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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 3 |
| 1861 | 3 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 2 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1895 | 3 |
18 stories matching bile
- The Rail Blockade at Elma
A landowner is arrested for obstructing tracks on his own property, escalating a long-standing right-of-way dispute with the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- A Seattle Pioneer Turns 84, With Four Generations at Her Table
Mrs. Janice Biles, whose family crossed the Cascades by wagon train in 1852, celebrated her eighty-fourth birthday surrounded by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
- The Last of the Pioneer Wagon Train
Nancy Biles, who led a 150-person wagon train across the Cascades in 1853, dies in Seattle.
- The Firebug of Fairhaven
A former assistant fire chief is arrested in Fairhaven after being caught hiding under a building just as a new fire broke out.
- The Farmer Who Tore Up the Northern Pacific's Tracks — and Won
After five years of direct action against a railroad crossing his Montesano land, J. B. Biles settles on his own terms — and the company pays his legal bills.
- A Four-Term Mayor Dies, and Tumwater Shuts Its Doors
Clark Biles — pioneer tanner, founder of a public life in Tumwater, and its mayor four years running — succumbs to typhoid at 43, and the town suspends all business for his funeral.
- The Legislature Votes Itself a Territorial Rifle
In a moment of classic political opportunism, the Council passes a measure granting every member a firearm at public expense.
- Establishing the Penitentiary's Pay
Legislators grapple with the cost of housing inmates at the Steilacoom jail while the permanent penitentiary site remains a mystery.
- The Fight Over Suffrage for Mixed-Race Citizens
Territorial legislators debate whether citizens of mixed white and Indigenous heritage should be granted the right to vote.
- The Alpine Music of South Seattle
South Seattle residents protest the discordant 'Alpine music' of roaming livestock that kept the neighborhood awake.
- A Soaking Wet Spectacle at Harrington Wharf
A drunken man's attempt to secure a tow across the water ends in a humiliating and hilarious public splashdown.
- Protecting the Tools of the Trade
Territorial legislators debate how much property a settler should be allowed to keep safe from debt collectors.
- Washington Territory’s 1854 Native Voting Rights Debate
In 1854, territorial lawmakers debated extending voting rights to Native Americans of mixed ancestry, exposing tensions over citizenship, race, and belonging.
- Olympia Trustees Protest County Seat Move to Tumwater
Olympia trustees fight to keep the county seat, accusing Tumwater commissioners of political maneuvering and bad faith in property dealings.
- The Brutal Assault on a Young Chambermaid
A playful attempt to clean a hotel floor escalated into a vicious act of anti-Chinese violence in the heart of downtown Seattle.
- The Sting Operation at Squier’s Saloon
A Spokane businessman orchestrates a trap to catch a man selling liquor to local Indigenous people.
- The Divine Sarah Bernhardt’s Theatrical Meltdown in Seattle
When the legendary French actress discovered her grand stage at the Columbia Theater had been booked for a minstrel show, she didn't just walk off—she unleashed a legendary, multi-lingual tantrum.
- A Tinker's Alibi: How Tumwater Witnesses Overturned a Tacoma Murder Conviction
George Stowe was serving twenty years for shooting Enoch Crosby on a Tacoma street. Then residents of Tumwater swore they had watched him mend tinware miles away on the day of the murder.