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 |
499 stories
- Railroad Workers Left Without Pay in Seattle
Construction crews on the Cedar River extension face a dire crisis after the Oregon Transcontinental company fails to issue wages since January.
- The Letter that Carried Fever
A tragic medical mystery unfolds as a mother's joyful news becomes a vector for disease across the Pacific Northwest.
- The Land Grabbing Scandal of Yakima
A political operative hired by the Northern Pacific Railroad finds himself hung in effigy for his duplicitous schemes against local farmers.
- The Struggle for Statehood and a New Name
Thomas H. Brents advocates for Washington statehood while grappling with the inconvenient identity of the 'Washington' namesake.
- Homesteaders Fight Railroad Land Grab
Settlers at Opera Hall band together to challenge the railroad company's claim to the land they built their homes on.
- Tacoma’s Open Letter to the Railroad Monopoly
A scathing council memorial accuses the Northern Pacific Railroad of breaking its promises, stalling city growth, and holding the harbor hostage.
- The Fight to Break the Northern Pacific Monopoly
A fiery editorial argues that Congress must reclaim millions of acres of 'unearned' land granted to the Northern Pacific Railroad to save the future of Washington Territory.
- Farmers Organize Against Northern Pacific Monopoly
Producers in Ellensburg hold an indignation meeting to protest freight discrimination and the railroad's broken land grant promises.
- Seattle Rallies for the Delegate to Washington
Citizens and veterans bid a fervent farewell to William H. White as he leaves to challenge the Northern Pacific Railroad’s control of public land.
- The Iron Tyrant’s Threat
A railroad official threatens to punish Seattle merchants for supporting the forfeiture of company land grants.
- The Tragic Death of Edith E. Ewing
A young woman’s suicide note is made public by her grieving father, sparking a somber reflection on the pressures of life in 1884 Seattle.
- County Commission Battles Northern Pacific Land Grab
King County officials call out the railroad for attempting to claim massive timber and coal holdings through fraudulent charter claims.
- The Struggle for the Soil
A lobbyist’s plea from Washington, D.C., urges Seattle and Eastern Washington to unite against the Northern Pacific Railroad's land grab.
- The Sham Inspection of the Northern Pacific
A whistleblower account of how railroad executives entertained government officials with champagne to secure unearned land grants.
- City Council Charges Corruption in Fire Department
A motion is introduced to investigate grave accusations made against the Mayor and Council concerning the illegal passage of a fire department ordinance.
- The Fight for the Railroad Terminal
A scathing address to Congress exposes how Northern Pacific Railroad insiders manipulated land grants to prioritize Tacoma's development over Seattle's growth.
- The Battle Over Public Tidelands
A recurring civic headache resurfaces as the City Council weighs conflicting claims on the city's valuable waterfront property.
- The Tragic End of a Local Broker
A well-known Seattle businessman ends his life at his office, leaving behind his wife and a community in shock.
- The City vs. the Iron Monopoly
Seattle declares war on the Northern Pacific, calling out the company's broken promises, land grabs, and rate manipulation.
- The Battle for Burke’s Second Addition
A legal dispute over property ownership pulls in dozens of local residents and sets the city's legal community against one another.
- Northern Pacific Accused of Land Extortion by Tacoma-Kalama Residents
Citizens and politicians clash over the Northern Pacific Railroad's monopoly and the holding of immense swaths of land that remain untaxed and undeveloped.
- The Northern Pacific's Elusive Cascade Branch
A skeptical look at how the Northern Pacific Railroad tried to rebrand its lines to secure land grants in King County.
- A Seattle emissary fights to save public land from a rail giant
When the Northern Pacific Railroad tried to claim 40,000 acres of coal-rich land, a local citizen traveled to D.C. to stop the 'steal.'
- The Custody Battle Over Miss Lynch
A bitter divorce case that led to a shooting and an abduction now sees a young girl caught in a tug-of-war between her estranged parents.
- The Senator vs. The Railroad Barons
A fierce Senate debate erupts over the Northern Pacific’s attempt to claim land through a 'coal branch' built years earlier.