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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 3 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 4 |
| 1861 | 6 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 22 |
| 1877 | 18 |
| 1878 | 18 |
| 1879 | 5 |
| 1880 | 8 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 26 |
| 1884 | 13 |
| 1885 | 37 |
| 1886 | 15 |
| 1887 | 25 |
| 1888 | 15 |
| 1889 | 48 |
| 1890 | 10 |
| 1891 | 54 |
| 1892 | 113 |
| 1893 | 112 |
| 1894 | 146 |
| 1895 | 168 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 12 |
| 1899 | 17 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 52 |
| 1904 | 54 |
| 1905 | 7 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 15 |
| 1909 | 60 |
| 1910 | 12 |
| 1911 | 5 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 9 |
| 1915 | 7 |
| 1916 | 25 |
| 1917 | 11 |
| 1918 | 3 |
| 1923 | 9 |
| 1924 | 3 |
| 1925 | 2 |
| 1928 | 1 |
1,194 stories matching sign
- A County Treasurer’s Bond With Too Many Holes
Seattle’s newly elected county treasurer filed a surety bond riddled with defects, withdrawn signatures and backers who pledged more than they could justify.
- The Effigy in the Pine Tree
Charles Gloystein crossed Spokane County's Populists and woke to find himself hanged in straw. Then he vanished.
- Armed Guards, a Locked Forecastle, and One Sailor Who Swam for It
Seattle's Sailors' Union accused a British ship of shanghaiing five men at Port Blakely; one escaped by jumping overboard, while the Shipowners' Association called the charges 'all bosh.'
- The 15-Cent Street Signs That Became a Graft Scandal
A councilman nicknamed 'Boss' hands out a street-sign contract on his own authority, and the town asks why it is buying throwaway tin markers instead of signs that last — at the people's expense.
- Breach-of-Promise Suit: Mary Smith Says Starvation Forced Her to Sign Release
In the latest filing in the Smith-Fisher case, Mary H. Smith claims Elmer H. Fisher took advantage of her poverty to get her to sign away her claims.
- 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.
- A State Board Told Dentists to Sign Away Their Ads — One Seattle Man Refused
At the 1903 licensing exams in Tacoma, Washington's dental examiners demanded applicants sign a code-of-ethics contract before they could sit down. Edwin J. Brown of Seattle said no — and the whole profession waited to see whether he'd be barred from practice.
- Newport's Boosters Plan a Fourth—and a Bid for the Courthouse
The Commercial Club moved to raise $600 for a big Fourth of July, sent a delegation to Colville for a new judicial district, and weighed a glowing 'Newport' sign at the foot of Washington Avenue.
- The Octopus and the Seal: A Local Captain’s War Against a Washington Monopoly
In 1901, Port Townsend resident James G. Swan published affidavits from experienced hunters to debunk Professor Elliott’s claim that seal pups sink like stones, exposing the Alaska Commercial Company’s stranglehold on federal policy.
- Roslyn Miners End a Three-Month Strike — and Return to the Pits at a 20 Percent Cut
After a bitter walkout against the Northern Pacific Coal Company, the miners of Roslyn vote almost unanimously to accept reduced wages and go back to work — a surrender that some say was hastened when a handful of Black miners from Franklin were brought in to take their places.
- The Case of the Empty Bond: A Cautionary Tale of Corruption in Walla Walla
When an elected official absconded with nearly $20,000 in public funds, the court had to decide if his sureties were still on the hook—even though they had signed a blank piece of paper.
- The Temperance Preacher and the Heavyweight Champion
When gospel temperance evangelist Francis Murphy visited a Tacoma theater to convert prize fighter John L. Sullivan to sobriety, he found the champion as stubborn as his reputation.
- The Wage Suit That Ended With Altered Receipts and a Vanished Proprietor
A Paris restaurant worker sues for unpaid wages; the defense produces receipts that the plaintiffs say were doctored, and the proprietor slips away to California.
- A River Pact Collapses, but the Metaline Returns to Service
A signed steamboat connection between the Ruth and the Pend Oreille River Navigation Company fell through within days, even as Newport’s river fleet shifted schedules and put the Metaline back to work.
- The Tacoma Theater's Electric Sign Crumbles
A fierce windstorm tears down the landmark illuminated sign on St. Helens Avenue.
- The 'A Co.' Misunderstanding
A linguistic confusion at a Seattle restaurant leads to a partnership change and a new sign.
- The Last Laugh of Charles Nordstrom
As the Seattle Star reports on May 15, 1899, condemned murderer Charles Nordstrom sits in his cell, seemingly indifferent to the death warrant signed that morning. While the legal machinery grinds toward his execution for the murder of a police officer, one man’s sarcastic smile and contemptuous silence speak louder than any final prayer.
- 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 Failed Coup at Washington Agricultural College
A group of anonymous agitators attempts to purge the regents of the state's young college, but they refuse to put their names to the accusations.
- The $8,000 Schoolyard Fight
A losing contractor accuses Seattle’s school board of steering a South School grounds contract to a favored bidder and wasting taxpayer money. The board fires back that the cheapest bids were unsafe and that a $25,000 schoolhouse was at risk of falling.
- Seattle Slams the 'Ladies' Entrance' on Saloons
After a 2,500-name petition, the city council orders saloons to keep one street entrance and bars the screened side doors and signs that drew women in.
- The Sunday Bond Deal That Split Benton County
Two commissioners secretly arranged a courthouse bond sale, and a courtroom fight over lost premiums exposed how far they went to keep the third commissioner—and the public—in the dark.
- Sailors' Union Wins a Crew—and the Shipowners Promise a Fight
A schooner captain signed a union crew at $35 a month, infuriating owners who say they'll tie up their ships before paying more.
- The $5.5 Million Bet That Would Reshape Seattle's Waterfront
St. Louis investors sign on to fill the tide flats and dig a canal linking Lake Washington to Puget Sound, betting Seattle will become the Pacific coast's leading city.
- A $100 Warrant and a City's Credit: Port Angeles Officials Push Back
The mayor and clerk deny a Taxpayers' Union charge, defend a hurried trip to Seattle to pay bond interest, and produce an affidavit against a fellow councilman.
Also about this, in other words
- The Shoemaker's Windfall
When a simple shop sign is caught by the wind, it leads to an unexpected—and quite public—domestic confession.
- A Final, Sudden Act
A Tacoma resident died suddenly while in the act of signing his last will and testament, which was noted for its extreme brevity.
- A Father’s Hardship and the Telegram That Changed Everything
An overworked, weary business man contemplates his supposed failures until a birthday message from his daughter provides a new perspective on success.
- The Lawyer, the Boy, and the Five-Cent Lesson
A shrewd Seattle attorney tests a boy’s integrity with a lesson in promissory notes and the value of a promise.
- The Public Spat of Thomas and Salina Lilly
A 19th-century public notice captures the messy, personal side of early Seattle marriage law.
- A Debt of Bread and Board
A Snohomish legal notice reveals the precarious nature of early pioneer housing, where a man is hauled into court for unpaid bills for food and lodging.
- The 'Keep Out' Sign Over Snohomish
A local editor warns against the arrival of an agitator, reflecting the volatile labor politics of 1880s Washington Territory.
- The 'No Chinese Employed' Sign of 1879
A Snohomish hotel advertises its business with an exclusionary hiring policy, reflecting the volatile racial politics of the Pacific Northwest during the late 19th century.