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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1861 | 3 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1871 | 2 |
| 1872 | 5 |
| 1876 | 27 |
| 1877 | 26 |
| 1878 | 18 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 15 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 11 |
| 1886 | 4 |
| 1887 | 4 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 21 |
| 1890 | 6 |
| 1891 | 15 |
| 1892 | 22 |
| 1893 | 10 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 27 |
| 1897 | 4 |
| 1898 | 17 |
| 1899 | 5 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 14 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1905 | 4 |
| 1908 | 4 |
| 1909 | 6 |
| 1910 | 5 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 4 |
| 1916 | 7 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1923 | 4 |
| 1924 | 4 |
| 1925 | 2 |
327 stories matching soil
- The Tomato Whisperer of the Columbia Valley
After two decades of watching his crops wither, a local farmer discovers the surprising secret to thriving garden plots in volcanic soil.
- The Soil-Killer’s Ledger
An 1878 editorial warns that Pacific Northwest farmers are repeating the mistakes of fallen empires by exhausting their land for short-term profit.
- A Botanical Surprise in Colville Valley
A local entrepreneur discovers that tobacco can thrive in the limestone soils of the far North, challenging previous assumptions about regional agriculture.
- The Search for Fruitful Soil in the Seattle Basin
A pioneer orchardist shares a nineteen-year struggle to master the stubborn, clay-heavy soils of the Duwamish Valley and the Puget Sound region.
- The Duwamish Valley's Early Land Rush
While Seattle’s real estate market was heating up in 1889, developer W.W. Belvin was marketing 'three-acre tracts' in the Duwamish River Valley, promising proximity to town and fertile soil.
- The Bachelor Plague: A Warning to Women Considering Washington Territory
A satirical column in the Waterville Empire warns Eastern women that the territory is overrun with 'horrid bachelors,' urging them to come anyway for the climate and soil.
- L.H. Rogers Seeks King County Farmland, 1891
A look at the turn-of-the-century land speculation market in King County, where suburban tracts were sold as the path to prosperity.
- The Secrets of a High-Yield Orchard
A century ago, Benton County’s agricultural expert shared the hard-won wisdom on which cover crops would save the local soil—and which would kill the trees.
- The Great Timber Land Swindle: How Seattle’s Elite Claimed Farmable Soil as Forest
A federal commissioner rules that the lands held by Bailey and Hawley are actually fertile agricultural soil, not timber land, overturning decades of speculative entries in the Samish Lake district.
- The Hidden Gold of the Swamps
While pioneers once clung to the sandy prairies, Seattle's growing interest in 'tule lands'—the rich, reclaimed marshes of the Sound—reveals a new frontier for agricultural wealth.
- The Sweet Potato Boom in the Priest Rapids Valley
A local farmer turns a massive yield of 'red yams' into a commercial success story, challenging the belief that the crop belongs only to the South.
- Why Are We Importing Grapes?
An editorial critique argues that Washington's fertile soil and climate are being ignored by local farmers while markets are filled with New York imports.
- Could Washington Become a Rice Producer?
A Japanese agricultural expert suggests that the soil and climate of Eastern Washington are perfectly suited for rice, tea, and silk production.
- State College Experiments Prove Soil Fertility Benefits
Washington State College's long-term farm study demonstrates that crop rotation and manure outperform mono-cropping and summer fallowing.
- The Great Migration to the 'Power of Central Washington'
An 1889 promotional poem and report lured families from the 'crowded cities' of the East and Midwest to the promised land of the Wenatchee River valley.
- The Cheap Alternative to Pavement
A visionary proposes using straw to harden dusty, alkali-laden country roads for wheat transport.
- The Miracle Crop for Dry Soils
Industrial agent R.C. Judson reports that experimental alfalfa strains are thriving in the arid soils of the Walla Walla region.
- The Yakima Valley's Great Hop Boom
Farmers across the Yakima region are racing to plant hops, betting that local soil and climate will dominate the industry as neighboring districts struggle with pests.
- The Desert Bloom: Yakima’s Irrigation Dream
A visiting irrigation expert predicts that 150,000 acres of arid Yakima Valley land will be transformed into a garden through large-scale canal projects.
- The Homesteading Debutantes
Two young women from Spokane reject the domestic sphere to stake a claim on the rugged Washington frontier.
- 1,950 Farmers Tested Whether Washington Could Grow Its Own Sugar
A statewide experiment from Pullman found Washington soil and climate unusually suited to sugar beets—raising hopes that the state could someday manufacture all the sugar it consumed.
- The 'Agricultural Wonder' of the Skagit Valley
A local farmer promises to transform the economy of the Territory with a miracle oat that promises to outgrow all others.
- The Don Quixote of Yakima
A local insurance agent's attempt to discredit the Priest Rapids Valley land project is dismissed by the Spokesman as a publicity stunt.
- The Yakima Experiment
A local grower attempts to prove that Washington soil produces Havana-grade tobacco.
- The Fight for the Future of Washington's Soil
An 1877 editorial warns against the 'monster evil' of land monopoly, arguing that preventing a feudal system of landlord-tenant reliance is the only way to ensure the new state's future liberties.