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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 24 |
| 1877 | 18 |
| 1878 | 10 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 17 |
| 1884 | 11 |
| 1885 | 15 |
| 1886 | 5 |
| 1887 | 16 |
| 1888 | 13 |
| 1889 | 38 |
| 1890 | 13 |
| 1891 | 33 |
| 1892 | 55 |
| 1893 | 65 |
| 1894 | 55 |
| 1895 | 85 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1897 | 9 |
| 1898 | 11 |
| 1899 | 21 |
| 1900 | 6 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 42 |
| 1904 | 25 |
| 1905 | 4 |
| 1908 | 10 |
| 1909 | 29 |
| 1910 | 5 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 9 |
| 1915 | 6 |
| 1916 | 13 |
| 1917 | 10 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1922 | 2 |
| 1923 | 8 |
| 1924 | 3 |
| 1925 | 2 |
| 1928 | 2 |
| 1929 | 1 |
715 stories matching buy
- Tacoma's Treasurer Kept City Cash in a Bank That Now Owes $60,000
A 'note-sharing and warrant-buying' institution fails, and the public money inside it has not yet been handed over.
- The 1876 Land Hustle
A classic real estate promotion from the era offers a 'buy one, get one' incentive to settlers willing to build homes in early Seattle.
- The 'Buying-at-Home' League Opposes Prohibition
A group of Spokane business leaders claims the proposed 1914 prohibition act is a 'fake' that merely drives liquor revenue out of Washington State.
- Temperance Literature by Mail
The Anti-Saloon League pivots to direct mail for those obtaining liquor permits in Eastern Washington.
- Whitman County Farmers Declare War on Monopoly
Spring Flat settlers resolve to stop buying Northern Pacific Railroad lands at 'exorbitant' prices, challenging the company's title to the public domain.
- The New Secret Ballot
How Washington's new voting system is designed to curb the corrupt practice of vote-buying.
- The Swine Swindle Sweeping the State
A state professor warns farmers against sophisticated livestock contracts that promise riches but leave them holding the bag.
- The City's Quest for Poultry Independence
Local entrepreneurs are opening large chicken ranches to end Seattle’s reliance on imports from Portland.
- The Nurseryman's Deception
A local farmer recounts the frustration of buying fruit trees that failed to grow true to their labels.
- The City Council Bribery Probe
A committee is formed to investigate rumors of vote-buying surrounding a lucrative new telephone franchise in Tacoma.
- Walla Walla Addition Touts Homes Along New Streetcar
Before the boom and bust cycles defined Seattle, developers were already promising the 'best buy' near the new streetcar lines.
- The Secret Land Deal Exposed
Allegations emerge that Mayor Hunt attempted to bypass a public vote to acquire the Thomas land for municipal use.
- The Battle for the Strawberry Market
Kennewick strawberry growers attempt to end internal price-cutting by forming a unified marketing union.
- The Auction Mania in Seattle
A jewelry merchant's retirement sale sparks a reflection on the city's obsession with bargain hunting and the reality behind the storefront liquidations.
- Policing the City's Morals
A look inside the 1893 police report shows a city grappling with 'disorderly conduct,' 'vagrancy,' and a scandal involving an officer accused of vote-buying.
- The Traveling Salesman’s Clever Ruse
A skeptical livery stable owner meets his match in a traveling drummer who refuses to pay for his own horse.
- A Railroad Rumour Makes Tacoma the Western Hub
A dispatch says the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul plans a Pacific Coast line with headquarters in Tacoma and a Seattle branch—and its agents are already buying land near Wenatchee.
- The Fight for Quality Boots: A Snohomish Shopping Tale
Before e-commerce, Snohomish loggers relied on local merchants like Billy Edwards to bypass 'cheap California' imports in favor of high-quality, handmade footwear.
- The Struggle for Suburban Stability in 1891 Seattle
Advertisements for installment-plan housing plots reflect the anxiety of a growing city where 'hard times' pressured residents to settle in rapidly developing suburbs like Medina.
- The Hard Sell at the Church Social
A bashful young man finds himself trapped at a church fair, unable to escape the relentless solicitation of two persistent young women.
- The Railway Stakes: Great Northern Picks Seattle
A massive land-buying spree signals that Seattle is set to become the Pacific terminus for a new transcontinental rail giant.
- A Daughter’s Power Play Over a Family Estate
A Swedish immigrant challenges the administration of her late husband’s property, claiming her own daughter and son-in-law conspired to cheat her out of her inheritance.
- The Home Market Fight: Farmers Say Seattle Merchants Look Past Their Own Fields
A Port Angeles farmer’s letter to the Post-Intelligencer argues that Seattle merchants undercut local growers by buying from California, Oregon, and Chinese gardeners—and warns that the city’s food economy is bleeding money out of Washington.
- The Confidence Man of Washington Street
A grifter exploited local tensions to con Chinese merchants out of $600 under the guise of buying off a prosecutor.
- Clerk Says Missing Man Left to Buy Oregon Farm
A Seattle neighborhood is gripped by a murder mystery over a man who simply packed his bags and left town.