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 |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 101 |
| 1883 | 537 |
| 1884 | 336 |
| 1885 | 624 |
| 1886 | 395 |
| 1887 | 350 |
2,343 stories
- The Pioneer Priest Who Cleared the Forest for a Church
In 1883, Father Frefontaine laid the cornerstone of a grand new cathedral in Seattle, reflecting on a journey that began with clearing dense timber by hand to serve a tiny, fractured congregation.
- Gunfire at the University of Washington
Tensions boil over into an armed confrontation between students and faculty, leaving a student wounded.
- The Great Seattle-Portland Population War
In 1882, Seattle editors launched a sharp, statistical campaign to prove their city was growing faster than its southern rival.
- The Seattle Real Estate Boom of 1882
A survey of rapid land value appreciation in early Seattle, where modest lots doubled or tripled in price in just a few weeks.
- The Fire That Saved Us: A Call for a Second Steamer
A Seattle resident writes to the Post-Intelligencer arguing that the recent downtown blaze proves the city’s single fire engine is no longer enough—and demands an immediate duplicate.
- The Girl Who Ran Away: A Seattle Hotel Trap and a Lawyer’s Complicity
In May 1882, a 16-year-old runaway from the Puyallup River found herself stranded in Seattle, only to be exploited by a local attorney who deposited her stolen savings in his own name. Chief of Police Woolery intervened, recovering the funds and exposing the legal professional’s unethical conduct.
- The Unpredictable Life of Seattle’s 'Odd Job Man'
William D. Southworth, a local eccentric, attempted to organize a national guard, impersonated high-society figures, and left a trail of bafflement across 1880s Seattle before his final confinement.
- The Seattle Dry Goods War: A 19th-Century Boycott
When local merchants began using circulars to undercut their competition and 'boycott' a local newspaper, the P-I fought back by calling on the moral, law-abiding citizens of Seattle to take a stand.
- The Imperial Ambition: Seattle’s Role in a Nicaragua Canal Scheme
Military and political elites weigh the costs and grand strategies of controlling a trans-oceanic canal as the United States shifts toward a global power posture.
- The Sunday Saloon Wars: How Seattle Debated the 'Law and Order' Ordinance
In 1885, Seattle’s City Council erupted into a fierce debate over a proposal to force saloons to close on Sundays, pitting reformers against tavern owners in a struggle over civic control and personal liberty.
- The Boomtown Ledger: Seattle’s Economic Surge in 1884
A detailed survey of Seattle’s rapid 1884 expansion reveals a city bristling with new brick blocks, bustling steam mills, and a skyline reaching toward its future.
- The Struggle for Local Control Over Seattle's Saloons
A new 1886 ordinance tightened the grip of the City Council on the city’s liquor trade, imposing strict licensing, background checks, and Sunday bans in an attempt to regulate the chaos of the frontier economy.
- The City Council Seized Our Engine: A Firehouse Rebellion
When the city government stripped Seattle Engine Company No. 2 of their apparatus to give it to a new company, the firefighters organized a defiant public meeting to protest the 'unwarranted usurpation of authority.'
- The Great Seattle Newspaper Boycott of 1885
When local liquor interests tried to silence the press for advocating Sunday sobriety, the community drew a line in the sawdust.
- The Price of a Drunkard’s Grave
A teenage boy is fined for public intoxication, sparking an editorial demand to hold the 'Blue Front' saloon owner accountable for serving minors.
- The Saloon-Keepers’ Council
A scathing editorial exposes how Seattle’s early city government was dominated by saloon owners, liquor distributors, and property men who thrived on the vice trade.
- The Political Price of Honest Dealing
A local land officer loses his position for resisting the 'land-grabbing' Northern Pacific Railroad, triggering a public petition to demand his reinstatement.
- The Tragedy of a Henry Rifle
A young boy's life is cut short in a quiet Seattle accident involving a rifle.
- The Great North Seattle Fire Engine Turf War
A bitter neighborhood battle erupts over the city’s decision to move vital fire equipment, exposing growing pains in a rapidly expanding 1885 Seattle.
- The Battle for Belltown's Fire Engine
A citizen's fiery demand that the city stop hoarding firefighting resources in the business district and grant the northern residents the protection they pay for.
- The Mud Hole at the Arlington Hotel
A local property dispute on Commercial Street exposes the messy reality of 1885 Seattle infrastructure.
- The Great Timber Land Swindle
A Seattle man is held on $300 bail after a witness confessed to filing multiple fraudulent land claims using fake names.
- The Hidden Leper of Seattle
A Chinese immigrant, cast out by his employer, turned to the morgue in a desperate plea for medical care.
- Seattle’s Looming Epidemic
Facing a potential outbreak of cholera, the city council debates the urgent need for drainage and cleaning up the ‘rank smelling’ slums of Seattle in 1885.
- The Hidden History of the McNaught Family
A rare historical correction surfaces, revealing the true lineage of Angelina and the tragic life of her father, John McNaught, in early Washington territory.