Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine2 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1862 | 7 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 38 |
| 1877 | 18 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 14 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 19 |
| 1886 | 6 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 20 |
| 1889 | 18 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 8 |
| 1892 | 42 |
| 1893 | 57 |
| 1894 | 35 |
| 1895 | 32 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 8 |
| 1909 | 1 |
347 stories
- The Tragedy of a 'Model' Citizen
A wealthy man's obsession with his wife's supposed infidelity leads to a dramatic, morphine-fueled insanity trial.
- A High-Stakes Legal Battle Over Character and Credit
A bitter defamation suit against a bank and its officers ends in a settlement after years of legal wrangling.
- The Whisky Trial That Ended With an Empty Chair
Charles Burns was on trial in Port Townsend for selling liquor to Indians. When the evidence tied his whisky to a Native man's suicide, Burns skipped bail and vanished.
- A Boat, a Dog, and Men Hidden in the Drift Logs
Customs officers arrest two men near Point Wilson for running Chinese migrants past the restriction law—a case that exposes how exclusion was enforced on the water.
- The Open Secret of Puget Sound Smuggling
A Treasury agent investigating the border dismisses reports of Chinese smuggling as 'exaggerated,' revealing the complicity of local lumbermen who view the law as a joke.
- Smallpox Scare at Port Townsend
Rumors of a smallpox outbreak on Puget Sound trigger public panic, but health officials scramble to reassure the community.
- The Port Townsend Loyalty Meetings
Citizens organize to refute allegations of disloyalty published in regional newspapers.
- The Swindling 'Boy Preacher' of Discovery Bay
A young con artist charms his way into the confidence of local ranchers with promises of land purchases and a wealthy mother, only to vanish without paying a cent.
- The Editor Who Stole the Public Warrants
The editor of Port Townsend's 'Morning Leader' was arrested for forging and cashing county warrants after a grand jury investigation.
- Postmaster's Wife Seeks Divorce Amid Political Scandal
The wife of Port Townsend's new postmaster files an amended complaint for divorce, alleging indignities that have fueled the ire of her husband's political enemies.
- Eight Sailors Accuse a Chilean Captain of Flogging and Iron-Pin Beatings
At Port Townsend, seamen from the Chilean bark Marguerite told the consulate they were strung up by the wrists and beaten; the captain says passengers caused the trouble.
- Three Days Adrift: A Ferryman's Rescue Off Point Wilson
A German sailor in an open skiff, barely able to speak or move, is pulled from the water by Mr. Benson and brought to Port Townsend.
- A Chinese Buyers' Pool, a Ring of Boosters, and a Near-Riot Over Confiscated Opium
At the Port Townsend marshal's sale, Seattle's Chinese merchants tried to buy back a confiscated lot in one block — until local bidders ran the price up for sport.
- The Night Port Townsend Refused a Boatload of Strikebreakers
Twenty-eight destitute men from a Nanaimo miners' strike were shipped to Port Townsend aboard the North Pacific. Sheriff Miller met them at the wharf and said they could not land.
- Port Townsend’s Fire Chief Quits After Council Cuts Pay
Salary reductions leave the department’s chief and engineer gone, with Engineer Draper refusing to juggle five jobs—engineer, janitor, teamster, alarm superintendent, and assistant chief—for less pay.
- Gold in the Black Sand: A Mining Rush at Cape Flattery
Three Port Townsend men stake claims on sixty acres of beach and start pulling $3 to $7 a day from the sand — and predict a rush.
- The Outlaw Who Bought His Way Into a Saloon
Frank Mossman, a notorious repeat offender with three prior jail breaks, walked into a Port Townsend saloon on Sunday night and refused to leave—until he threw rocks at the bartender.
- The Boomtown That Expected to Be 'The Next San Francisco'
In 1888, the 'Key City' of Port Townsend was so convinced of its impending status as a transcontinental rail terminus that it began feverishly selling off the entire landscape.
- The Passing of the Duke of York
The leader of the Clallam people, a historic figure and friend to early pioneers, dies in Port Townsend with plans for a monument in his honor.
- The Ghost Ship of Port Townsend
A British bark vanishes in the fog off Washington’s coast; a court of inquiry clears the crew, but not before two men drown and the master walks away with nothing.
- The Boss of Port Townsend
A taxpayer-led revolt targets a city treasurer backed by gamblers, prostitutes, and the local political machine.
- The Lumber Industry Faces a Hard Winter
Puget Sound mills struggle through the worst slump in twelve years as global markets dry up.
- Drafting the Law of the Sound
A legislative proposal to appoint a formal Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Puget Sound and Juan de Fuca Straits.
- The Clallam Tragedy: A Honeymoon Cut Short
A husband watches helplessly as his bride vanishes into the stormy seas during the sinking of the SS Clallam in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
- The Port Townsend Lottery Fugitive
A pillar of local society is unmasked as the mastermind behind a massive multi-city lottery swindle.