Same Streets

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
Published
When they were publishedBusiest year 1895, 29 stories (all years shown for comparison). Pick a year or a decade to narrow to it.
Show the numbers
YearStories
18542
18611
18621
18642
18722
18768
18778
18788
18803
18835
18842
18854
18876
18883
188913
18901
189120
189224
189315
189420
189529
18973
18982
18994
19022
19034
19045
19081
190910
19103
19113
19121
19142
19152
19166
19221
19232

36 stories matching merit

  1. The Strange Lottery of Seattle’s 1889 Democratic Primary

    While Republicans held conventional district conventions to nominate candidates for the constitutional convention, Seattle’s Democrats opted for the 'novel' method of picking delegates by lottery.

    May 8, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerKing County Courthouse, SeattleCity Hall · Strange But True

  2. The Great 'Chautauqua' Debate

    After weeks of indecision, a committee chooses Point Defiance for a massive cultural assembly site, highlighting the rapid civic growth and ambition of the Puget Sound region.

    Sep 17, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerVashon, King CountyBoom & Bust

  3. The Dawn of Political Equality

    Washington Territory grants women the right to vote, marking a landmark triumph for human rights.

    Jan 1, 1884Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerWhatcom, Whatcom CountyCity Hall

  4. The Strict Moral Geometry of the Schoolroom

    Teachers debate the merits of strict discipline, the threat of school suspensions, and the 'moral atmosphere' of the classroom.

    Aug 11, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

  5. The Great Tree Planting Contest: Who Knows How to Grow a Forest in Seattle?

    A local committee has rejected the first round of submissions for a $150 prize on orchard design, declaring them insufficient. Now, they are asking the public to try again with a more rigorous plan for planting 30 acres of fruit trees.

    Feb 8, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King County

  6. The Shame of Seattle's City Jail

    A grand jury investigation into Seattle’s penal system reveals a crumbling facility plagued by filth, corruption, and the disappearance of evidence.

    Nov 24, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · True Crime

  7. Ellensburg, Olympia and Yakima Vie for Capital

    As Washington prepares for statehood, a vicious battle erupts between Yakima, Ellensburg, and Olympia over which city deserves to be the capital.

    Jun 13, 1889The Yakima HeraldYakima, Yakima CountyBoom & Bust · City Hall

  8. The Great Table Etiquette Debate

    An editorial scrap between the Intelligencer and the Post-Intelligencer over whether eating with a knife is a sign of 'vulgar' breeding.

    Jul 26, 1880Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King County

  9. The Fight for a Port Townsend Customs House

    A Congressman makes a spirited plea to Washington D.C. for funds to house the booming commerce of the Puget Sound district.

    Apr 2, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerPort Townsend, Jefferson CountyCity Hall

  10. The Tale of the Dreamer and the Practical Planner

    A satirical editorial sketches the divergent paths of two Seattle-area visionaries: one chasing a 'paradise' of industry and wealth, the other a dreamer building canals and libraries.

    Sep 6, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · Local Legends

  11. The Rivalry for the Rail: Seattle and Tacoma’s 1880 Tug-of-War

    While newspaper editors in 1880 debated the merits of a trans-Cascades rail terminus, their calm professional detachment barely masked the city's existential anxiety over losing out to Tacoma.

    Jan 26, 1880Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

  12. Miners' Solidarity in the Aftermath of the Nanaimo Disaster

    When disaster struck a British Columbia coal town, Seattle's working class miners—many of whom faced daily peril—stepped up to provide aid for the widows and orphans left behind.

    May 8, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerNewcastle, King CountyWork & Pay · Disasters

  13. The Test of the Chemical Fire Extinguisher

    A skeptical crowd gathers at Second and Marion to watch a new, pressurized fire-fighting contraption in action.

    Jun 5, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

  14. The Forgotten Fight for Proportional Representation

    In 1891, a Walla Walla thinker proposed a radical 'preferential system' to break the grip of party bosses and end the buying and selling of votes in Washington.

    Apr 17, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyCity Hall

  15. The Price of Disaster: Seattle’s Post-Fire Rent Gouging

    Landlords are accused of doubling rents on business and housing, turning the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 into a predatory profit machine.

    Jul 29, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyHousing & Rent · Disasters

  16. Seattle's Miracle Medicine Salesman

    Prominent citizens and former councilmen endorse G. C. Phinney's 'Swamp Angel' rheumatic cure.

    Apr 5, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountySnake Oil

  17. The Great Tax Assessment Mess of 1887

    Seattle and King County property owners find their tax rolls hopelessly entangled in errors, leaving public officials to question if the entire assessment should be scrapped.

    Aug 13, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

  18. The Auctioneer’s Audacity: A Watch and a Pen for Gold

    Three local men face fraud charges after allegedly selling worthless gold-washed trinkets to unsuspecting buyers under the guise of a legitimate auction.

    Feb 24, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  19. The Day Seattle Suffrage Died

    A technical legal oversight by the Territorial Legislature has stripped women of their right to vote and serve on juries.

    Feb 4, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

  20. The Political Boomerang of 1889

    An editorial reflects on a controversy involving a judge candidate and the toxic, defamation-heavy political climate of young Washington State.

    Sep 16, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

  21. The Squatter’s Defense

    A Seattle homesteader fights back against accusations of ‘land grabbing’ in an era of rapid frontier development.

    Apr 14, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money

  22. The Republican Convention's High Stakes

    As Seattle Republicans gather to nominate candidates for the new state, editors warn against party cronyism, urging a focus on judicial merit and the formal selection of King County's gubernatorial favorites.

    Aug 24, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

  23. The Last of the Pioneer Mariners

    Captain Edward Harrington, a self-made man who helped forge early Puget Sound maritime routes, dies at Oak Harbor.

    Jan 25, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerOak Harbor, Island County

  24. The Bitter Feud Over a Burnt Seattle Sawmill

    A public legal dispute between two businessmen reveals the high-stakes cost of the 1880 fire that razed a local mill.

    Nov 28, 1880The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money · Scandal

  25. The Political Brawl of 1885

    As Seattle prepared for a high-stakes municipal election, a chaotic 'Business Men’s' rally struggled to gain traction against the reformist 'Law and Order' movement, exposing deep class and moral divides in the young city.

    Jul 12, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerOpera House, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

Download all 36 as a spreadsheet (CSV)