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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 2 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 7 |
| 1862 | 7 |
| 1863 | 2 |
| 1864 | 3 |
| 1872 | 7 |
| 1876 | 27 |
| 1877 | 14 |
| 1878 | 6 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 5 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 20 |
| 1884 | 12 |
| 1885 | 46 |
| 1886 | 29 |
| 1887 | 13 |
| 1888 | 16 |
| 1889 | 38 |
| 1890 | 5 |
| 1891 | 38 |
| 1892 | 94 |
| 1893 | 81 |
| 1894 | 107 |
| 1895 | 104 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 6 |
| 1899 | 17 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 38 |
| 1904 | 29 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 18 |
| 1909 | 49 |
| 1910 | 6 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 7 |
| 1915 | 12 |
| 1916 | 16 |
| 1917 | 15 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 5 |
| 1924 | 8 |
| 1925 | 3 |
934 stories matching request
- City Hall Showdown: Council and Reformers Clash Over Charter Revision
A heated joint meeting of the city council and civic organizations debates whether to call a special election for a new city charter, with accusations of bullying and claims of wasted taxpayer money.
- The Judge Who Gambled Away His Office: Soderberg’s Dramatic Resignation
After the grand jury returned five indictments for extortion and malfeasance in office, District Attorney Joseph Soderberg walked into court, tendered his resignation, and declared he would repay every illegal fee to the county treasury.
- The First Teachers’ Institute: A Battle for Seattle’s Soul
In September 1872, the Territory’s top educators gathered in Seattle to debate everything from corporal punishment to the role of women in teaching, laying the groundwork for public education in Washington.
- The Terminal Standoff: How Seattle’s Business Elite Forced a Railroad Compromise
In January 1899, the city’s Board of Trade and leading merchants intervened in a bitter dispute between the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad and the Puget Sound Shore Railroad, demanding the construction of vital terminal warehouses to save freight from the elements.
- Puyallup Tribe Demands Accountability
A committee of twelve Puyallup tribal leaders issued an ultimatum to land commissioners they claim are avoiding open discussion of reservation rights.
- 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 Scab Who Spoke Out: A Newcastle Miner’s Defense Against the 'Ring'
In a fiery letter to the editor, a coal miner defends his decision to cross the picket line during a violent strike, accusing union leaders of forming a tyrannical ring and replacing loyal workers with non-union laborers.
- Franklin Miners Blast Calls for a New Disaster Investigation
After 37 men died in the Franklin mine explosion, 152 miners signed resolutions defending the coroner's verdict and accusing outside agitators of exploiting their grief.
- The Peril of the Newcastle Coal Mine
A coal miner appeals directly to the Territorial Governor after local officials ignore warnings of a persistent, dangerous fire at the Newcastle mines.
- The Doctors Declare War: Seattle's Health Board Orders the Schools Shut as Scarlet Fever Spreads
Backed by a city attorney's opinion, the board of health gives the school board an ultimatum — close the Rainier and South schools by nine o'clock Friday morning or the police will do it for them.
- Eight Hundred Armed Men, Two Dead: The Coal War the Guard Rode All Night to Stop
In the summer of 1891 the Green River coal towns of Franklin and Gilman armed themselves into rival companies. When the shooting started, a deputy sheriff wired Seattle for troops — and the colonel marched before he had orders.
- Seattle’s Grand Welcome: The Battle for the First Washington Volunteers’ Homecoming
In May 1899, Seattle mobilized its entire civic infrastructure to welcome home the first regiment from the Spanish-American War. With Mayor Hume calling joint committees and the City Council lobbying the Navy for a battleship, the city prepared for a celebration that would define its post-war identity.
- The Last Request of a Forgotten Pioneer
An elderly immigrant who sought his fortune in the Fraser River gold rush spends his final days pleading for a dignified burial, forcing the city's power brokers to confront the reality of poverty in a booming frontier town.
