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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 5 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 7 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 12 |
| 1894 | 10 |
| 1895 | 25 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 4 |
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| 1903 | 5 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 5 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1916 | 3 |
| 1917 | 1 |
115 stories matching unfit
- The Professional Beggars of Seattle
A mother is deemed unfit by the courts after training her children to beg on the city streets.
- Seattle's Jail Was Overcrowded and Waiting on Steel Cells from St. Louis
Sheriff Winger held eleven prisoners in the county jail, including four sailors and two Puyallup men sentenced for assault, while unfit close cells had to be used until new steel cells arrived.
- The Isolation of a Refractory Patient
A county hospital patient is placed in solitary confinement in an outbuilding after her behavior renders her unfit for the general ward.
- Sixteen Paupers, a Clay-Bed Well, and a Farm Not Fit to Live On
County commissioners tour the county poor farm and find cracked fences, filthy bedding, horses bleeding on barbed wire and water unfit to drink. The old place will be sold, they say — but only if a poor farm is worth having at all.
- City Council Faces Backlash for Ousting Fire Chief Kellogg
Citizens and taxpayers are protesting the dismissal of the popular fire chief, alleging the Democratic council is prioritizing partisan control over public safety.
- A Vote of No Confidence in Willapa Valley
Frustrated taxpayers in Pacific County take a stand against their own local government, demanding the resignation of the county commissioners.
- The 'Black Hole of Calcutta' in Colfax
A judge declares the Whitman County jail a public health nightmare, forcing the sheriff to find humane quarters for the detained.
- The 'Specialists' of First Avenue
A predatory medical institute promises secret cures for 'youthful indiscretions' and 'lost vitality' from their downtown Seattle office.
- The Myth of the Sterile Sound
A Victorian-era editorial refutes the popular belief that the Snohomish Valley and surrounding lands were unfit for farming, arguing that geological history created a landscape ripe for immense agricultural prosperity.
- Crushed on the Dry Dock
A pioneer ship carpenter sues the Union Transit Company after a workplace accident leaves him permanently injured while building the steamer Utopia.
- Forty Thousand Bricks Rejected at the New Courthouse
Superintendent Rogers refused to let nearly 40,000 soft bricks from a Westside yard go into Olympia's new courthouse, warning contractors that the specifications would be enforced.
- A Call for a New Asylum
Legislative committee finds territorial asylum buildings beyond repair, recommending a new site in Eastern Washington.
- 12,000 Cattle Roundup—Only 100 Good Enough to Sell
A Yakima rancher returned from the Columbia roundup with a hard tally: a long winter and scarce feed left almost the entire herd unfit for market.
- Seattle’s 'Black Hole of Calcutta' Condemned
A scathing health department report labels the city jail a public danger, citing extreme overcrowding and poor ventilation.
- The Unfiltered Reality of Tacoma’s Water
An exposé reveals that the city's water supply flume runs through backyards and cesspools, gathering filth before reaching the tap.
- Corruption at the Naval Department
A scathing report exposes rampant incompetence, fraud, and systematic disorganization within the Naval Department, leaving public service in tatters.
- The Unintended Cost of a Building Delay
A construction dispute over the Gottstein Building leads to a rare courtroom victory for the defendants against a major contractor.
- Tacoma’s Classroom Crisis
Record enrollment leaves the city's school system scrambling for space, with some students relegated to converted woodsheds.
- Despair in the Tenth Ward
A Tacoma resident survives a desperate act of self-harm, only to face further neglect from city services.
- The Great Butter Hoax of 1859
A classic tall tale of rancid butter, two tipsy pioneers, and an elaborate prank on a local tavern keeper in Olympia.
- The Price of Good Governance in 1889
As Seattle prepared to vote for new city leadership, a local editorial warned that the city's future would be decided by whether citizens cared more about the public interest or personal profit.
- Kennewick native commissioned to retrain WWI veterans
Major Wilson H. Henderson will lead a new U.S. government initiative to provide vocational training for soldiers returning from the Great War.
- Students Endangered at Pike Street School
A concerned parent calls for the relocation of a primary school housed in a building where children must play on a busy, car-filled street.
- University of Washington Territory Opens Its Doors in Seattle
Newly established in Seattle, the territory's first institution of higher learning promises a rigorous curriculum and strict moral oversight.
- The Timber Grab Controversy
The Secretary of the Interior rejects a homestead claim, ruling that the land was sought for timber rather than farming.