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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 5 |
| 1860 | 3 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 11 |
| 1876 | 67 |
| 1877 | 54 |
| 1878 | 36 |
| 1879 | 5 |
| 1880 | 11 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 65 |
| 1884 | 35 |
| 1885 | 43 |
| 1886 | 20 |
| 1887 | 32 |
| 1888 | 32 |
| 1889 | 98 |
| 1890 | 18 |
| 1891 | 78 |
| 1892 | 144 |
| 1893 | 119 |
| 1894 | 115 |
| 1895 | 184 |
| 1897 | 4 |
| 1898 | 20 |
| 1899 | 28 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 46 |
| 1904 | 61 |
| 1905 | 6 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 37 |
| 1909 | 85 |
| 1910 | 14 |
| 1911 | 10 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 12 |
| 1915 | 25 |
| 1916 | 29 |
| 1917 | 11 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1922 | 3 |
| 1923 | 7 |
| 1924 | 4 |
| 1925 | 6 |
| 1929 | 1 |
1,603 stories matching improvement
- The Fight for City Improvements
Prominent citizens clash over property owner resistance to essential infrastructure projects in Tacoma.
- The Second Street Stand-Off
Property owners in early Kennewick push back against municipal street paving, citing hard times and 'over-improvement' concerns.
- They Said Seattle's Ship Canal Was Hogging the Money. The Appropriations Bill Said Otherwise.
A Pierce County Democratic plank accuses Washington's senators of starving Northwest rivers and harbors to fund the Lake Washington canal. A Seattle paper answers with receipts — $2.3 million for the Columbia, roughly $100,000 for the canal — and an old rivalry with Portland and Tacoma underneath.
- South L Street Improvement Stalled by Resident Remonstrance
Local property owners in the Sixth addition are pushing back against Councilman Christoffersen’s plans for street grading, citing cost and feasibility concerns.
- The 'Improved' Red Men and the Sioux Chief
A Seattle fraternal order debates the morality of posthumously 'improving' a legendary Indigenous leader.
- The Railroad Plot for Seattle's Waterfront
A Chicago report says Elijah Smith is maneuvering the Oregon Improvement Company so James J. Hill and the Great Northern can take its Seattle terminals and water front.
- Kennewick Moves Toward Port Status
County officials certify petition for a new port district, paving the way for future Columbia River navigation and infrastructure growth.
- The $750,000 Question Tacoma's Park Board Couldn't Answer
Days before a citywide bond vote, an editorial demanded specifics on parks, playgrounds and boulevards—while a Twelfth Street improvement club secretary insisted the plan had backers.
- Kennewick Residents Buck Port Expansion
A petition signed by 45 citizens halts progress on a sweeping riverfront development plan.
- Tacoma Property Owners Fight Street Improvements
Citizens mount a second protest against expensive city upgrades to E Street, but the council remains unmoved.
- Seattle’s Streets Were Still Mostly Wood—Until the Brick Came
With 750 miles platted and only 106 improved, city engineers pushed permanent pavement on Union Street and dreamed of brick from local clay.
- Twelve Thousand Lots and a Deadline to Prove You Live There
Port Angeles appraisers faced 12,000 lots, each with improvements to value, while settlers rushed to establish residence before the appraisal closed.
- Kennewick Halts Paving Plans Amid Financial Strain
Facing a $30,000 delinquency crisis, the city council abandons ambitious paving projects in favor of cheaper alternatives.
- Newport to Great Northern: Where Is Our Depot?
Newport's Commercial Club tells state regulators that promised Great Northern depot improvements have stalled—and that the new fast mail train now rushes past too quickly to load the mail.
- The Brakeman's Fall
A train brakeman sues the Oregon Improvement Company after falling into a pitch-black coal chute at night.
- One Lawsuit Over Jackson Street Stops Every Big Street Project in Washington
The state supreme court voids the 1893 eminent domain law, and Seattle's half-million-dollar regrade — along with the ambitious improvements of every city over 1,500 people — is suddenly unfundable.
- Who Should Pay for the Roads?
A local Improvement Club faces the reality of tax levies and the division of responsibility between corporations and residents.
- The Twelfth Street Improvement Battle
A local improvement club pushes to pave Twelfth Street and demands the streetcar company upgrade their tracks or move them.
- Everett Candidates Face the 'Improvement Club' Grilling
Local improvement groups and the Socialist Party demand answers on everything from public markets and water works to taxing corporate utilities.
- New Council Moves to Oil Kennewick’s Streets
In its first official act, the newly elected city council mandates the improvement of Second Street, sparking a split vote over the fiscal burden on property owners.
- The State Moved the Line, and the Waterfront Went With It
Tide-land owners at Port Angeles say they filled in the harbor in good faith, paid their money, and then learned the state had redrawn the meander line to swallow the most valuable frontage — and that the attorney general now refuses to issue their deeds.
- Federal Engineers Eye Snohomish River
A government survey determines that improving the waterway to Everett is vital for the region's expanding industrial commerce.
- The Shadow of the Railroad: Tide Lands and Public Trust
As Washington state's constitutional convention drags on, delegates engage in a fierce legislative showdown over the fate of public tide lands, pitted against powerful rail and improvement corporations.
- City School Warrants Cleared for Hotel Site
The Superior Court mandates that school funds be used to settle payments for the controversial Tourist Hotel property.
- The Mayor's Veto: When Seattle Tried to Make the City Pay for Street Improvements
A 1892 legal battle over funding street infrastructure shows that Seattle’s struggle with municipal debt and civic improvement bonds has been brewing for over a century.