- The Engineer Who Says Olympia Stiffed Him for Sewer Plans
A civil engineer hired to draft Olympia’s sewers says the city accepted his $700 bid, starved him of data, then canceled his contract and paid another man $1,500 for plans he calls a public nuisance.
- A Packed Council Chamber, a Railroad Franchise, and a Fight Over Public Streets
Newport's city council meeting drew a standing-room crowd as aldermen tangled over an Idaho Washington Northern street-vacation request, a conflict-of-interest accusation, saloon licenses, and an electric-light contract.
- The Mayor’s War on the 'Ring': A Candidate’s Plea for Clean Government in 1879 Seattle
Bernard Cossen runs for mayor not for power, but to stop wealthy landowners from hoarding public funds and blocking civic progress.
- Everett Labor Leaders Organize Against 'Fake' Union Labels
Amidst an ongoing strike, the local Trades Council urges members to vet their hats and local restaurants to ensure they are supporting legitimate union-made goods.
- The Postal Forger Targeting Local Merchants
A crafty con artist is raising the value of small money orders with chemicals, and authorities are warning shopkeepers to stay vigilant.
- The Governor's Telegram: How the Militia Was Called Out to the King County Coal Fields
Colonel J. C. Haines lays out the paper trail behind the 1891 deployment of National Guard troops to the coal towns of Gilman and Franklin — and the labor war that nearly became a dawn battle.
- The Great Schism at Market Street Baptist
A congregation splits as 22 members depart in the wake of internal conflict, signaling the end of a long-standing church feud.
- Fire Limits, Flying Switches and a Fifty-Year Franchise: One Evening at Newport's City Hall
In a single session the council moved to outlaw frame buildings downtown, chased street grades on three avenues, turned back a second telephone exchange, and heard that trains were nearly killing people at the Fourth Street crossing — three times in one day.
- Sixty-Five Sign for a Town; Sixteen Try to Take Their Names Back
A petition to incorporate Marcus as a fourth-class town meets a remonstrance: signers want their names stricken, attorneys argue over voter qualifications, and the county board takes the matter under advisement.
- The Brewer and the Widow
A Seattle brewing fortune hangs in the balance as a widow sues for breach of promise.
- Seattle's Fire Chief Accused as the Council Wrestles a Telephone Franchise and a Paving Bill
Both houses of the city council meet late into the night: charges that Chief Hunt holds office under false pretenses, a twenty-five-year franchise for the Seattle Home Telephone Company, and a fight over who pays for the sick and injured.
- Western Railroads Demand Rate Hikes
Twenty major rail companies seek 'immediate relief' to cover rising labor and equipment costs.
Also about this, in other words
- A Desperate Plea for Mercy in a Madison Street Assault
Despite the emotional pleas of a wife attempting to protect her husband, the victim of a brutal assault refuses to drop charges.
- An Orphan's Plea from the Sagebrush
An eleven-year-old boy in a Seattle orphanage writes to the local newspaper in hopes of finding a new home in Kennewick’s sagebrush country.
- A Wartime Call to Conscience
A fiery editorial urges Kennewick residents to stop making excuses and contribute to the Red Cross war fund, arguing that personal sacrifice is a duty of citizenship.
- The Man Who Demanded Ten Thousand Dollars from the Law
A local man convinced an electrical machine was ordering him to collect a massive payday from the county deputy.
- A Child's Plea for Help
A three-year-old girl leads an officer to a locked room to rescue her mother from an abusive husband.
- A Precarious Request for Legal Safety
Unable to file for divorce due to residency requirements, a mother seeks a court injunction to protect herself and her children from her husband's alleged abuse.
- The Lonely Plea of Miss Martha Bronson
An Eastern woman takes out a newspaper advertisement to find a husband in Washington Territory, declaring she is 'already grown up' and looking to build a life in the West.
- The Doctor Who Wanted Everything
A Prince Edward Island physician wrote to a Seattle paper requesting a mountain of free market research, leading the editors to publicly shame him for his stinginess.