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 'Seattle Idea': A Warning Against Corporate Territorial Grabs
In an 1885 editorial, local papers sounded the alarm over the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company’s attempt to claim vast swaths of Seattle’s waterfront and tide lands.
- The Scandal of the 'Assignation House' on Front Street
A public, anonymous accusation of moral impropriety sparks a newspaper rebuttal and a demand for civic dignity in early Seattle.
- The Mysterious Poisoning at the Fountain
A peculiar outbreak of illness in Seattle leaves townspeople baffled after drinking from a public water source.
- The Fracturing of Seattle’s Labor Movement
As industrial tensions simmered in 1886, a local newspaper editorial condemned the radicalization of the Knights of Labor, contrasting them with the more moderate national leadership of Terence V. Powderly.
- The Price of Keeping the Peace
After anti-Chinese riots rocked Seattle in 1886, the city found itself with a massive bill for martial law and the cost of keeping the peace.
- A Father’s Cruel Abandonment
A Seattle physician leaves his children in the care of a stranger and vanishes without payment or provision, exposing the vulnerability of local families to predatory abandonment.
- The Ghost of a Bullet
A Civil War veteran finds a long-forgotten piece of shrapnel finally working its way out of his body twenty years after the battle.
- Mrs. Dine, Aging Teacher, Needs Community Support
An aging Seattle resident, who once helped build the foundations of the city, now struggles in penury—prompting a call for civic support.
- The Great Liquor Debate of 1886
As Seattle teetered on the edge of a new era, citizens prepared for a pivotal June vote to determine the future of the local liquor trade.
- A Father’s Deadly Lesson
A tragic household accident on the White River ends in the death of a toddler when a borrowed rifle discharges during a demonstration.
- The Temperance Storm Brews in Seattle
Prohibition advocates take to the stage in 1886, igniting a fierce debate over morality, city control, and the role of the working man in a changing Washington Territory.
- The Jailbreak on Commercial Street
A clever prisoner manages to pick the lock of his cell and slip away into the night, leaving the sheriff scrambling for a lead.
- The Unpaid Players of the Casino Opera Company
When an acting troupe failed to pay its stars in 1886, the performers fought back by seizing the entire production—including the costumes and luggage—to cover their lost wages.
- The Stranger and the Starving Boy
A hungry child caught stealing a loaf of bread on a steamer finds an unexpected defender in a kind-hearted passenger.
- A High-Stakes Stand-Off at the Panorama
When an aggressive war veteran challenged a Black newspaper editor at a Seattle battle exhibit, he didn't realize he was heckling a legendary Union general.
- The War for the Northwest: Railroad Moguls and the 'Rounders' of Portland
A bitter editorial from 1886 exposes the propaganda campaign waged by Northern Pacific railroad agents against Portland to secure terminal dominance for the Puget Sound region.
- A Community's Gift to a Stricken Laborer
When a worker was left destitute and suffering from inflammatory rheumatism, local merchants and friends in Seattle rallied to set him up in his own business.
- The Strange Case of the Smuggler-Poet
A woman caught smuggling contraband in her skirts makes a stunning plea for mercy in a Seattle courtroom.
- The Birth of the People's Party in King County
Third-party organizers convene in Seattle to challenge the status quo, demanding labor protections, women's suffrage, and the expulsion of Chinese laborers.
- The Sailor's Union vs. The 'Kate Darrow'
A standoff on the Seattle waterfront pits the Sailor’s Union against a ship captain over boarding rights.
- From Surgeon to Mill Hand: A Tragic Decline
After a minor workplace injury turns fatal, the tragic end of a former Union Pacific surgeon highlights the precarious nature of life for laborers in the region.
- The Flag of the Marion Grimes
A diplomatic stir erupts as the captain of a local ship is scolded by American officials for defending the U.S. flag against Canadian seizure.
- The Scandalous 'B. F. D.' and the Rights of Women
A political agitator’s checkered past is dragged into the light, raising questions about who has the moral standing to advise the territory's women voters.
- The Tragic Collapse at the Hardware Store
A routine day at a Seattle business turned into a scene of horror when a deep, shifting excavation buried a worker alive.
- The Great County Border War of 1886
When Pierce County attempted to poach King County's townships to bolster its own size and wealth, the local press didn't mince words about the 'unauthorized' territorial expansion.