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 |
11,738 stories
- The Great Exodus: Aberdeen’s Chinese Community Vanishes in the Night
A local editorial and a sympathetic 'Communicated' letter reveal the forced departure of Aberdeen’s Chinese residents, highlighting both the racial hostility that drove them out and the rare moral outcry against their mistreatment.
- The Day the Kingston Died: A Steamship Collision and the Pilot’s Tale
Pilot Gatter recounts the terrifying moments when the steamer Glenogle collided with the passenger liner Kingston in Puget Sound, sending hundreds of feet of steel into the water.
- A Seattle Streetcar Killing Sparks Calls for Lynching
A labor dispute turns violent in the streets of Seattle, nearly triggering a riot outside a trolley line's offices.
- The Iron War for Seattle
How the city’s early pioneers fought a cutthroat land-monopoly struggle to ensure Seattle would not be sidelined by the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- When Seattle Won the Transcontinental Sweepstakes
In 1890, the Great Northern, Northern Pacific, and Union Pacific converged on Seattle, transforming the city from a remote settlement into a global Pacific terminus.
- The Railway Gold Rush: When Every Line Wanted a Piece of Seattle
In 1890, Seattle was the ultimate prize for three competing transcontinental railroads, leading to a tangled mess of franchise wars, tide flat terminal deals, and high-stakes corporate maneuvering.
- The Wharf King’s Victory: Yesler Wins Millions in Land Battle
Judge Lichtenberg rules that the state cannot seize waterfront property without paying just compensation, halting the Harbor Line Commission and protecting H.L. Yesler’s empire.
- The Eight-Hour Day: Washington Becomes the First to Legislate Labor's Limits for Private Industry
In a landmark session at the Olympia legislature, lawmakers passed an unprecedented bill declaring eight hours a legal workday for all labor performed by or for corporations and individuals, not just public works.
- The Relocation of the University of Washington
City Hall votes to deed away the original downtown campus to the state, paving the way for the University to move to its modern home.
- The Forced Exodus of Whidbey Island’s Chinese Community
A campaign of economic exclusion and harassment leads to the near-total disappearance of Chinese residents from Whidbey Island by 1892.
- The Last Ride of the 'Paper Railroad'
When Seattle’s homegrown lifeline, the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern, was absorbed by the Northern Pacific, the city lost its independence—but gained its seat at the table of transcontinental commerce.
- The Pig War: How a Single Shot Almost Started a War
A minor dispute over a pig on San Juan Island spiraled into an international standoff between the United States and Great Britain in 1859.
- The Aftermath of the Roslyn Mine Explosion
A town mourns forty-five dead while the community rallies to support eighty-four orphaned children.
- Roslyn Relief Fund Grows as Miners' Families Struggle
Seattle rallies for the widows and orphans of the catastrophic Roslyn mine explosion, while investigators confront the reality of corporate negligence and the brutal nature of the disaster.
- The Landmark Case of an Indigenous Heir
A court ruling recognizes a marriage between a white pioneer and a niece of Chief Seattle, potentially shifting land title laws across the region.
- Inferno at the Spokane Falls
Four mills destroyed and workers missing after a massive industrial fire consumes the riverfront.
- Puyallup Land Sales Spark Tension With Federal Agent
Agent Eells defends his role in the controversial sale of tribal lands, claiming the Puyallup people are being manipulated by real estate speculators.
- Seattle Health Officers Screen Trains and Steamers for Smallpox
As smallpox cases surge in Victoria, B.C., Seattle and neighboring ports enact aggressive, sometimes illegal, quarantines to stop the infection from crossing the border.
- The Riotous Push for Exclusion
A massive, chaotic anti-Chinese protest in Tacoma turns violent, drowning out local leaders who argue for the legal rights of Chinese merchants.
- Exclusion in Tacoma: Chinese Merchants Fear for Their Safety
Despite assurances from local business leaders and the Mayor, Chinese merchants hesitate to return to Tacoma following previous expulsion efforts.
- Bridge Collapse Kills Seven Great Northern Railroad Workers
A temporary construction span on the Wenatchee River failed under the weight of a heavy train, plunging workers sixty feet into the water.
- Bridge Collapse Inquiry Mired in Secrecy
A tenth victim has died following a bridge collapse on the Great Northern line, as company officials actively obstruct the inquest.
- 1892 Health Board Stops Trains at County Line
As cases of smallpox multiply across the Northwest, Seattle health officials impose a desperate quarantine on labor camps and mandate mass vaccinations.
- The Great Cascade Flood of 1892
A catastrophic flood wipes out bridges, isolates towns, and leaves railroad lines in ruins across the Snoqualmie and Snohomish valleys.
- The Night of the Three Nooses
A double lynching followed by a swift vigilante mob justice against a third prisoner defined one of the most violent episodes in early Seattle history.