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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 3 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 36 |
| 1877 | 31 |
| 1878 | 15 |
| 1879 | 4 |
| 1880 | 5 |
| 1882 | 5 |
| 1883 | 36 |
| 1884 | 17 |
| 1885 | 28 |
| 1886 | 24 |
| 1887 | 18 |
| 1888 | 17 |
| 1889 | 60 |
| 1890 | 6 |
| 1891 | 27 |
| 1892 | 79 |
| 1893 | 75 |
| 1894 | 64 |
| 1895 | 68 |
| 1897 | 7 |
| 1898 | 13 |
| 1899 | 23 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1902 | 4 |
| 1903 | 41 |
| 1904 | 30 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 11 |
| 1909 | 37 |
| 1910 | 11 |
| 1911 | 11 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 3 |
| 1915 | 7 |
| 1916 | 15 |
| 1917 | 8 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 5 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
870 stories matching firm
- The Fruit Broker Who Shipped Bananas to the Arctic—and Planned to Make His Employees Co-Owners
J. B. Powles buys out Seattle's oldest commission house, revealing a rags-to-fortune run built on produce, Alaska trade and an unusual plan to share ownership with his workers.
- The Waterfront Labor Squeeze
A standoff at the Seattle docks over shipping contracts and idle labor leaves the local waterfront in turmoil.
- Dirty Tricks, 1892: Yakima's Candidate for Governor Fights Back
A Seattle paper accused the Democratic nominee of fleeing his debts and defrauding orphans. Snively's supporters called it a Republican smear—and produced letters to prove it.
- The Great Tacoma Hop Battle
When a New York firm tried to back out of a contract after a price crash, they found that Tacoma business owners weren't taking no for an answer.
- The Law Firm That Was: Struve, Haines & Leary Dissolves After Twelve Years
A prominent Seattle legal partnership splits by mutual consent, with Mr. Leary retiring to manage his growing real estate portfolio while the remaining partners continue their lucrative practice in the Post Building.
- Who Really Sets the Price of Meat? A Puget Sound Monopoly Under the Knife
A Tacoma investigation finds that one middleman firm and a handful of Eastern Washington cattle kings hold the whole Sound's beef and mutton trade — and the dealers admit they are all getting rich while customers pay.
- A Pioneer Stove Merchant Survives Fire, Panic, and a Receivership
Z.C. Miles arrived in 1870, rebuilt after the Great Seattle Fire, and joined forces with a young executive to create a coast-wide jobbing giant in stoves and electric supplies.
- Theft Allegations and Anti-Asian Tropes
A railroad worker is accused of absconding with company funds in a case reflecting the xenophobic framing of the era.
- The Mysterious Death of Abe Gross
A 28-year-old Tacoma dry-goods partner was found shot through the mouth in his bed. His brother's grief, a coroner's open verdict, and a city's disbelief turned a private tragedy into a public mystery.
- The Wheat Broker Who Vanished With the Proceeds
A Spokane County farmer shipped wheat to a Seattle commission firm and got nothing back. The office was empty, the operator was in San Francisco, and the paper called it deliberate fraud.
- The Dry Dock Deal That Promised 300 Jobs in Ten Days
A revised Navy contract at Port Orchard promised hundreds of jobs and a permanent naval station—and contractors insisted their work had been vindicated.
- The Ghost of the Sound: A Swindler’s Vanishing Act
A glib salesman charms his way into the good graces of a prominent Seattle firm, only to disappear with their funds and a trail of aliases.
- The Price of Industrial Expansion in Old Seattle
When two prominent wire and manufacturing firms faced insolvency, a crowded meeting of creditors reveals the fragile state of local commerce and the high cost of debt.
- The End of an Institution
Seattle's iconic Arcade dry goods store closes its doors, marking the end of a remarkable partnership.
- The 'Unfair List' War
A local businessman threatens a newspaper editor over his inclusion on a labor union's blacklist, sparking a clash over the power of organized labor in Everett.
- Thurston County’s $3,985 Court House Contract Went to a New York Firm
Commissioners signed off on metal vault furniture for the new county courthouse, trimming the order from $5,000 and choosing a Rochester manufacturer after inspecting competing bids in Seattle and Tacoma.
- The Middleman Trap: A Farm Journal Warns the Growers About Shady Commission Houses
A Northwest agricultural paper tells fruit shippers to beware 'snide concerns' that report produce as damaged and pocket the difference — and names a Tacoma firm closing its season 'under the cloud of shady transactions.'
- New Capital, New Mill: Dalkena Lumber Co. Takes Over
A Minneapolis-backed corporation buys the D. K. Mill, plans a band mill and retail lumber trade, and bets on the coming railroad.
- The Lumber Barons Who Built the Sound
A 1882 reflection on the pioneers of the Puget Sound lumber industry, mapping the rise of the men who transformed Washington’s forests into fortunes.
- An End to the Firm of Frost & Fowler
A straightforward dissolution notice captures the fleeting nature of 19th-century business partnerships in Snohomish County.
- The Sunset of a Snohomish Partnership
A local mercantile firm dissolves, leaving behind a trail of outstanding debts and a stern deadline for settlement.
- The Bitter End of a Snohomish Partnership
A public notice in the Northern Star signals the messy dissolution of the Packard & Jackson firm, reflecting the fragile nature of early frontier business ventures.
- A Revolver at Her Ear: Mary Steel's Third Fight for a Divorce
Mary Steel's third divorce suit against David H. Steel laid bare a bitter fight over $49,000 in Seattle and Montana property—and allegations of violence, control and intimidation.
- The Collapse of a Real Estate Empire
After years of boom-time speculation, a prominent firm collapses under the weight of unpaid mortgages and political fallout.
- Celia Levy's Street Fight for Justice
A woman who lost her savings to a fraudulent brokerage firm tracks down the disgraced partner in a Seattle restaurant to exact a public—and physical—retribution.
Also about this, in other words
- Legal Briefs and Bare Knuckles in Tacoma
Two prominent attorneys resolve a heated professional disagreement with a fight on the office floor.
- The Real Estate Handshake: A Forgotten Legal Precedent
An 1889 court ruling from Kansas reverberated in Seattle, forcing a change in how developers and land brokers accounted for profits.
- A Corporate Squeeze in Seattle
A stockholder sues to place a local railway and elevator company under receivership, alleging a conspiracy to freeze out investors.
- A Falling Out Over the Postmastership
When two business partners both quietly sought the same political appointment, their professional union came to an abrupt end.
- The Land Sharks of the Sound
A Seattle real estate firm is trapping local farmers in predatory contracts that cloud property titles for years, leaving settlers fighting for their deeds.
- The New Spirit of Front Street
As Seattle's wholesale economy matures in the 1870s, a new firm moves into the Pontius Building to cut out the San Francisco middleman.
- The Shadow Cabinet of the Tacoma Railway & Power Company
A critical report on corporate influence over municipal government and the 'nose counting' of city officials.
- The City Hall Tug-of-War Over Power
A legal opinion opens the door for a private utility to power a public school, sparking a heated debate over city charter boundaries.