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 |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 3 |
| 1871 | 8 |
| 1872 | 109 |
| 1876 | 535 |
| 1877 | 377 |
| 1878 | 279 |
| 1879 | 15 |
| 1880 | 134 |
| 1882 | 98 |
| 1883 | 508 |
| 1884 | 325 |
| 1885 | 563 |
| 1886 | 359 |
| 1887 | 324 |
| 1888 | 314 |
| 1889 | 800 |
| 1890 | 11 |
| 1891 | 340 |
| 1892 | 1,326 |
| 1893 | 1,600 |
| 1894 | 1,228 |
| 1895 | 1,049 |
| 1896 | 2 |
| 1897 | 8 |
| 1898 | 20 |
| 1899 | 366 |
| 1900 | 6 |
| 1902 | 5 |
| 1903 | 152 |
| 1904 | 69 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 74 |
| 1910 | 25 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 27 |
| 1917 | 10 |
| 1923 | 9 |
| 1924 | 11 |
| 1925 | 3 |
| 1928 | 10 |
| 1929 | 15 |
11,139 stories
- The Woman in Black and the Newborn Left for Dead
A Seattle coroner concludes that an infant found at a street corner was killed at birth by a blow to the skull. Detectives have no suspect, only a frustrated clue about a woman in black.
- The Shipworm Eating Seattle’s Waterfront
Wharf owners were spending a fortune fighting a saltwater pest. The fix: fill the tide flats, cut freshwater waterways, and make the harbor safe for pilings—and insurance.
- Four Shots at a Seattle Policeman—and a Potato in the Revolver
Harry C. Good, a popular young salesman, is held on $10,000 bail after wounding Officer J. W. Glasscock at Third and Marion, while old friends recall the time they replaced his pistol cylinder with a potato.
- The Streets Seattle Was About to Give Away
A city council committee votes to vacate waterfront streets south of Charles Street, and the city engineer warns that private tide-land leases could cut Seattle off from deep water.
- High Stakes and High Caliber
A casual card game at the Northern Hotel ends in a shooting, leaving a stranger in custody and a victim fighting for his life.
- The Widow, the Prisoner, and a Near-Miss on Yesler Hill
Mrs. Harry L. Fraser demanded to face Paul Page, the man accused of killing her husband in a Northern Hotel barroom—while Page was being arraigned a few blocks away.
- A Mayor Suspends His Fire Commissioner—and a Firehouse Scandal Erupts
Mayor Phelps removed Commissioner George T. Masel amid a fight over Chief Allen and a teenage girl's allegation against a fireman at department headquarters.
- The Verdict Was Thrown Out. Now Wilcox Faces a Second Fight for His Life.
William A. Wilcox, once convicted of manslaughter in the 1893 slaying of Charlotte Fetting, will be retried in Seattle. Both prosecution and defense claim new evidence — and the defense says the real killers are still at large.
- Thirty Grains of Morphine and a Baker’s Plea to Be Let Go
Christian F. Gutheil, a Seattle bakery owner, survived an overdose after a long spree—then told a reporter he wished the doctors had not interfered.
- The Schoolyard War Over Scarlet Fever
Seattle's health board tried to close two schools. Principals resisted, police made arrests, and pupils turned a fire hose on the law.
- City Council Wrestles a 50-Year Streetcar Franchise Into Shape
A committee debate over percentages of gross earnings reveals how Seattle gave away its transit future one clause at a time.
- The Dredgers Are Coming: Seattle's Canal Project Finally Starts Moving
After years of financing delays, engineers promised to begin bulkheads and surveys on the south canal—and to haul giant hydraulic dredgers north to reshape the tide flats.
- A City Turns Out for Its Dead: Seattle's Memorial Day, 1895
Three hundred and five veterans, three militia companies, high-school cadets and a twelve-foot column of flowers marched Front Street and filled the Seattle Theater — while the Board of Health kept the schoolchildren from singing.
- Church Pastor Forced Out Amidst Financial Dispute
The pastor of the Jones Street A.M.E. Church has resigned following a public notice from the trustees declaring he was no longer authorized to collect funds.
- The West Seattle Intruder
A night watchman’s wife attempts suicide after a violent confrontation with a ship's officer in their home.
- A Two-Dollar Chip, a Drawn Revolver, and a Death in the Hotel Barroom
A gambler named Page goes on trial for shooting Harry Fraser dead in the barroom of Seattle's Northern Hotel — a killing that began over the change from a $20 bill.
- The Northern Hotel Shooting: A Gambler’s Self-Defense Trial
Paul J. Page stands trial for killing Harry Fraser over a dice game at the Northern Hotel, while his lawyers drag the dead man’s gambling life into court.
- The Supreme Court Says Willie Holmes Must Hang
A Franklin coal-town killing on pay day, a jailbreak during the Jerry Sherry escape, and a last appeal that dies on technicalities — the state's highest court affirms the death sentence for a young Black miner.
- The Ghost of the Seattle Riots
A labor organizer confronts senatorial candidate Thomas Burke over his role in the 1886 anti-Chinese expulsions, challenging the sanitized historical narratives of his political campaign.
- Fatal Dynamite Blast on Second Avenue
A Seattle contractor and his powder man face manslaughter charges following a reckless dynamite incident that killed a young boy.
- A Mother on the Dock: Four Shots for the Man Who Ruined Her Daughter
Mrs. Gertrude Robb waited at Seattle's Coleman Dock for the steamer Telegraph, called her daughter's seducer by name, and emptied a revolver into him. Then she handed the gun to a bystander and waited for the police.
- She Married the Man She Sued — Then Her Lawyers Came for Their Cut
A breach-of-promise case ends in a wedding, but the attorneys who won the judgment want $6,100, and the newlyweds leave for Walla Walla with papers in hand.
- Seattle Streetcar Strike Paralyzes City Transit
After the street railway company rejected arbitration, union workers walked off the job, leading to armed scabs and threats of a city-wide sympathetic strike.
- Adulterated Milk Crisis in Seattle
A child is dying in Seattle after consuming milk tainted with formaldehyde, sparking a potential murder investigation against a local dairyman.
- Seattle's Government Canal Dam Collapses
Severe flooding in the Fremont and Green Lake districts cuts off transport as infrastructure fails.