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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1861 | 4 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 26 |
| 1877 | 20 |
| 1878 | 24 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 5 |
| 1882 | 7 |
| 1883 | 27 |
| 1884 | 11 |
| 1885 | 19 |
| 1886 | 13 |
| 1887 | 17 |
| 1888 | 25 |
| 1889 | 56 |
| 1890 | 7 |
| 1891 | 54 |
| 1892 | 87 |
| 1893 | 85 |
| 1894 | 92 |
| 1895 | 119 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1897 | 3 |
| 1898 | 10 |
| 1899 | 18 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1902 | 4 |
| 1903 | 65 |
| 1904 | 52 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1908 | 24 |
| 1909 | 59 |
| 1910 | 10 |
| 1911 | 4 |
| 1912 | 5 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 27 |
| 1917 | 16 |
| 1923 | 5 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 2 |
| 1928 | 3 |
| 1929 | 1 |
1,033 stories matching deal
- The $37,500 Handshake: How Benton County's Tax Crusaders Blessed a Courthouse Deal
Prosser's anti-tax league swore it would guard the public purse to the last janitor's salary. Then its own man changed his mind on Monday, and the Kennewick editor noticed where the $37,500 went.
- The Secret Courthouse Bond Deal Benton County Tried to Ram Through
Commissioners Clements and McNeill authorized $125,000 in bonds for a Prosser courthouse after a closed-door plan their own lawyer admitted was designed to keep taxpayers in the dark. A Kennewick lawsuit put the deal before Judge Grady.
- The Mine That Became a Battlefield
A company manager defends his decision to arm guards against striking miners in Newcastle, claiming the 'faction fight' between labor unions left him no choice but to protect his property.
- The $2 Fee That Sunk a Warehouse: Railroads Tighten Grip on Seattle's Waterfront
A group of local businessmen planned a major grain warehouse at the foot of Battery Street, but Northern Pacific's refusal to budge on switching fees scuttled the deal—and highlighted the railroads' stranglehold on Seattle's shipping future.
- The Bell in the Woods: How Seattle Built Its First University
A 34-year anniversary feature on the Territorial University: 48 laborers, $2-a-day wages, lumber from Port Blakely, and an old bell that warned ships in fog and rang for hangings.
- The Courthouse Deal Done in the Dark
Benton County commissioners quietly sold $125,000 in bonds for a new courthouse. Farmers from Finley to Prosser cried foul over up to $40,000 in extra interest—and demanded to know why it had to be secret.
- The Fire That Killed a Hotel
A disastrous downtown blaze consumed the Star Theater, inadvertently scuttling a major quarter-million-dollar property deal.
- The Streetcar Combine That Built North Seattle
D. T. Denny and his sons bought control of the Consolidated Street Railway, merged it with the Third Street electric line, and set their sights on every route north of downtown.
- The Great Seattle Gamblers' Bailout: How the City's Elite Let Off the Hook
In a crowded courtroom, dozens of men accused of running illegal gambling rings were released on massive bonds, while the sheriff’s office scrambled to account for thousands in cash.
- The Seattle Hotel That Won Over Snohomish Shoppers
A historic hotel and mercantile shop on the Sound becomes the preferred destination for Snohomish County residents seeking quality goods and fair dealing.
- The Great Tacoma Water Flimflam
A look back at the 1890 council scandal that left the city with a mountain of debt and a useless water system.
- A Chinese Student's 1929 Speech Named the Racism Washington Tried to Forget
At the University of Washington's Cosmopolitan Club, Wesley Kai Hwa Kwang catalogued a century of anti-Chinese violence — including the 1885 killings in Squak Valley and the burning of Tacoma's Chinatown — and asked a white audience to account for it.
- The Scandal of the Agricultural College Commission
A heated investigation into alleged corruption and secret deals involving former Washington state officials and the site selection for the new state college.
- Tacoma’s 'Pig in a Poke' Water Deal
Taxpayers revolt against a dubious multi-million dollar municipal purchase of water and electric assets.
- Seattle's Railroad Strike Goes Quiet—but the Unions Keep Fighting
As the national railroad boycott convulses the country, Seattle's yards stay quiet under troops and deputies while local unions back Debs, condemn violence, and negotiate food and livestock passage through boycotted lines.
- The Great Dayton Barley Corner
A local malt house proprietor pulls off the largest grain deal in Dayton's history, driving up prices and frustrating outside buyers.
- The Dark-Lantern Courthouse Deal That Split Benton County
Two defeated commissioners pushed a $125,000 courthouse bond through in thirty minutes, and Kennewick's editor saw a county-seat conspiracy — and a raid on the taxpayers' treasury.
- The Tax Collector’s Quiet Heist in Thurston County
Assessments against “unknown owners,” doubled fees and $9,000 in illegal exactions left property titles tangled and taxpayers furious.
- Kansas Lumbermen Buy the Eagle Mill and Bet on Newport
Moeser Bros. of Topeka take over the idle sawmill south of the Great Northern depot, promising a planing mill, timber holdings and a steady run.
- Gambling Dens Raided After Backroom Deal Goes Public
Mayor Ronald's 'reform administration' is forced to shut down four gambling houses after a secret protection scheme becomes a public scandal.
- The Price of a Monopoly: A $16,000 Legal Battle over Walla Walla Gas
A Spokane attorney claims he is owed thousands for brokering a deal that reshaped the city’s utility landscape, exposing the high-stakes game of regional franchise control.
- An Eastern Syndicate Targets Grays Harbor Tide Lands
Thousands of acres of tide lands slated for development by German immigrant farmers are set to be sold, marking a shift in the region's agricultural landscape.
- The $2,000 Apple Lesson: A Walk Down Seattle's Produce Row
A farm columnist tours Seattle's commission houses on Western Avenue, where a single packing mistake cost one grower a season's profit — and offers a cautionary tale for every farmer shipping to the city.
- Seattle City Hall's Pay Cut Leaves a Hornet's Nest—and One Philosophical Engineer
Council slashed salaries, abolished jobs, and triggered charges of charter-reform politics.
- A Steamboat Inspector on Trial, and the Men Who Kicked
A Seattle courtroom hears masters and pilots defend Capt. Bryant against charges of favoritism—and admit that the men who complain are often the incompetent ones.
Also about this, in other words
- Seattle's Streetcar Deal: Fair Terms or a Giveaway?
An 1895 editorial defends the city council's bargain with a private streetcar company, arguing that good service and future investment mattered more than squeezing out a quick profit.
- The Price of a Settlement Gone Wrong
A contract to manufacture shake posts turns into a criminal trial after a partner is accused of embezzling funds.
- The Real Estate Deal That Bought Silence on Vice
A lawsuit to shut down 'vicious dens' on A Street is dropped after a mysterious buyer purchases the property, raising concerns about city-sanctioned corruption.
- The Secret Land Deal Exposed
Allegations emerge that Mayor Hunt attempted to bypass a public vote to acquire the Thomas land for municipal use.
- A Frontier Real Estate Deal
A classic 1876 listing for a house and lot on 2nd Avenue, revealing the mid-development geography of early Seattle.
- Vanderbilt Land Deal on Commerce Street
The Pacific Trust Company acquires a downtown building from George and Edith Stuyvesant Vanderbilt.
- Big Utility Deal Reshapes Walla Walla Infrastructure
A major consolidation of power and transit interests moves forward as articles of incorporation are filed for a massive new utility holding company.
- The Fusion Bargain: Democrats and Populists Trade Principles for a Ticket
A Tacoma dispatch describes backroom talks, proxies and newspaper maneuvering as Washington's Democrats and Populists weigh a joint slate.