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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1891 | 3 |
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31 stories matching contigu
- The Great Land Grab: Congress’s Failure to Hold the Northern Pacific Accountable
A scathing editorial from 1886 demands legislative accountability as Congress fails to reclaim land granted to the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- Territorial Standoff: Senator Dolph on the Chinese Question
Debating the role of federal troops and the rights of labor in Washington Territory.
- Puyallup Growers Face a New Threat
Hop lice and a mysterious 'snapping beetle' have been sighted in Puyallup yards, causing concern among local growers already strained by a lack of funds.
- The Constitutional Debt Fight
As the constitutional convention debates municipal debt limits, local editors fear Oregon-style fiscal conservatism will hinder growth.
- Congress Moves to Reclaim Northern Pacific Land Grants
A House committee votes to restore millions of acres of public land to the domain, challenging the Northern Pacific Railroad's long-delayed construction promises.
- Protecting the Timber Frontier
Seattle business leaders lobby to maintain trade protections against foreign competition.
- The City’s New Bonding Power
New legislation grants Seattle the authority to issue local improvement bonds, shifting the financial burden of street and sewer projects directly onto benefited property owners.
- The Unchecked Power of the Northern Pacific
A scathing editorial decries the 'bloodless, soulless' corporation for exploiting homesteaders and evading taxes while demanding public lands.
- The Pioneer Dream: Settling Seattle as an Organized Colony
In 1877, Seattle newspapers championed the idea of 'colonizing' the Washington Territory to solve the isolation of homesteading, mirroring today's debates over density and regional growth.
- City Leaders Form 'Improvement Society' to Push Paving and Sidewalks
A new civic organization unites the Chamber of Commerce and local business groups to demand better roads and permanent cement sidewalks throughout Tacoma.
- The Waterfront War: How Seattle's Property Owners Stopped the State from Stealing Their Land
A landmark court ruling in January 1901 declares that the state cannot redraw harbor lines and seize waterfront property without paying fair compensation, marking a major victory for private ownership against government overreach.
- The Art of the Political Stall
A look back at the legislative gridlock, railroad lobbying, and fierce parliamentary maneuvering in the Seattle council of 1887.
- The Struggle for the Pacific Northwest’s Iron Backbone
As the Northern Pacific Railroad languished in 1877, the Governor of Washington Territory demanded the company fulfill its land grant promises to break the cycle of land speculation and stagnation.
- The Wheels of Justice on the White River
Seven Indigenous petitioners take to the Seattle probate court to settle an estate, finding themselves navigating the complex and often impenetrable bureaucracy of settler law.
- The $3,000 Health Office That Vanished
A lawsuit between rival health officers ends with a lucrative post abolished and steamship companies refusing to pay for certificates they never legally owed.
- The Annual Migration to the Hop Fields
With harvest season underway in the Puyallup and Yakima valleys, 10,000 workers descend on the fields for a grueling, seasonal labor rush.
- The $12,000 Gamble: Seattle’s Plan to Woo the East with a Car Full of Dirt and Fruit
In 1889, local booster George Storrs proposed a radical marketing stunt: load a railroad car with Puget Sound’s minerals and produce, tour the Eastern U.S. for six months, and pay for it by charging every resident $0.10.
- The Great Lake-to-Sound Canal Dream
A century-old proposal to drain swampy lands and connect the Seattle lakes to the Puget Sound, fueled by fears of devastating floods and the need for new shipping channels.
- Mount Vernon's Dikes Held—Barely—as the Skagit Rose
The Skagit River broke a dike near Fir, covered bottomlands, cut trains and mail, and left Mount Vernon watching its new levee seep.
- The End of the Railroad Land Grab
A trio of government decisions finally ends the Northern Pacific's long-standing practice of seizing settler homes in Washington Territory.
- Newport's Schools Burst at the Seams as the Town Booms
Enrollment growth pushes School District No. 115 past capacity, forcing directors to weigh new bonds and a second building.
- The Million-Dollar Protest: Front Street Owners vs. The Cable Car
Pioneers and property magnates rallied against a proposed cable railway on Seattle’s main thoroughfare, arguing that the city council was ignoring the will of taxpayers in favor of outside capital.
- A Missing Word Nearly Derailed Bellingham's First City Election
Washington's Supreme Court ruled that Whatcom and Fairhaven could hold a combined city election in December 1903, reading past a clerk's drafting error to honor the legislature's intent.
- The Hidden Daily Labor of 1891
A quiet, classified advertisement reveals the invisible service economy of late 19th-century Seattle.
- Monte Cristo's Railroad Is Racing the Rain to Town
Everett & Monte Cristo crews expect to reach the boomtown by December, with a tunnel breakthrough only weeks away.