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 |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1889 | 3 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 5 |
| 1895 | 2 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1907 | 12 |
| 1908 | 29 |
| 1909 | 15 |
| 1910 | 16 |
| 1917 | 2 |
104 stories
- The Courthouse Contract That Took Three Tries
The lowest bid lacked a certified check; the next-lowest contractor balked at its own price; the job finally went to Colville builder Lee Gayman.
- The Precarious Wealth of a Marcus Bachelor
A wealthy settler in the Colville Valley suffers a public health scare, highlighting the risks of frontier isolation and the burden of managing an estate.
- Tensions Rise on the Upper Columbia
Miners and settlers report growing hostility as military protection is withdrawn from the frontier.
- Legal Battle Stalls Inland Empire Railroad Expansion
A Spokane legal team secures a restraining order against the Inland Empire Railroad, marking a pivotal moment in the infrastructure dispute.
- A Jury in Colville Wastes No Time on a Wife Poisoner
George Pepoon showed no more feeling at his murder conviction than he had through the whole trial — the jury reached its verdict in 67 minutes, on a single ballot.
- County Printing Contract Sparks Legal Fight
Stevens County commissioners award the county printing contract to the Colville Examiner, but a rival paper sues, alleging the process was unfair.
- Stevens County's $200,000 Bond Sale Was a Buyer's Bargain—and a Taxpayer Windfall
Chicago investors paid a premium for the county's refunding bonds, cutting the interest rate and saving Stevens County about $6,000 a year.
- The Unsolved Killing of Joseph Martin
A pioneer of Stevens County is found dead in his bed in a scene that suggests a deadly betrayal rather than the suicide police originally suspected.
- Colville's Orchard Boom Outpaces Local Logistics
Thousands of new fruit trees are ready for harvest, but the town lacks the infrastructure to pack and sell the crop.
- The Senatorial Fray in Stevens County
A power struggle between Leviathan politicians Levi Ankeny and Wesley Jones splits the local party faithful in Colville.
- A Family Pattern of Criminal Charges
After pleading guilty to horse theft, a local woman is sent to a reformatory while her mother faces time in the state penitentiary.
- The Valley Nobody Surveyed: Pioneers Wait for a Government Pen
A settlers' advocate returns from the surveyor-general with promises and a rapturous account of a hidden valley where poor young farmers are hewing homes out of the forest without so much as a title to their land.
- The Tax Bill That Landed on Stevens County Property Owners
A fight between the county assessor and prosecuting attorney over taxing money and mortgages ends in a court-ordered reassessment—and a bill for the people.
- The Assessor Followed the Law. Then the County Lawyer Sued — and the Taxpayers Got the Bill.
A Stevens County feud over exempting mortgages and county warrants from taxation turns into a straight-up election threat, reprinted from the Colville Statesman-Index.
- Overnight Line at the Courthouse as Washington’s New Primary Law Meets Its First Test
Candidates camped outside the Stevens County auditor’s office to file for office—and Newport-area races split three ways before the votes were even cast.
- The Prosecutor's Record: 'Arrest on Suspicion, Investigate Afterwards'
A Stevens County election fight turns on the county's criminal docket — who jailed innocent men, and who got his convictions.
- The Ministers' Quarrel That Split Colville's Temperance Fight
A local-option campaign turned personal when the Rev. W. A. Diggins claimed all the town's ministers were behind temperance—and the Rev. G. H. Wilbur publicly called that a lie.
- A Stolen Rig, a Suspicious Liveryman, and a One-to-Ten-Year Sentence
James Thompson hired a rig in Colville, drove it to Addy, and tried to sell it—then found himself before two judges in a single day.
- One Thousand Parcels, One Deadline: the County Races the Clock on Tax-Title Land
A new state law gave landowners exactly one year to challenge old tax foreclosures. On the day it expired, the suits landed in the Stevens County courthouse all at once.
- A Locked Furniture Store and a Mattress Fire in Colville
Citizens broke in to haul out furniture while smoke filled the upper floors of M. C. Kelly's store; the blaze was stopped, but the damage outpaced the insurance.
- The Judge, the Ballot, and the $2,000 Reprieve
A losing judicial candidate tried to force Stevens County to reprint every ballot. A Tuesday court ruling stopped him—and spared the treasury a costly last-minute scramble.
- The Election That Decided Whether Stevens County Would Stay ‘Closed’
A county prosecuting attorney race turned on saloons and law enforcement, with the new officer’s supporters expecting a ‘wide open’ county—prompting a sharp rebuttal from the Newport press.
- Stevens County Hikes Interest Rates to Stave Off Financial Panic
Facing a national economic slump in 1909, commissioners move to protect county credit by raising interest on municipal warrants.
- A Botanical Surprise in Colville Valley
A local entrepreneur discovers that tobacco can thrive in the limestone soils of the far North, challenging previous assumptions about regional agriculture.
- The Freight Line Proposal
A local entrepreneur hopes to bypass expensive rail rates with a new six-horse team freight route.