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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1909 | 2 |
21 stories matching beforehand
- Court Upholds Union Pay Scale for Unspecified Labor
A local judge ruled in favor of a carpenter seeking the standard union rate, even when a specific wage was not explicitly agreed upon beforehand.
- The $750,000 Park Vision for Tacoma
The Park Board seeks voter approval for a massive bond measure to build boulevards and secure land for public parks.
- The Day Seattle Stood Still: A Sunday of Sobriety and Silence
In November 1876, the city’s saloons closed their doors for a rare day of peace, while the newspaper editor noted with relief that there were no fights to report.
- The City and County Spar Over Who Pays for the Poor
Mayor Ronald and health officials grapple with a budget crisis over the medical care of impoverished residents, highlighting the administrative friction in 1890s Seattle.
- The Human Machine: An 1876 Warning on Burnout
A century-and-a-half-old editorial from Snohomish reminds us that the pressure to keep working is not a modern invention.
- Tacoma Park Board at War with Taxpayers
Public officials trade insults with citizens after a lopsided vote against a park bond proposal.
- The Bosses’ Choice: Seattle’s Machine Politics in 1892
A scathing editorial account of a closed-door convention where the Democratic party leadership hand-picked a candidate for mayor who was widely viewed as a puppet.
- The Looming Financial Chasm of 1877
As Seattle navigates a national economic crisis, editors reflect on the precarious transition from paper 'greenbacks' to gold, revealing the anxieties of a frontier town tethered to a shifting national currency.
- The Political Tidal Wave that Swept Seattle’s Council
After a crushing defeat at the polls, the incumbent 'Law and Order' party leaders signal they will voluntarily step down, ending a bitter period of civic paralysis in 1885 Seattle.
- The Boss-Led Machine vs. The Citizen Movement
Ahead of a critical 1888 municipal election in Seattle, a local editorial exposes how machine politics and saloon back-rooms are attempting to subvert the democratic process.
- The Mayor Who Acted as Judge, Jury, and Prosecutor
In 1892, a high-stakes power struggle over city contracts led to a surreal administrative trial where the Mayor of Seattle presided over his own accusations against the Board of Public Works.
- The Mysterious Death of a South Seattle Miser
After a suspicious fire claims the home and life of a reclusive miner, neighbors and local officials clash over whether he was murdered for his gold.
- The School District Spending Scandal
A local newspaper accuses the school board of backroom deals and misappropriating thousands of dollars in a heating system contract.
- The Great Grasshopper Panic: Why Washington Farmers Are Bracing for a Locust Apocalypse
Professor Riley predicts an unprecedented crop of grasshoppers across the Northwest and beyond, urging immediate preparation as eggs hatch in offices from Minnesota to Missouri.
- He Chose the Altar Over the Jail Cell
A seduction warrant, a midnight minister, and a groom who nearly changed his mind.
- The $3 Million Strike: How the Great Northern Railway Bet on Breaking Workers
In the winter of 1893, the railroad’s board calculated that paying workers less was cheaper than losing millions to a strike. They were right—and Seattle paid the price.
- Gen. Grant Slips Through Spokane Falls
The ex-president and railroad director Frederick Billings returned by daylight after a night passage. A professor's carriage tour and a box of silver specimens produced exactly the quote the young city wanted.
- Seattle Says 'Hello' to Spokane, and the Whole Northwest Listens
Seven hundred and ninety miles of hard-drawn copper connect Puget Sound to the Inland Empire, and the mayors of the two cities mark the occasion by orating about destiny, empire and a population of two million.
- Olympia Bought a $1,500 Sewer Map Critics Called Worthless
A letter to the editor accuses the city council of buying a stranger's sewer plan without scrutiny—complete with a harbor reservoir already condemned in San Diego.
- Seattle's Railroad Strike Goes Quiet—but the Unions Keep Fighting
As the national railroad boycott convulses the country, Seattle's yards stay quiet under troops and deputies while local unions back Debs, condemn violence, and negotiate food and livestock passage through boycotted lines.
- The Judge, the Revolver, and the Impeachment Petition
A former judge tells Olympia that Judge W. W. Langhorne drinks on the bench, bullies lawyers, and has threatened to shoot him — and asks the House to remove him.