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.
Refine1 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 53 |
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1859 | 6 |
| 1860 | 12 |
| 1861 | 60 |
| 1862 | 65 |
| 1863 | 44 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 14 |
| 1876 | 10 |
| 1877 | 12 |
| 1878 | 8 |
| 1879 | 4 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 4 |
| 1883 | 39 |
| 1884 | 12 |
| 1885 | 19 |
| 1886 | 11 |
| 1887 | 9 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 58 |
| 1890 | 8 |
| 1891 | 218 |
| 1892 | 194 |
| 1893 | 111 |
| 1894 | 19 |
| 1895 | 112 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 24 |
| 1904 | 6 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 95 |
| 1910 | 7 |
| 1911 | 11 |
| 1912 | 4 |
| 1914 | 11 |
| 1915 | 8 |
| 1916 | 11 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 13 |
| 1924 | 4 |
| 1925 | 10 |
1,327 stories
- Holiday Tragedy in Olympia
A local automobile dealer was fatally shot while pursuing a robber who had held up the J.C. Penney store during the Christmas shopping rush.
- The Fight for Washington’s Tide Lands
A high-stakes political battle in the state legislature over the future of Washington's valuable waterfront property.
- The Right to Vote in Washington Territory
Legislative debates heat up over the enfranchisement of Indigenous people in the mid-1850s.
- Olympia Residents Organize Volunteer Force Amid Bellingham Bay Fears
Following reports of violence between Indigenous tribes and settlers at Bellingham Bay, local citizens gather at the Olympia courthouse to form a militia and demand government action.
- The Threat of Slave Labor in Washington
A local writer warns laborers that the introduction of enslaved people into the territory could crash wages and destroy the dignity of free labor.
- The Scandal of the Agricultural College Commission
A heated investigation into alleged corruption and secret deals involving former Washington state officials and the site selection for the new state college.
- The Fight Over Washington’s Workmen's Compensation
Commissioner John R. Wallace lashes out at 'journalistic highbinders' and insurance companies attempting to discredit the state's new injury insurance laws.
- Adjutant General Arrested in Embezzlement Scandal
Ortis Hamilton, a once-respected public official, faces charges of stealing thousands from the state of Washington to fund a lavish lifestyle.
- Populists Clash with the Militia
Legislators demand the state militia disband after accounts of drunken revelry at the inaugural ceremonies.
- The Never-Ending Senatorial Deadlock
Legislative chaos in Olympia as power-brokering and petty infighting stall the selection of a U.S. Senator.
- Washington Bans Armed Mercenaries
Legislators override a veto to criminalize the employment of private armed bodies, a move targeting industrial labor conflicts.
- Scandal at the State Capital
A political exposé details how legislators used committee clerkships as patronage bribes to maintain illicit affairs, resulting in a public divorce case.
- Former Official Accused of Child Abuse
A criminal complaint against former Secretary of State Allen Weir sparks local debate over the bounds of corporal punishment.
- Olympia’s Fight for a Deep-Water Harbor
Citizens tell the harbor-line commissioners to claim Budd Inlet’s tide flats for public wharves—not a narrow waterway that would hand the waterfront to private owners.
- The Death Rate Was Up. The Health Officer Blamed the Syringe.
In 1891 Olympia's health officer reported an unprecedented mortality spike—and pointed to morphine and cocaine injections, with young women said to be using them 'just for fun.'
- Olympia Bought a $1,500 Sewer Map Critics Called Worthless
A letter to the editor accuses the city council of buying a stranger's sewer plan without scrutiny—complete with a harbor reservoir already condemned in San Diego.
- The People’s Ticket: Olympia’s 1891 Caucus Revolt
A printed slate handed out at the door, a mayor booed as 'defeated,' and a second-ward protest meeting: the fight over who would control Olympia's city nominations.
- Two Red Boxes on Wheels: Olympia's Sorry Excuse for a Streetcar Line
The street railway's president has told the council he can keep the city tied up in court for two years. The Tribune suggests the new council simply take his franchise away.
- How a Saloonkeeper's Wife Was Used to Strip Washington Women of the Vote
A call for an Equal Suffrage League meeting in Olympia prompts a bitter retelling of how a Spokane election stunt and a pliant territorial supreme court dissolved the woman suffrage Washington women had held since 1883.
- Washington Took Their Votes. These Women Want Them Back.
Meeting at Tacoma Hall, the Equal Suffrage Association thanks the state supreme court, calls the loss of the ballot an 'outrage' that 'became national in character,' and appeals to the manhood of Washington's men.
- The Blind Doctor and the $24,000 Cure
William and Matilda Linton sued Dr. W. T. Campbell, a blind Olympia physician, claiming his Thompsonian remedies killed their daughter Clara—and asking for $24,200 in damages.
- Gate City’s Bridge to Nowhere—and the Heavyweight Who Saw a Future
A missing approach leaves a new Black River bridge unusable, diverting trade to Centralia—but John L. Sullivan thinks the town could host his next fight.
- A Father Snatches His Baby on Main Street, and a Judge Orders the Child Returned
A Saturday afternoon chase in Olympia ended in court when a logger grabbed his infant son from his estranged wife, prompting a habeas corpus writ.
- Olympia's Grand Washington's Birthday Celebration and Statehood Pride
A parade, a packed theater, and a speech linking Washington's legacy to the new state of Washington—Olympia celebrates February 22, 1892.
- The $275,000 Plan to Dredge Olympia Into a Deep-Water Port
In 1892, a federal engineer proposed cutting a 12-foot channel through two miles of tide flats so ocean steamers could reach Fourth Street. The price tag was $275,000—and a bet on Olympia’s future.