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 |
|---|---|
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1883 | 105 |
| 1884 | 42 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 4 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 23 |
| 1890 | 5 |
| 1891 | 11 |
| 1892 | 51 |
| 1893 | 35 |
| 1894 | 39 |
| 1895 | 34 |
| 1897 | 5 |
| 1898 | 11 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1900 | 4 |
| 1902 | 19 |
| 1903 | 73 |
| 1904 | 15 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 9 |
| 1909 | 30 |
| 1910 | 15 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 11 |
| 1917 | 6 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 9 |
| 1924 | 5 |
| 1925 | 1 |
588 stories
- Gen. Grant Slips Through Spokane Falls
The ex-president and railroad director Frederick Billings returned by daylight after a night passage. A professor's carriage tour and a box of silver specimens produced exactly the quote the young city wanted.
- The Railroad Ran Its Spokane Depot on Too Few Men — and the Crew Broke
One agent and one telegraph operator were expected to staff the Spokane Falls railroad office around the clock. The agent finally asked for a layoff, and the wire operator quit, worn thin, for a farm with lighter work.
- The Train That Ate the School Walk
Northern Pacific freights parked across Howard Street force Spokane children to scramble around cars, and the paper wants City Hall to act.
- A False Rumor Nearly Wrecks a Spokane Firm — and the City Rallies With $166,000 in Offers
The Portland Board of Trade reports Sweeny & Co. failed with $75,000 in liabilities; within days the firm proves itself solvent and the city's reputation is on the line.
- The Comedian Who Never Came — and the Advance Man Who Took the Town
Spokane Falls announces the coming of comedian Jas. O'Neill, prints the bills, and then learns the actor is tangled in a real-life comedy at Billings — while the advance agent may have pocketed the take.
- The First Pack Train Leaves Spokane for the Mines
Mr. Garrison, a veteran of mineral-district pack trains, launches a weekly saddle and freight service from the Sprague House straight into the Coeur d'Alene country — and the paper urges every prospector to outfit here.
- The Pioneer Who Started With $24 Sells His Liquor House
J. N. Squier, in Spokane Falls since 1879, hands his wholesale liquor business to a San Francisco firm to chase his mining interests — leaving a fortune built from almost nothing.
- Spokane Falls Fights to Be the Gateway to the Coeur d'Alene Mines
The town battles Portland papers and rival railroad stops over the best route to the gold fields, as a new stage road promises to cut the journey to 70 miles.
- Spokane Falls Council Orders Its Main Streets Graded
Aldermen vote to grade Riverside Avenue, Front, Main and Post streets — the first of a summer of public works meant to make the raw town look like a metropolis.
- A Party Boss Overreaches: Barlow Tries to Hand-Pick Washington Territory's Delegates
The territorial Republican chairman moves to appoint delegates to the national convention himself, and the Spokane Falls press calls it unprecedented gall.
- Real Estate Jumps Again — and the Paper Warns the Speculators
Spokane Falls lots take 'another heavy advance' this week, and the editor worries that 'exorbitant prices do more injury than good' to a town that needs builders, not gamblers.
- Robbed at the Depot: A Warning to Night Prowlers
A Chinese laborer for E. H. Bennett is set upon by two men near the railroad crossing and relieved of his wages — and the paper warns the robbers to be out at night no more.
- Spokane Falls Catches the 'Building Fever'
Every block in town is adding a structure, and Frank R. Moore's new brick block on Howard Street signals that the city's old capitalists believe in its future.
- The Auto Age Arrives: Spokane’s First Bid for Public Motor Transport
Promoter Fred T. Merrill eyes a site to launch the city's first public automobile line, signaling a shift from horse-drawn carriages to the roaring 20th century.
- The Peril of Backyard Marksmanship
A Deep Creek Falls woman’s attempt to shoot a hawk ends in a gruesome accident that serves as a cautionary tale about home gun safety.
- Branding Season in the North
A vivid, firsthand account of the dangerous and dust-filled work of a cattle drive and roundup in the Pacific Northwest.
- The Senator and the Boomer
Senator Frye recounts a colorful anecdote about Spokane Falls, gambling, and the ruthless competition between Washington cities.
- The Royal Court of Apples Comes to Spokane
A carnival of orchard royalty and Italian bands prepares to descend on the city for the seventh annual National Apple Show.
- The Bank Won't Bet on Orchards
Federal land bank president D. G. O'Shea declares fruit trees are too risky for long-term farm loans.
- Spokane Republicans Bridge Factional Divide
After years of bitter infighting, the Spokane GOP secures a temporary truce, unifying behind a single slate of candidates to ensure party dominance.
- The Persistent Ambition of Judge Turner
A critical look at a Spokane judge’s relentless campaign for the U.S. Senate.
- Senator Squire Intervenes to Reopen Spokane Bank
After the 1893 financial panic, political pressure from Senator Watson Squire helped the Citizens' National Bank of Spokane resume operations.
- A Legislator, a $20,000 Seduction Suit, and Two Women
A wealthy Pullman Democrat and state representative is accused in Spokane of seducing Helen M. Bierman—a charge tangled with his wife’s divorce case.
- Charting the Future of the Columbia River
Lieutenant T.W. Symons releases a landmark report on making the Upper Columbia navigable for trade, mining, and agriculture.
- The Town That Grew on Nerve and Water Power
A visitor marvels at Spokane Falls in 1883, where brick blocks, a flouring mill and two colleges were rising on pure booster confidence.