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 | 62 |
| 1858 | 29 |
| 1859 | 52 |
| 1860 | 27 |
| 1861 | 101 |
| 1862 | 87 |
| 1863 | 69 |
| 1864 | 32 |
| 1865 | 11 |
| 1871 | 11 |
| 1872 | 140 |
| 1876 | 812 |
| 1877 | 678 |
| 1878 | 526 |
| 1879 | 64 |
| 1880 | 180 |
| 1882 | 130 |
| 1883 | 911 |
| 1884 | 499 |
| 1885 | 838 |
| 1886 | 492 |
| 1887 | 484 |
| 1888 | 440 |
| 1889 | 1,324 |
| 1890 | 287 |
| 1891 | 1,115 |
| 1892 | 2,855 |
| 1893 | 2,829 |
| 1894 | 2,116 |
| 1895 | 1,830 |
| 1896 | 2 |
| 1897 | 62 |
| 1898 | 196 |
| 1899 | 446 |
| 1900 | 114 |
| 1902 | 34 |
| 1903 | 1,332 |
| 1904 | 1,126 |
| 1905 | 124 |
| 1907 | 53 |
| 1908 | 351 |
| 1909 | 1,545 |
| 1910 | 413 |
| 1911 | 160 |
| 1912 | 73 |
| 1914 | 261 |
| 1915 | 300 |
| 1916 | 545 |
| 1917 | 332 |
| 1918 | 45 |
| 1919 | 5 |
| 1920 | 1 |
| 1922 | 18 |
| 1923 | 185 |
| 1924 | 151 |
| 1925 | 64 |
| 1928 | 14 |
| 1929 | 19 |
911 stories
- A Tragic Afternoon at Whatcom Creek
A seven-year-old boy drowns while playing on log booms, sparking a somber community funeral.
- An Inside Job at the County Jail
Two prisoners, a clerk accused of theft and an embezzling stevedore, escaped the King County jail by cutting their way out with tools smuggled from the outside.
- The Sketch That Sobered a Father
A young artist's chance drawing of a child watching over his intoxicated father becomes a catalyst for family redemption.
- Pushing the Northern Pacific Through the Cascades
Contractors overcome swamp and tangled brush to advance the critical rail link between Puget Sound and the East.
- Seattle's Mayor Calls for Modern Infrastructure
In his annual address, Mayor H. G. Struve urges the city to build a modern sewer system and expand city limits to meet rapid population growth.
- The New Rail Connection to Moscow
A rail expansion project promises a 'magnificent boom' for the towns of Pullman and Moscow, fueled by land donations and rapid construction.
- Tragedy on the Tracks in Spokane Falls
A laborer is found horribly mangled near the depot in what is presumed to be a tragic accident born of intoxication.
- The Radish King: A First-Hand Account of Institutionalization
An inmate recounts his descent into a bizarre obsession with a radish empire and his subsequent recovery within an asylum.
- The Cross-Cascades Trade War
Seattle and Portland merchants battle for control over inland freight routes to the Yakima Valley.
- The Unintended Romance
After attending a Chautauqua lecture on marital advice, a Seattle-area farmer attempts to woo his wife with small acts of kindness, leading to an unexpected thaw in their long-stagnant marriage.
- The Imaginary Inheritance
A young man's prank about a fake Chinese inheritance snowballs into a lucrative, accidental fortune built on social perception.
- The Region Rallies to Welcome Henry Villard
Seattle and Puget Sound towns prepare a unified celebration for the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad's president.
- The Territory Owns the University. So Why Is Seattle Paying for It?
An exasperated editorial makes the case that the Territorial University — the ancestor of today's UW — belongs to all of Washington, yet the Legislature has adjourned without voting it a dollar, leaving Seattle's private citizens to keep the doors open.
- The Summer the Smoke Saved the Harvest
With rainfall a third of normal and crops burning in the fields, Seattle's paper made the case that the season's suffocating pall of forest-fire smoke had been the region's salvation.
- Four Men Spend the Night in a Boiling Crater: An 1883 Assault on Mount Rainier
A climbing party from Olympia reaches the summit of Mount Rainier and bivouacs inside the crater, where the ground itself is too hot to touch.
- The Smoke of the Season
Forest fires burn through Tumwater timber, impeding travel and damaging infrastructure.
- A Petty Feud of Doctors Paralyzes Seattle
A minor medical dispute over a broken rib spirals into a week-long war of words in the local press, much to the exhaustion of the city.
- The Struggle for an Inland Connection
Citizens of Olympia gather to fund and build a new rail line toward the Pacific to break the town's isolation.
- The River Giant: A Record-Breaking Log Boom
The steamer Beaver successfully navigated a massive log raft into the harbor, a logistical feat that left the waterfront stunned.
- The Jackson Street Railroad Takes Shape
The City Council reviews a massive ordinance granting transit rights across town, from Elliott Bay to the city limits.
- The Madison Street Assessment Battle
A property owner challenges the legality of street improvement assessments in Seattle, setting the stage for litigation.
- A Corporate Heist in Whatcom
A shareholder warns Seattle merchants not to purchase illegal drafts from a Whatcom corporation attempting to bleed its own company dry.
- Tumwater Secures Its Future With Railroad Deal
Local committee reaches agreement with railroad company for depot, water rights, and machine shops.
- The Fight for a New County: Skagit vs. Whatcom
Legislative debate over splitting Whatcom County highlights the perennial struggle of managing geography and infrastructure in the growing Washington Territory.
- The Ethics of the Free Rail Pass
A territorial representative is caught accepting a railroad pass while charging the government for travel expenses, prompting a sharp rebuke on political corruption.