and electric power, and who would control the new city.
- The City Balked at the Price and Walked Away From the Jury
Facing a jury ready to award thousands for a lot Seattle wanted for a street extension, the city's corporation counsel dismissed the condemnation suit rather than pay what he judged too much.
- The Hop Pickers' Bargain: Growers Cut Wages as Harvest Opens
In the Puyallup Valley, growers try to hold the line at two cents a pound. Crews register, balk and bargain — while Native pickers from British Columbia are turned away in favor of white workers.
- The Dead Horses That Taught Tacoma How to Raise Sunken Ships
A Tacoma patent company says its collapsible air bags can lift wrecks from the sea floor—a trick supposedly inspired by a bloated boatload of horses in the Ohio River. Investors are already fighting over the fortune.
- The Seattle Grocer Who Died Chasing Central American Trade
J. E. Chilberg clawed back from a fire, a failed corporation and a panic to build a Puget Sound steamship trade with Guatemala — then went down with the foundering Colima on the voyage that was supposed to secure it.
Also about this, in other words
- The Balky Horse Defense
A local farmer fights back after being hauled into court over the treatment of his team.