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|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
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1,185 stories matching contract
- State Supreme Court Upholds Lake Washington Canal Contract, Clearing the Way for Tide-Land Transformation
The Washington Supreme Court rules that the Lake Washington Waterway Company's contract to dig a canal and fill tide lands is constitutional, rejecting a landowner's challenge and affirming the state's power to remake the waterfront.
- Everett’s Sweetheart Printing Deal: The Supreme Court Said No
In 1894, Everett’s city council awarded its official printing contract to a bid nearly four times higher than a rival’s. The Washington Supreme Court reversed course, warning that public money was not the council’s to give away.
- The $8,000 Schoolyard Fight
A losing contractor accuses Seattle’s school board of steering a South School grounds contract to a favored bidder and wasting taxpayer money. The board fires back that the cheapest bids were unsafe and that a $25,000 schoolhouse was at risk of falling.
- Seattle’s Tide-Flats Canal Clears the Court
The state Supreme Court upholds the Seattle Lake Washington Waterway Company’s contracts, leaving only a $500,000 subsidy before dredging begins.
- The Millionaire’s Gamble: Ryan & McDonald Awarded the $3M Rail Contract
New York contractors secure the massive deal to connect Seattle and Spokane Falls in just two years, promising to unlock Eastern Washington's grain and timber wealth.
- The Contract Wife Who Would Not Be Shaken Off
Florence Bucklin Byers followed a wealthy Chilean consul to California, then returned to Port Townsend vowing to enforce their handwritten marriage contract—or sue him for divorce.
- Kennewick Bargained for Brighter Streets—and a Ten-Year Utility Deal
In December 1916, Pacific Power Light proposed replacing Kennewick’s carbon arc lamps with hydrogen lamps, but council members wanted guarantees that new technology and future rate cuts would reach the city.
- The Night Seattle Fought Over Its Streetlights
A special meeting of the Board of Aldermen turns into a tense negotiation with the Union Electric Company over the terms, safeguards and cost of lighting the city.
- Seattle's $100,000 Night: The Armory Meeting That Sold the Ship Canal
Boosters packed the Armory in 1895 and pledged a fortune for locks and bridges on a Lake Washington canal—payable only after a ship made the passage from Elliott Bay.
- Five Hundred Men and a Steam Shovel: Newport Becomes a Railroad Town
The Idaho & Washington Northern finally signs Grant Smith Co. to grade the line up the Pend Oreille to Ione — and Newport bets its winter, its wages and its warehouses on the boom.
- Richland Bridge Contract Nullified by State Oversight
A procedural shortcut taken by county commissioners to build a bridge has backfired, with the state declaring their contract void for lack of competitive bidding.
- The Bankrupt Streetcar Company Ordered to Keep a Mansion Lit
A Seattle court rules that a receiver must honor a close corporation's strange side deal to power G. E. M. Pratt's home.
- The Normal School Was Cleared. The Unpaid Workers Weren’t.
A legislative committee investigating the Ellensburg Normal School found no corruption among trustees—only changed plans, discounted emergency scrip, and laborers left chasing a contractor.
- The Judge Who Warned Seattle Not to Sell Its Waterfront to a Canal Company
In 1894, Judge John J. McGilvra urged Congress to build the Lake Washington Ship Canal and warned that a private company's tideflat scheme would put tolls on the water and enrich speculators at public expense.
- The Great Hose Heist: How a Seattle Fire Department Was Almost Scammed by a New York Manufacturer
A peculiar dispute over fire equipment reveals the cutthroat world of late-19th-century municipal procurement, where agents played cities against manufacturers and warrants were used as currency.
- The Great Seattle Water Contract Scandal
A local newspaper investigation exposes suspicious water hydrant contracts, accusing city officials of mismanagement and sweetheart deals ahead of a heated municipal election.
- San Francisco Capitalists Plan a New Waterway at Smith's Cove
A newly incorporated dredging company asks the state for the right to dig out and fill Seattle's northern tide flats, promising wharves, railroad yards and mills.
- The Battle Over Gold and Greenbacks in Walla Walla
A legal dispute over whether debts must be paid in gold or federal paper money echoes the era's financial uncertainty.
- The School District Spending Scandal
A local newspaper accuses the school board of backroom deals and misappropriating thousands of dollars in a heating system contract.
- The Music-Hall Queen and Her Contract Husband
A Port Townsend performer known as "Shiner" says she will sue Frederick Macondray for divorce, brandishing love letters signed "My Dear Little Kid" and a marriage contract struck on Puget Sound.
- Unsafe at Any Depth: Detillion Bridge Condemned, Emergency Contract Let
A joint inspection finds the Spokane River crossing beyond repair, forcing Stevens and Lincoln counties to rescind a contract and fast-track a replacement.
- The $800 School Contract That Smelled Wrong
A losing bidder says Seattle’s school board changed the bonding rules mid-bid to steer the South School job to a higher bidder—and cost taxpayers hundreds.
- The Eight-Hour War: Seattle’s Labor Law Hits a Legal Wall
As the state’s landmark eight-hour workday law takes effect, prosecutors and judges clash over whether it applies to private contractors like the Pacific Bridge Company, leaving workers in limbo.
- The Railroads Wanted a Senator, and They Worked Olympia to Get Him
A Republican paper accuses John L. Wilson of backing a railroad-friendly bill while transcontinental lines quietly lobby the legislature to send him to the U.S. Senate — and Tacoma's A.P.A. splits over the fight.
- The Engineer Who Had the City by the Throat
In a bitter 1909 standoff over Seattle’s waterworks, engineer Benezet Williams accused city officials of squeezing him into submission after they canceled his contract. The advisory board’s final offer left him with little choice but to walk away.
Also about this, in other words
- The Court Upholds Property Speculation
A landmark superior court ruling confirms that land contracts are strictly enforceable, forcing buyers to pay even if the market shifts.
- The Contract Proof of a Hidden Strike
A labor newspaper exposes the desperate tactics used by the Sumner Iron Works to recruit strikebreakers through shady employment contracts.
- The Wage War at City Hall
Mayor Boyd locks horns with the city attorney over a mandatory $2.25 daily wage for city contract workers.
- Breach of Promise Lawsuit Dismissed
A judge rules that a marriage agreement based on cohabitation is not a binding legal contract.
- The Case Against the Contractor
A labor editorial argues that public works projects should be managed by the city directly, not by private contractors who cut corners and inflate costs.
- The Contract War for Seattle’s Baseball Manager
A power struggle in the minor leagues pits Seattle's local boosters against the board of control over the fate of Abner Powell.
- The Printing Contract Scandal
The City Council awards a printing contract to a more expensive paper, sparking claims of hypocrisy against the self-proclaimed 'reform' administration.
- The Contractor Who Left a Trail of Debt
After securing $1,500 in contract payments, a local builder vanished in a rowboat, leaving his creditors behind in the dust.