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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1889 | 4 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 4 |
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| 1925 | 1 |
49 stories matching ripe
- The Mosquito Netting Orchardist
A clever gardener in Lynden manages to defy the seasons and local birds, producing fresh cherries long after the neighbors' trees were picked clean.
- The Fruit Market Meltdown
Kennewick's fruit growers faced a financial disaster as over-ripe shipments caused market prices to collapse in the Midwest.
- A Sinking Buggy, a Borrowed Team, and a Reservation About to Open
In 1892 a newspaperman packed his wife and infant into a rickety buggy to cross the soon-to-open Colville Reservation, fording the Kettle River and leaning on Native families along the way.
- A Downtown Church Outgrows Its 1856 Home
Olympia's Methodists are quietly preparing to raise a new church at Fifth and Adams, honoring the pioneers who built the old one on Fourth — and the 375 souls who now fill the pews.
- The Skagit Valley's Endless Harvest
While the rest of the country faced the winter chill of 1891, gardeners in Skagit County were picking fresh blackberries and watching peas bloom in the open air.
- Kennewick’s Strawberry Gold Rush
Local growers prepare for a high-stakes market as early berries hit the streets, out-pacing competitors and promising windfall profits.
- Lice Threaten the Hop and Apple Crop, and the State Says Spray Now
Washington's horticulture board warns that leaf lice are spreading fast in Western Washington and issues a detailed spraying recipe before the harvest is lost.
- The Mysterious Grapefruit’s Debut in Seattle
Before the grapefruit was a breakfast staple, local merchants were mystified by the 'shaddock,' a strange, fickle fruit that could leave an unsuspecting eater with a sour face.
- The People’s Franchise: Seattle Votes Down Municipal Ownership of Streetcars
In a pivotal moment for the city's infrastructure, voters reject the Navin resolution to take control of street railways, cementing private corporate dominance over public transit.
- The County Agent, the Sugar Beet, and the Strawberry Harvest That Finally Went Right
In his 1916 annual report, county agriculturalist Lee M. Lampson chronicled a quiet revolution in Benton County — homegrown seed, revived sugar beets, cooperative buying, and the federal employment office that finally matched a thousand strawberry pickers to the ripening crop.
- Spokane Falls Denounces the Legislator Who Would Keep the County Whole
At Cannon's Hall, citizens passed resolutions demanding that the Territorial Legislature ignore Jacob Stitzel and split Spokane County in two.
- The 175-Pound Ghost That Fought Back
A skeptic grabbed a séance spirit, discovered a 175-pound man under the gauze, and touched off a fistfight in a Fremont parlor.
- The City vs. The Depot: Seattle's 1889 Eminent Domain Fight
When the Oregon Improvement Company tried to blockade South Third Street to protect their rail interests, the city council responded that the public interest was not for sale.
- Seattle’s Labor Roots: Organizing for the State Constitution
In April 1889, as Washington prepared to become a state, Seattle trade unionists organized a convention to ensure the voice of the worker was enshrined in the new constitution.
- The Hop Pickers' Bargain: Growers Cut Wages as Harvest Opens
In the Puyallup Valley, growers try to hold the line at two cents a pound. Crews register, balk and bargain — while Native pickers from British Columbia are turned away in favor of white workers.
- The Hops Are Ripe, but the Pickers Can't Afford the Ticket
Seattle's labor commissioner can fill only a fraction of orchard and hop-field orders, as low wages and travel costs leave Yakima and Snoqualmie growers short—and one ranch turns to Chinese workers.
- The Yesler Will Case: A Dead Millionaire, a Missing Will, and a Widow on Trial
In a Seattle courtroom, prosecutors argue that Mrs. Yesler conspired to destroy her husband's will—while defense lawyers call the case a web of speculation and newspaper rumor.
- The Fight to Reclaim Northern Pacific Lands
A Senate committee report argues that the Northern Pacific Railroad failed its contractual obligations, leaving millions of acres of public land ripe for forfeiture.
- The Railroad Lobby's Quiet Plan to Buy a Governor and Kill the Commission
A Walla Walla editor warns that railroad interests will avoid an open fight over regulation by nominating a friendly, colorless candidate—then using him to veto the commission bill.
- Olympia’s Booster Year: Brick, Bridges and a 50,000-Person Promise
As 1891 closed, the capital city counted $3 million in new buildings, a record bridge, electric lights and new rail lines — and predicted 50,000 residents within a decade.
- The City That Waited Too Long
A scathing editorial from 1880 chides Seattle’s civic leaders for their 'supine' failure to build the roads necessary to secure the region's economic future.
- Seattle Buries Bailey Gatzert Under a Grave of Flowers
The ex-mayor, banker and merchant drew hundreds to the Rainier Hotel, where Masons, city officials and civic societies honored a pioneer.
- The Vice President's Cousin and the $1,000 Port Townsend Swindle
A smooth-tongued 'loan agent' traded on Adlai Stevenson's name to collect membership fees from Port Townsend's most respectable Democrats — then hid behind unreturned abstracts and 'free stock' worth $100 a share.
- Old Town Residents Organize for Electric Rail Connection
A determined group of citizens in the original Yakima site is grading a new side-track, hoping to lure a company into connecting their district to North Yakima via electric rail.
- The Oyster King’s Blueprint: How Connecticut’s ‘Submarine Landlords’ Could Save Washington’s Economy
A visiting shellfish commissioner reveals that state-owned oyster beds create wealthier workers and richer treasuries—a radical land reform idea taking root in Aberdeen.
Also about this, in other words
- Richland’s Golden Berry Season
Local growers ship the first crate of the season to a luxury hotel, marking a record-breaking early harvest.
- The Battle for the First Strawberry Crate
When J. E. Hampton picked the first strawberries of the season in Hover, the Kennewick-Richland Marketing Union intervened to ensure the credit went to Kennewick.
- The Bitter Taste of Fruit Returns
White Bluffs growers are reeling after receiving final payouts from the Spokane Fruit Growers Company that fell far short of promised profits.
- Record Harvest Threatened by Wet Weather
Valley fruit growers face a race against time as rain stalls the largest apple crop in local history.
- When Every Eastern Market Was Swamped: The 1897 Fruit Glut That Broke Northwest Growers
A Northwest agricultural writer tallies the wreckage of a boom season — glutted markets, freight and icing bills nobody could pay, and a blunt prescription for growers: dry your prunes and hold for a price.
- The Search for the Perfect Late-Season Cherry
Horticulturists in Washington are celebrating the discovery of two new, hardy cherry varieties that could outshine the Bing.
- Walla Walla Prunes Conquer London
A successful experimental shipment of fruit across the Atlantic yields high returns.
- The Klondike Nugget: A New Yakima Valley Fruit
After nearly two decades of experimentation, a local farmer unveils a plum variety that promises to outshine the industry standard.