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1. Judge Lewis Blasts Portland and Olympia Over Seattle's Canal

   A Tacoma judge's letter urges Washington state to fund the Lake Washington canal, accusing Portland's Oregonian and a political 'combination at Olympia' of trying to strangle Seattle's growth.

   Aug 10, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerLake Washington, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

2. The Day Washington Was Born: A City Holds Its Breath

   As the nation celebrates statehood, Seattle gathers in a packed hall to hear speeches on liberty, land fraud, and the future of the 'Queen City.'

   Feb 23, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

3. The University’s Wish List: New Departments, New Money

   In 1895, UW regents asked King County legislators for laboratories, professors and a geological survey—and argued that the whole state would benefit.

   Jan 6, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerUniversity of Washington, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

4. Three Bickering Land Departments, Millions in Tide Lands, and a Demand for Answers

   A state land commissioner admits the tide-land situation is 'chaotic in the extreme' and calls for a no-whitewash legislative probe — warning that divided authority is an open door to corruption.

   Jan 18, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money · City Hall

5. Washington Kept Dodging Its Own Congressional Map

   After the 1890 census gave Washington a second representative, the state spent years avoiding the required division into two congressional districts.

   Jan 22, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWashington State Capitol, Olympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

6. A South Seattle Murder Case Becomes a Constitutional Test

   Henry Craemer’s court-appointed lawyer argued that Washington could not try a capital case on a prosecutor’s information. Judge Humes said it could; Craemer pleaded not guilty and began hunting for an alibi witness lost in the Cascades.

   Aug 29, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSouth Seattle College, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

7. 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.

   Dec 31, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust · City Hall

8. 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.

   Jul 23, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPort Angeles, Clallam CountyFollow the Money

9. The Judge Who Warned Seattle Not to Sell Its Waterfront to a Canal Company

   In 1894, Judge John J. McGilvra urged Congress to build the Lake Washington Ship Canal and warned that a private company's tideflat scheme would put tolls on the water and enrich speculators at public expense.

   Jul 15, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money

10. The State’s Office is a ‘Sailor’s Boarding House’: Olympia’s Desperate Search for a Capitol

    With state officers scattered across the city in “miserably-ventilated” rooms and valuable records stored in sheds, Representative Collins introduces a bill to erect a temporary building on business property.

    Jan 26, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

11. When Seattle Was Coal Country

    A detailed 1895 survey shows King County leading Washington's coal output, with Seattle shipping fuel to California, Oregon, and the Midwest—while labor troubles and spontaneous mine fires shadowed the boom.

    Jan 1, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyWork & Pay · Follow the Money

12. King County Lawmakers Want to Cut the Budget—and Railroad Rates

    Ahead of the 1901 legislative session, King County’s representatives outline a shared agenda: slash state expenses, abolish useless commissions, lower railroad freight and passenger rates, and create a state grain inspector to protect farmers from brokers.

    Jan 11, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money · City Hall

13. Governor Hay Wants to Appoint, Not Elect, Washington's Officers—This Labor Editor Says No

    A proposal to make state offices appointive sparks a fierce defense of the direct primary and the people's right to choose their own officials.

    Apr 22, 1909The Labor JournalOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

14. The State Is Broke: Why Olympia Needs an Emergency Legislature

    A supreme court ruling on university lands has left Washington's brand-new state government without money to pay its own debts — and the Olympia Tribune argues the legislature must be hauled back to the capital before the state's credit collapses.

    Nov 18, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money · City Hall

15. Seattle Democrats Bolt Their Own Party Over the Lake Washington Canal

    Furious that the state convention caved to Pierce County and denounced the Lake Washington canal, King County Democrats vow to vote the Republican ticket — and to knife their own party from top to bottom.

    Aug 28, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

16. The Capitol Riots: How a Bribery Scandal Shook Washington’s First Legislature

    In the halls of Olympia, Republican lawmakers turned on each other with fists and threats over a U.S. Senate seat, exposing a brazen attempt to buy votes that disgraced the young state.

    Jan 21, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerState Capitol, Olympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall · Scandal

17. The Great Welcome: Seattle Plans a 'Rousing' Ovation for Returning War Heroes

    Mayor Humes and city officials rally behind a public subscription to fund fireworks, banquets, and even a mock battle at Lake Washington to greet the Washington Volunteers returning from Manila.

    Apr 29, 1899The Seattle StarLake Washington Park, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

18. The Darkest Hour: Temperance Leader Declares Cause 'Dead' Amidst Political Corruption

    At the State Temperance Alliance meeting in Seattle, Rev. Clark Davis delivers a scathing indictment of the liquor industry's grip on politics and religion, while Rep. De Steiguer rallies support for Watson Squire.

    Jan 22, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · Nightlife

19. Bismarck’s Bluff: Germany Claims Samoa While Washington Watches

    As the German Chancellor declares no treaty prevents his nation from seizing control of the Pacific islands, U.S. officials in Washington struggle to respond to a diplomatic crisis that threatens American interests across the ocean.

    Jan 25, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King County

20. The Taxpayer Who Couldn’t Sue the State

    Washington’s Supreme Court dismisses the Agricultural College case, ruling that a private resident cannot halt state spending in equity—only the attorney general can.

    Nov 14, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

21. The Tacoma Land Grab: How Rich Men Tried to Steal Washington’s Senate Seat

    In January 1891, Seattle’s press rallied behind incumbent Senator Watson Squire against a rival backed by Tacoma’s wealthy elite, exposing a bitter battle over whether the state would be ruled by its people or its land barons.

    Jan 20, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

22. No Appropriation, No Warrants: Washington's 1891 Budget Standoff

    The state treasurer refuses to honor university and militia warrants the legislature never funded, the Supreme Court backs him up, and Governor Ferry — in poor health — lets the idea of an extra session die.

    Nov 16, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyFollow the Money · City Hall

23. 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.

    Jun 14, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerKing County Courthouse, SeattleCity Hall · True Crime

24. A Newspaper Editor's Silence in Court: The Lugrin Libel Trial

    C. H. Lugrin, managing editor of the Seattle Telegraph, rested his defense without calling witnesses in a libel trial brought by Police Chief Rogers. The case now goes to the jury.

    Aug 10, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

25. The State-Owned Railroad Dream

    Prominent attorney and activist Colonel Patrick H. Winston argues that the state of Washington should own its own railroad to prevent corporate exploitation.

    Dec 25, 1890The Yakima HeraldYakima, Yakima CountyFollow the Money

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