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 | 8 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 2 |
| 1861 | 18 |
| 1862 | 12 |
| 1863 | 11 |
| 1864 | 2 |
| 1871 | 2 |
| 1872 | 8 |
| 1876 | 25 |
| 1877 | 19 |
| 1878 | 17 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 9 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 23 |
| 1884 | 6 |
| 1885 | 12 |
| 1886 | 22 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 10 |
| 1889 | 35 |
| 1890 | 4 |
| 1891 | 25 |
| 1892 | 59 |
| 1893 | 29 |
| 1894 | 58 |
| 1895 | 54 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1899 | 9 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1903 | 31 |
| 1904 | 3 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 9 |
| 1909 | 27 |
| 1910 | 5 |
| 1911 | 5 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 9 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 6 |
| 1929 | 1 |
240 stories matching civil
- The Myth of Civilization
A satirical look at the displacement and forced assimilation of Indigenous people in the Yakima Valley.
- Civil War Veterans Reunited at the Rainier Hotel
Two former officers meet at the Rainier Hotel to recount the battles of the Civil War after decades of separation.
- The Postmaster’s Patronage Problem: Civil Service Warns Port Townsend
Postmaster McNamara threatened to replace Port Townsend’s post office staff with loyal Democrats. The Civil Service Commission warned that patronage could cost him personally—and cited a Pennsylvania postmaster who paid $600 out of pocket.
- The Patronage Game at Port Townsend: How Customs Officials Fought Civil Service
A plan to reduce the customs force in Puget Sound sparks a behind-the-scenes battle over patronage, as local officials try to add jobs to avoid civil service exams.
- The Federal Jobs That Came With Life Tenure
A new civil-service order gives Puget Sound customs officers—from deputies to private secretaries—protection that even a change of administration may not break.
- The Herald’s Victory Over Libel
After year-long court battles, the newspaper celebrates the dismissal of civil and criminal libel suits brought by a school board member.
- The Indian Agent Who Let Settlers Stay: A Lake Chelan Land Fight
A federal Indian agent delayed an order to restore land near Lake Chelan to Indigenous owners, then waded into the estate of 'Okanogan' Smith, prompting charges of military overreach into civil affairs.
- Civil War Veterans Clash with Custom House Over Flag Display
Grand Army of the Republic members in Olympia vow to hold federal officials accountable after an alleged failure to fly the American flag on Memorial Day.
- The Tycoon Saloon Heist: A Laborer's Fight for His Wages
After being swindled out of his savings by a rigged card game, a Skagit County laborer takes on the city's saloons in a rare civil suit for restitution.
- Judicial Gridlock in King County
The Supreme Court intervenes when two Seattle judges refuse to finalize a case, each insisting the other should sign off.
- A Senate Report Exposes the National Guard's 'Go-As-You-Please' Spending
A military deficiency report finds the Washington National Guard has escaped civil control and wasted money, including $1,000 for each election of Adjutant General O'Brien.
- The Proposal to Reshape Seattle's Waterways
A civil engineer proposes cutting a new channel between Lake Washington and Lake Union to prevent devastating floods in the Duwamish and White River valleys.
- The City Settles with Embezzler's Bondsmen
A complex financial deal ends the civil litigation over Adolph Krug’s flight from the City Treasurer’s office.
- Port Townsend Union Veterans Condemn Morning Leader Editorials
Farragut Post No. 14 of the Grand Army of the Republic condemned the Port Townsend Morning Leader for belittling pensioners and demeaning the Civil War, calling on citizens to boycott the newspaper.
- The Brutal Doctrine of 'Root Hog or Die'
A Seattle newspaper editorial argues for the forced assimilation and dispossession of Indigenous people, mirroring the era's harshest colonial policies.
- Old Soldiers Take the Floor: Seattle’s Post-Civil War Fraternal Life
In January 1891, the veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic and their families gathered in the Hinckley Block to install new officers, a ritual of civic pride and remembrance in a rapidly growing Seattle.
- The Mystery of the Missing Railroad Track
A civil engineer's discovery threatens to derail the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad's land claim in downtown Seattle.
- Scarlet Fever, Schools, and a Turf War Between Two Boards
Seattle's health and school boards take their quarrel over scarlet fever quarantine and school closures to the civil courts, while five new cases are reported.
- The Aristocracy of Skin
An editorial reflection on the prevalence of racial prejudice in the North and the exclusion of Black students and congregants from 'civilized' institutions.
- Arthur Denny Recalls the 1865 Election
Thirty years after his election to Congress, the Seattle pioneer reflects on a campaign defined by the Civil War and the assassination of Lincoln.
- The Mob Rule at Our Doorstep
When an organized society in Walla Walla issued threats against anyone hiring Chinese labor, the press decried the move as a return to the lawless spirit of the frontier.
- Washington Writes Equal Access to Inns, Barbershops and Streetcars Into Law
In March 1895 the state legislature amended its civil-rights code so that every person in Washington — 'of whatever race, color or nationality' — could claim the full enjoyment of public accommodations, with fines and jail for those who refused.
- The Governor's Telegram: How the Militia Was Called Out to the King County Coal Fields
Colonel J. C. Haines lays out the paper trail behind the 1891 deployment of National Guard troops to the coal towns of Gilman and Franklin — and the labor war that nearly became a dawn battle.
- The Transformation of Seattle's 'Pencils'
A beloved local street vendor and Civil War veteran receives a surprise wardrobe upgrade from a local merchant, sparking a reflection on Seattle's unique local legends.
- The Knights of Labor Civil War
A bitter internal dispute within the local Knights of Labor spills into the courts as a libel suit.