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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 17 |
| 1877 | 7 |
| 1878 | 7 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 5 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1885 | 9 |
| 1886 | 5 |
| 1887 | 9 |
| 1888 | 4 |
| 1889 | 34 |
| 1890 | 10 |
| 1891 | 40 |
| 1892 | 75 |
| 1893 | 91 |
| 1894 | 42 |
| 1895 | 28 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1898 | 3 |
| 1899 | 5 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 27 |
| 1904 | 13 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 13 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 12 |
| 1916 | 16 |
| 1917 | 7 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 4 |
| 1925 | 1 |
522 stories matching contest
- The Union Veteran Who Sued the Railroad for a Million-Dollar Tacoma
Anthony P. Carr says Northern Pacific agents helped a claim-jumper steal his homestead. More than a thousand Tacoma lots—and the people living on them—depend on what the Supreme Court decides.
- A Captain's Fortune and the Daughters Who Couldn't Prove They Were Family
Washington's supreme court threw out a contest over the $500,000 estate of Port Blakely mill man William Renton because the claimants could not show they were adopted.
- The Betting Scandal at the Post-Intelligencer
When a glove contest turned sour, a local newspaper found itself at the center of a legal battle over gambling stakes and the role of the press as an impartial stakeholder.
- Seven Votes Decide the Sheriff: Judge Langley Tosses Out Fraud Charges and Seats Van de Vanter
After a six-week ballot-by-ballot recount, a Seattle judge ruled that clumsy election officers could not disfranchise King County voters—and confirmed the Republican sheriff by a seven-vote margin.
- The Elderberry Wine Defense: How a Contested Election Collapsed in Laughter
Populists dropped their challenge to Commissioner Nickerson, but testimony in the sheriff and coroner contests turned up sailors voting under protest and a lunch bag of elderberry wine at a Franklin polling place.
- Land Fraud in a Booming Town: Two Everett Homestead Cases Go to Trial
A 170-acre tract valued at $1,000 an acre and a 40-acre parcel in the heart of Everett are at the center of separate land contests alleging fraudulent homestead and pre-emption claims.
- A Bequest for Orphans Caught in Legal Limbo
Local community leaders push to settle a will contest that threatens the establishment of the Stubblefield home for indigent widows and orphans.
- The Price of a Newspaper Subscription
A high-stakes coupon-clipping race for scholarships and a bicycle reveals the fierce competition behind local journalism.
- Schoolgirls Take the Canning Crown
A competitive canning contest between Kennewick and Prosser school teams highlights the rise of agricultural youth clubs.
- The University’s Spring Awakening: A New Era of Funding and Debate
As the spring term opens at the University of Washington, students celebrate record appropriations for new departments while engaging in high-stakes political debates and athletic rivalries.
- The Gall and Wormwood of Olympia: Tacoma’s Defeat in the Senate Race
As Washington's first U.S. Senator is chosen in a bitter legislative battle, defeated candidate Calkins' supporters cry foul, while Jefferson County delegates secure the victory for Watson Squire.
- The County Agent, the Sugar Beet, and the Strawberry Harvest That Finally Went Right
In his 1916 annual report, county agriculturalist Lee M. Lampson chronicled a quiet revolution in Benton County — homegrown seed, revived sugar beets, cooperative buying, and the federal employment office that finally matched a thousand strawberry pickers to the ripening crop.
- The Mayor Who Bought His Seat with Lottery Money
In Seattle’s first hotly contested municipal election of 1876, the newspaper publisher who ran for mayor lost to Dr. Weed—not because he lacked support from mechanics and laborers, but because his opponent mobilized the city’s notorious lottery gamblers.
- The Sleeping Judges of South Bend
A contest arises in Pacific County after election officials allegedly fell asleep during the vote count.
- Two Weeks In, Still No Senator: Olympia's Republicans Tire of the Ankeny Fight
The legislature has been in session a fortnight and Washington still has no United States senator. A colleague's insulting letter blows up, the Wilson and Allen camps fold, and a caucus is called to force the thing to an end.
- A Legislature Deadlocks Over a U.S. Senate Seat
A joint-session vote fails to choose a senator, and the Post-Intelligencer demands that the Republican majority settle the contest in caucus before the session is consumed.
- Ballot Box Battle in Goldendale
A tight election leads to accusations of fraud, lost ballots, and an appeal for funds in a county split by Populist politics.
- Aberdeen’s City Council Faces Court Order Over Contested Election
A legal showdown over the city treasurer position pits John S. Gunn against William B. Mack, forcing the council to answer to the Superior Court.
- The Gloves Came Off in Aberdeen
When two men fought for the Chehalis County boxing championship, a packed house watched through the windows of the Coonskin Athletic Club.
- The Grape Carnival's Strategic Voter Drive
In a bid to boost voter registration for a port district proposal, the Grape Carnival committee is enlisting young women to trade registration certificates for voting power in the local queen contest.
- Speculation and Contests Arise Over Columbia River Sands
Long-neglected riverbank lands near the Snake River junction are suddenly subject to legal contests as settlers rush to file desert land claims.
- World Shingle-Packing Championship Crowns Everett's Best
Skilled union workers prove that brainpower beats raw speed in a test of precision at the A.-V.-P. fairgrounds.
- The Great Grape Carnival Canning Catastrophe
A local canning contest turns messy when improperly processed fruit leads to an explosion in the Commercial Club rooms.
- The Unthankful Business of Local Politics
A defeated council candidate walks away from a recount, declaring the office a thankless drain on his time.
- The Piano Race
A local civic carnival sparks a high-stakes popularity contest between union members and social clubs to win a $350 piano.
Also about this, in other words
- The Finley Fair's Pie-Eating Showdown
A local pie-eating contest goes off the rails when a contestant tries to drink his pie like beer.
- The Great Spelling Bee of 1873
Before high-speed internet and digital debates, Seattle’s social life centered on the grand Spelling Match, a community competition held at Yesler’s Hall.
- The Strong Boy and the Local Champion
Omer Marbet and Frans Unfried sign articles for a $500 catch-as-catch-can wrestling match at Turner Hall.
- The First Inter-School Field Meet
Youth from Chesaw, Riverside, and Oroville gathered for the county's first-ever organized field sports and oratorical competition.
- The Last Raffle in Coulee City
A local contest for a new automobile concludes just as the law cracks down on gambling.
- The Theater's Most Unusual Prize Competition
A Seattle theater manager plans a competition to crown the 'handsomest' baby and mother, with $1,000 in prizes on the line.
- Benton County Takes State Fair Top Honors
Local students secure first place in the state industrial and manual training exhibition through collaborative effort.
- Benton County School Exhibits Sweep the State
The seventh annual school fair highlights the educational rigor of Kennewick's students after their county-wide success at the State Fair in North Yakima.