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 |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 11 |
| 1877 | 21 |
| 1878 | 17 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1880 | 7 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 11 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 14 |
| 1886 | 7 |
| 1887 | 10 |
| 1888 | 28 |
| 1889 | 40 |
| 1890 | 6 |
| 1891 | 26 |
| 1892 | 26 |
| 1893 | 20 |
| 1894 | 23 |
| 1895 | 27 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1899 | 10 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1903 | 25 |
| 1904 | 14 |
| 1905 | 4 |
| 1908 | 11 |
| 1909 | 31 |
| 1910 | 7 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 6 |
| 1916 | 10 |
| 1917 | 4 |
| 1923 | 2 |
| 1929 | 1 |
28 stories matching modern
- Ten Cottages and 110 Lots in an 1888 Seattle Drawing
In 1888, real estate developers in Seattle drummed up interest in a new subdivision by raffling off modern cottages to property buyers.
- 1888 Seattle Land Sale Included Ten Cottage Prizes
A real estate development in South Seattle offered prospective buyers not just a plot of land, but a literal chance to win a 'Queen Anne' cottage in a public drawing.
- A Grand Hotel for the Growing City
A wealthy citizen petitions the city to vacate public streets for a massive, modern hotel, arguing that Seattle’s burgeoning reputation requires world-class accommodations.
- The 1888 Land Grab: Seattle’s First Lottery-Style Housing Development
Before modern zoning and master plans, developers in the boom-era Northwest used gimmicks like house-lot raffles to sell undeveloped land on the city’s fringes.
- The Great Snoqualmie Adventure: A Victorian Weekend Outing
A group of Seattle elites and their spirited guide, 'Mac,' trek into the wilderness to discover if the legends of Snoqualmie Falls and the local fishing are truly as grand as promised.
- Five Free Cottages Offered With Seattle Building Lots
Developers Kittinger Brothers launch a marketing blitz for their new 'Jackson and Rainier Streets Addition,' complete with a promise to raffle off modern cottages to random lot buyers.
- The 1886 Real Estate Lottery
In the booming territory of Washington, developers promised a house to lucky buyers—if they could win the land draw.
- The Battle for the Seattle Streets
A fierce legal and corporate rivalry over cable car franchises threatens to tear up Seattle's downtown, while a mysterious entrepreneur promises to modernize the city with electric power.
- The 1888 Seattle Lottery for Homeownership
A classic speculative land scheme promised five free cottages to lucky buyers, fueling the rapid expansion of Seattle's residential map.
- Five Cottages in 1888 Seattle Jackson-Rainier Lot Drawing
Developers used a high-stakes raffle system to offload residential plots in the city's rapidly expanding Rainier Valley.
- The Department Store Revolution in Pioneer Square
Before the mall, there was the 'mercantile establishment'—a 19th-century retail behemoth that promised the modern consumer everything from tailor-made suits to beaded capes under a single Seattle roof.
- The Great Seattle Housing Lottery of 1888
Promoters promised a ‘small fortune’ to anyone buying a lot, dangling five fully finished cottages as a randomized bonus in an early, high-stakes real estate marketing scheme.
- 1888 Seattle Development Offered 60 Lots and Five Cottages
Developers used a high-stakes giveaway to lure buyers to the city’s growing outskirts, blending real estate speculation with a chance at a 'small fortune.'
- Five Cottages Lured Buyers to 1888 Seattle Lots
A real estate promotion promised a 'small fortune' by raffling off five luxury cottages to buyers of building lots near the burgeoning Jackson Street cable line.
- The 1888 Lottery of Homes: A Seattle Real Estate Gamble
Developers used a high-stakes drawing for five brand-new cottages to drum up interest in the nascent Jackson and Rainier Streets Addition.
- The 1888 Seattle Housing Gamble
Developers promised a 'small fortune' to lucky buyers in this early Seattle land scheme.
- Jackson and Rainier Lots Came With Cottage Prizes
Before the city’s massive growth, real estate developers used high-stakes gambling to entice buyers to the edges of town.
- The Real Estate Giveaway That Promised a 'Small Fortune'
In 1888, developers sold off 60 lots in Seattle with a high-stakes gambling hook: a chance to win a fully built cottage on your property.
- The Great Seattle Fire: A City Reborn from Ashes
June 6, 1889: How a single spark consumed the business district and forced Seattle to rebuild itself higher.
- The House-Lot Lottery of 1888
In an era of rapid expansion, Seattle developers entice buyers with a high-stakes gimmick: buy a lot, and you might just win a free cottage.
- The 'Small Fortune' Lottery in Early Seattle
A 1888 real estate promotion for Jackson and Rainier streets promised investors not just a home, but a chance at a windfall in a property lottery.
- The Great Seattle Lot-and-Cottage Gamble
In the summer of 1888, developers launched a high-stakes, city-wide lottery to sell residential lots, promising ten lucky buyers a move-in ready home.
- The Great Seattle Lot-and-Cottage Lottery of 1888
Developers Kittinger Brothers launch an ambitious and speculative real estate scheme, baiting buyers with the chance to win a fully finished home on the outskirts of 1880s Seattle.
- Seattle's Jackson and Rainier Lots Offered Cottage Bonuses
A speculative real estate scheme offered a 'fortune' in cottage homes to entice buyers into Seattle's rapidly expanding southern suburbs.
- Seattle's Jackson and Rainier Lots Came With Cottages
In 1888, a massive housing development promised buyers a 'small fortune' by raffling off luxury cottages to lucky land purchasers.