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 |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 11 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1878 | 14 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 14 |
| 1884 | 6 |
| 1885 | 9 |
| 1886 | 5 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 8 |
| 1889 | 12 |
| 1891 | 18 |
| 1892 | 33 |
| 1893 | 15 |
| 1894 | 28 |
| 1895 | 32 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1903 | 5 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1909 | 3 |
| 1911 | 5 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
131 stories matching imagin
- A Machinist Committed to the Asylum
A perfectly rational machinist is sent to Steilacoom despite his protests, leaving behind a wife and child.
- Grays Harbor City Townsites Scheme Ends in 1891
How professional townsite boomers once built a 'city' of imagination that existed only on paper, leaving investors with nothing but worthless lithographs.
- The Saloon Brawl that Landed 'Jumbo' in Jail
A long-standing feud between a local fixture and a detective boils over in the Nevada Saloon.
- The Oyster Bed Tug-of-War
Claimants in Shelton fight for their right to oyster beds, ignoring the warnings of 'boodle' newspapers.
- A Mental Health Crisis on the Waterfront
Judge Humes committed Charles W. Burton to the state insane asylum after he brandished an axe on the waterfront.
- The Mystery Meteor of Wenas Valley
A three-year-old discovery, once buried in the earth, sparks local wonder and debate in Yakima.
- A Tragic End at K and 11th
A Tacoma carpenter, struggling with alcoholism and personal despair, takes his own life.
- Aberdeen’s Industrial Pivot
A report on the town's shifting economic tides as new mills take root on the south side.
- The Real Estate Agent Who Thought He Was a Millionaire
George M. Armour’s hallucinations of vast wealth led to his institutionalization and the appointment of his brother as guardian.
- The Sad Delusions of John Watson
A trainman found living in squalor is committed to Steilacoom Asylum after declaring himself the owner of Victoria’s townsite.
- The Man Who Feared His Own Gun
An erratic man, fearful of imagined burglars, asks the police to hold his revolver to prevent himself from doing harm, only to demand it back when he gets nervous again.
- The Repeat Offender and the Judge
A habitual offender known as 'Patsy' is back in court shortly after being ordered to leave Seattle, sparking a curious exchange with Judge Glasgow.
- The Failed Promise of 'Clean' Streets
Critics decry the Democratic administration's failure to suppress gambling and vice, alleging that prostitution has simply migrated from 'Whitechapel' to transit corridors.
- A Marshal's Fruitless Hops-Field Chase
A warrant execution goes wrong when a marshal spends half a mile chasing the wrong man through the hops vines.
- The Wild Goose Trail: How $25,000 Chased a Mountain Pass That Wasn't There
A state commission, an over-imaginative mountaineer and a sober engineer collide over a wagon road across the Cascades — and the taxpayers pick up the bill.
- A Tragic End for Alice Belden
A young Seattle woman dies after eight weeks of agony following a kerosene lamp accident in her home.
- The Sheep-herder and the Gold Rush
A lonely worker from the hills finds big-city trouble after a payday binge in North Yakima.
- The Hop Fields of the Kent Valley
A report on the hop harvest around Kent and Auburn, highlighting the labor conditions and the influx of pickers.
- The Mayor's Power Grab at City Hall
Mayor Ronald moves to dissolve the police commission, raising alarm about the erosion of Seattle's checks and balances.
- The Delusions of Martin Krop
A young laborer's unrequited obsession with a stranger leads to his commitment at the insane asylum.
- The Rapid Transformation of Grays Harbor
A traveler returning to Aberdeen after ten years finds the town unrecognizable amidst an industrial boom.
- The Political Schemer of Tacoma
How a local industrialist bought a newspaper to build his own influence and secure public contracts.
- The Hop-Picker's Smallpox Scare
A panic at the Meeker ranch over a supposed smallpox outbreak threatened to upend the harvest—but the sickness was not what it seemed.
- The Hotel Room Assault That Sent Seattle Detectives on a Weeklong Manhunt
After Ruby Stanley was found beaten and bloodied at the International Hotel, police hunted John Diegan until a Tuesday-night struggle ended in his arrest.
- The Scandal of the Stage Tights
A Spokane socialite faced a moral crusade for daring to play a male role in a light opera.