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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 3 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1863 | 3 |
| 1864 | 4 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 9 |
| 1876 | 38 |
| 1877 | 23 |
| 1878 | 29 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1880 | 6 |
| 1882 | 4 |
| 1883 | 28 |
| 1884 | 7 |
| 1885 | 26 |
| 1886 | 20 |
| 1887 | 9 |
| 1888 | 8 |
| 1889 | 50 |
| 1890 | 6 |
| 1891 | 28 |
| 1892 | 45 |
| 1893 | 61 |
| 1894 | 53 |
| 1895 | 69 |
| 1897 | 3 |
| 1898 | 8 |
| 1899 | 6 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 20 |
| 1904 | 12 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1907 | 4 |
| 1908 | 4 |
| 1909 | 24 |
| 1910 | 15 |
| 1911 | 9 |
| 1912 | 5 |
| 1914 | 10 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 9 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 2 |
686 stories matching common
- The Day Washington Was Born: A City Holds Its Breath
As the nation celebrates statehood, Seattle gathers in a packed hall to hear speeches on liberty, land fraud, and the future of the 'Queen City.'
- A Seattle Utopia Sold in One-Cent Shares
A society of unemployed men pools its wages and plots a Bellamy-style commonwealth of railroads, coal mines and common tables — starting from $5 of capital and 500 one-cent shares.
- The Taxpayers' League vs. The Railroads: A Battle for Fair Valuation in Columbia County
In May 1903, local citizens and tax experts challenged the massive capitalization of the Oregon Railway Navigation Company, arguing that its true value warranted a higher tax assessment to fund public services.
- Seattle’s 1895 Co-op Where 150 Unemployed Men Ate for 7 Cents a Day
At a Belltown barracks, unemployed single men pooled their wages, submitted to military-style rules and fed an average of 150 people daily for about 7 cents each.
- A Common-Sense Case for Public Waterfront Control
A heated civic editorial argues that Kennewick must build a port district to compete with neighboring towns like Pasco for the future of Columbia River commerce.
- The $100,000 Estate and the Indian Marriage That Seattle Forgot
A daughter claiming the estate of pioneer Franklin Mathias says her parents were married by Indian custom in 1867. A federal judge must decide whether that marriage—and her legitimacy—counts.
- The Gambler’s Shield: How Seattle Saloon Keepers Dodged Mayor Moras’ Purge
When Chief Justice Burke urged the city to revoke liquor licenses from gambling dens, the Common Council refused—citing legal technicalities and protecting the very establishments the mayor wanted shut down.
- The Ship That Smuggled Opium: How a Legal Loophole Freed a Vessel and $13,000 in Penalties
Judge Hanford rules that the steamer *Walla Walla* is not liable for contraband found in its cargo because the master lacked knowledge of the smuggling, setting a precedent for common carriers.
- The Judge Rules on the 'Common Law' Marriage
A King County court recognizes a union without a formal ceremony, sparking debate over the legal definition of marriage.
- The Clay Under Seattle Built a Million-Dollar Industry
King County clay works turned local deposits into firebrick, paving brick, sewer pipe and architectural terra cotta—winning federal tests and employing hundreds of men.
- The Great Sheep War: Seattle’s Political Flocks and the Independent Goats
A satirical letter to the editor uses a bizarre allegory of sheep herds and wild goats to critique Seattle's political parties, corporate wolves, and the emerging independence of women in public life.
- Pike Street Runs Into a Lake: The Man Hired to Untangle Seattle's Eight-Named Streets
In 1895 the city handed City Engineer Thomson the worst street-naming mess on the Pacific Coast — five Cedar streets, three Adams, four Elliotts — and one road with eight different names. Then the ladies of Queen Anne Hill went to war over who got to be Highland Avenue.
- Seattle's Schools Burst at the Seams as the City Booms
In 1893 the school board scrambles for classrooms, defends high-school education, and counts the cost of keeping up with a fast-growing city.
