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.
Refine1 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 2 |
| 1861 | 4 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 3 |
| 1871 | 8 |
| 1872 | 110 |
| 1876 | 555 |
| 1877 | 391 |
| 1878 | 306 |
| 1879 | 15 |
| 1880 | 142 |
| 1882 | 101 |
| 1883 | 537 |
| 1884 | 336 |
| 1885 | 624 |
| 1886 | 395 |
| 1887 | 350 |
| 1888 | 330 |
| 1889 | 838 |
| 1890 | 12 |
| 1891 | 362 |
| 1892 | 1,457 |
| 1893 | 1,739 |
| 1894 | 1,323 |
| 1895 | 1,115 |
| 1896 | 2 |
| 1897 | 8 |
| 1898 | 24 |
| 1899 | 372 |
| 1900 | 6 |
| 1902 | 7 |
| 1903 | 164 |
| 1904 | 90 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 90 |
| 1910 | 28 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 32 |
| 1917 | 11 |
| 1919 | 3 |
| 1923 | 11 |
| 1924 | 16 |
| 1925 | 5 |
| 1928 | 10 |
| 1929 | 15 |
11,970 stories
- The Mayor Fires Two Police Commissioners to Keep Blackchapel Shut
In a single day, Mayor Phelps removed two police commissioners, accused them of conspiring to protect a red-light district and oust Chief Rogers, and installed replacements before the House of Delegates could slow him down.
- The Hammer in the Woodshed: Henry Creamer's Death Sentence
A Seattle jury convicted a foreign-born laborer of Mrs. Meller's murder on circumstantial evidence, while his lawyer insisted the real killer—or at least a missing witness—was in the room.
- The Poet-Waiter Who Drowned in Seattle Harbor
C. W. Chantrell came from a noble French family and carried a love poem in his pocket. He died broke, alcoholic, and alone on the steamer Idaho—and Seattle's coroner called it an accident.
- The Tragic End of the Moncks
A young couple is found dead in a Seattle hotel room, a desperate final act following the husband's unemployment.
- The Northern Pacific Stakes its Claim
Railroad giants bond the Dr. H. A. Smith farm for a new Seattle terminus.
- The Green River Coal Land Dispute
A law firm linked to the Northern Pacific Railroad is accused of using armed men to seize coal-rich land from local settlers.
- Tragedy at the Barrel Factory
A young worker loses his life in a horrific industrial accident at the Seattle Manufacturing Company.
- The Benevolent Monopoly: Henry Villard Promises a New Railroad
Northern Pacific President Henry Villard visits Seattle to discuss expansion and pledges a new railroad line to the coal fields, cementing the city's future.
- A Damning Verdict on Steamboat Safety
Following the sinking of the steamer Josephine, a King and Kitsap County grand jury finds the vessel's destruction was caused by 'gross negligence' and a failure to enforce maritime safety.
- Seattle Merchants Raise $150,000 to Bypass Monopoly Rails
Prominent citizens meet at the offices of McNaught, Ferry, McNaught & Mitchell to secure a standard-gauge rail link to the Green River coalfields.
- The Fiery End of the Steamship Mississippi
A historic blockade runner turned coal vessel is lost to a massive wharf fire in Seattle.
- The Brutal Reality of the Cigar Factory
The Cigar Makers' Union uncovers the exploitation of children and girl laborers working grueling hours in Seattle.
- The Tragic End of the Steamer Fanny Lake
A boiler explosion leaves the familiar local craft a ruined hulk on the waterfront.
- The Northern Pacific Bets Everything on the North
A high-level interview reveals the railroad's expansion into British Columbia and their vision of making Portland the gateway to the Pacific.
- A Brutal Shooting Gallery Killing
A Seattle shooting gallery proprietor is found murdered, sparking a swift coroner’s inquest that points to a traveling companion.
- Seattle Citizens Broke Ground on Their Own Railroad
How Seattle’s local investment and grit built a railroad when the Northern Pacific chose Tacoma.
- Seattle Welcomes the Nation's Press
A grand banquet at the Hotel Brunswick celebrates the Northern Pacific Railroad's arrival, marking Seattle as the new commercial capital of the Northwest.
- The City’s Great Reshaping
Massive earth-moving projects on the hills of Seattle are transforming the landscape, burying the old city to make room for the new.
- The Strange Mystery of the Snoqualmie Road
A young laborer is found dead in Lake Washington, but the investigation into his companions reveals a web of confusion and suspicious departures.
- The Mystery of the Buried Box
A construction crew in Lake City unearths a crate containing human remains, but by the time authorities arrive, the evidence has mysteriously vanished.
- The Gospel-Ship Scam on Puget Sound
How a pious Olympia minister raised international funds to build a missionary vessel, only to pivot it into a lucrative towboat business.
- Firecrackers and Guard Duty for the New Year
As the Chinese community celebrates, the City Council forces them to pay for their own police watchmen.
- The Territory's First Mixed-Gender Jury
A trial in Justice Vrooman’s court draws a suffocating crowd to see if women can handle the rigors of the jury box.
- The Exclusion Act in Seattle Courts
A Chinese resident is denied U.S. citizenship despite his education and church membership.
- Mob terrorizes Chinese store on Washington Street
A group of men and boys pelted a Chinese-owned store with snowballs, forcing their way inside and destroying property until the police intervened.