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
- The 'Apostle' of Lona Lake
A Spokane man claimed divine powers to swindle followers out of their money and valuables, only to end up in the county jail.
- The Con Man Who Conned a Town
Before he was caught, a master swindler known as 'Gen. Ward' charmed the elite of Spokane Falls and eloped with a banker's daughter.
- Spokane City Council Cracks Down on 'Box' Saloons
In a move against the private partitioned rooms often associated with vice, the city council refuses to renew liquor licenses for establishments keeping doors on their booths.
- The Unlikely Plea for a Young Man’s Pardon
A convicted man at the state penitentiary steps forward to clear his accomplice, arguing that he was the sole criminal mastermind and his partner was merely a pawn.
- Jailed for a Five Dollar Debt
A Spokane barber finds himself behind bars after a landlady uses criminal law to settle a civil board bill.
- The Barber of Walla Walla’s Trail of Ruin
After abandoning his wife and children to a life of poverty, a local barber's volatile affair in Spokane ends in an arrest.
- The Great Baking Powder Confidence Game
A charismatic stranger swindled Spokane canvassers out of their commissions, leaving them with piles of product and no pay.
- The Tragic Leap Over the Falls
A man with a prosthetic leg made a final, fatal decision to go over Spokane's Upper Falls.
- Tragedy in the Spokane Excavations
A laborer is killed and his foreman injured after a delayed dynamite blast detonates during construction work on First Avenue.
- The Mystery of the Amal Bar
A man lies dead in a Spokane saloon with no identification but a letter from 'Maggie' and a question about a baby.
- The Ghost Railway of the Okanogan
Investors are clamoring for dividends from a railway that exists only on paper and in the pockets of its promoters.
- Spokane Police Chief Takes on City Hall
A showdown erupts in Spokane as the police chief moves to abolish 'box rustling' in variety theaters against the explicit wishes of the Mayor.
- A Fisticuff Over Politics at the Hotel Spokane
Tensions over the presidency lead to a public brawl in a Spokane hotel lobby between two political figures.
- A Roll of Gauze Left Inside: Jury Awards $859 in Spokane Malpractice Suit
Mrs. Leslie Lamb endured surgery almost two years ago, only to have a roll of gauze pulled from the wound—left there by the doctor. A Spokane jury has now found for the plaintiff.
- The Diamond Gaff: How John Considine Cornered Spokane's Variety Theaters
John W. Considine wanted a monopoly on Spokane's variety theaters. So he invented a wealthy Chicago buyer—and tricked a rival into leasing him two theaters at bargain rates.
- Spokane's Date with Destiny: Welcoming the Northern Pacific Railroad
The completion of the transcontinental line brings Henry Villard and hundreds of guests to Spokane Falls, promising a new era of growth and connection.
- Spokane Wins the Land Office
After a desperate struggle against rival towns, Spokane Falls secures the U.S. Land Office, cementing its status as the region's rising metropolis.
- The Last Reservations: Yakima and Colville Lands Slated for Settlement
A federal land superintendent announces that the Yakima and Colville Indian reservations will be opened to settlers next year, with the Colville opening expected in 1911.
- The Rapid Rise of a City from the Ashes
After a devastating fire nearly destroyed Spokane, the community bypassed despair, opting instead for an immediate, high-velocity reconstruction effort that saw the city rising before the smoke had even cleared.
- The Scandal of the Relief Committee
When Spokane city officials were caught raiding the relief pantry, the resulting arrests shocked the community and exposed a deep-seated culture of graft.
- The Tragedy at Trent: A Deadly Railroad Collision
A passenger train and a freight train collide in a fatal error, killing a brakeman and prompting a rare condemnation of corporate negligence.
- The Price of Silence: How Big Rail Controlled the Press
When the Northern Pacific Railroad forced a Spokane newspaper to drop its investigation into timber fraud, it exposed the industry's grip on the territory's news.
- The Boodle Scandal at the Falls
Citizens storm the courthouse to stop an exorbitant, million-dollar water-works project they claim is rife with city hall corruption.
- Tragedy at the Spokane Mill Company
A fire sparked by a hot journal in the Spokane Mill Company plant leaves workers dead and families grieving.
- Fatal Faro Game Ends in Shootout
A friendship between two Spokane gamblers turned deadly during a dispute at the faro table.