- A Gavel, a Roar, and a Populist Ticket Born in Chaos
King County's People's Party convention at Turner Hall turned into a shouting, proxy-fighting, faction-splitting marathon—and buried Dr. J. Eugene Jordan and Jack McDonald on the way to nominating a ticket.
- The Architect and the Common Law Wife
A breach-of-promise suit spills messy details of a hidden life, with a prominent architect claiming his former partner was merely a paid mistress.
- Court Examines Morality and 'Common Women' Charges
In a case drawing heavy public interest, two women face accusations of being 'common women' while the defense argues they are simply working-class laborers.
- The Keeley Cure Comes to Olympia
Olympia's Keeley Institute promises release from drink, and the Tribune opens a discreet charity fund for patients who cannot pay.
- The General and the Missing Military Money
A Senate committee says Washington's adjutant general ran the militia like a personal fiefdom, blew through his appropriation and left the state with a military deficiency.
- Judge Hanford Draws the Line: Sheep Can't Graze on Railroad Land Without Consent
A federal court ruling in Yakima County upholds the Northern Pacific Railway's right to protect its unenclosed lands from sheep, setting a precedent for property rights and land use in the West.
- 1876 Snohomish Court Targets Indigenous Gatherings and Brothels
In March 1876, Judge Lewis charged the first Snohomish County District Court grand jury to address public nuisances, including Indigenous gatherings and brothels, while also holding county officials accountable for fee books.
- A Michigan Orator Packs the Armory and Rides Down the Populists
Roswell G. Horr brings the Republican gospel of protection and sound money to a standing-room crowd in Seattle — and turns the free-silver men in the hall into the evening's comedy act.
- The Farmer Who Said the Colleges Were Failing Rural Washington
Addressing the state dairymen, farmer Wm. F. Izett argues that the land-grant colleges move too slowly and cost too much to save the farm — and pitches a cheaper, faster kind of agricultural school as the 'machine gun' the countryside needs.
- The Rowing Invention That Changed the River
A Snohomish local debuts a mechanical rowing gear that allowed boaters to steer and power their craft with ease, signaling a shift in daily river navigation.
- The Battle Over Naming Baby Brown
A classic matrimonial spat from 1882 reveals the absurd lengths a Victorian couple went to avoid the common name 'Henry' for their newborn son.
- The 'Hulless' Oat Craze of 1876
A Vermont promoter and a Duwamish River farmer pitch a new 'agricultural wonder' to the settlers of Washington Territory.
Also about this, in other words
- The Great 'Commonweal' Trek Across the Cascades
Striking workers and the unemployed navigate a treacherous path from Seattle and Tacoma toward Washington D.C., clashing with deputy marshals and local authorities along the Northern Pacific tracks.
- The Rising Power of the Common Citizen
A look at the growing influence of public opinion against the encroachment of corporate monopolies in late 19th-century American politics.
- The Commonwealers Converge in Puyallup
Seattle and Tacoma detachments of the Industrial Army unite in a rainy camp, bracing for a confrontation as state and railroad authorities mobilize.
- The Trial of the 'Commonwealers'
Deputy marshals recount the violent confrontation between strikers and authorities during the march of the Industrial Army.
- There's "Dough" in Every Street Contract: A Preacher Takes On City Hall
Rev. Napoleon Hoagland reads the nation's municipal record aloud — reeking streets, a million-dollar franchise given away, councilmen who elsewhere would count themselves lucky to stay out of prison — and asks why democratic America breeds more thieves than the Tsar's Europe.
- The 'Commonweal' Prisoners in Court
After weeks of legal maneuvering, fifteen members of the industrial army are released, though questions of their forced transport and detention remain.
- The Commonweal Army Vacates Puyallup
After weeks of encampment, the 'army' of unemployed men departs the city for Washington D.C., leaving the streets quiet.
- The City Clerk’s Surprise Banquet
When Seattle's City Clerk Forrest tendered his resignation to the 'hard-headed' Common Council, they responded not with cold bureaucracy, but with a secret banquet and a cane with a musical head.