Research the archive
Narrow 22,457 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.
Refine2 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 3 |
| 1871 | 8 |
| 1872 | 110 |
| 1876 | 535 |
| 1877 | 378 |
| 1878 | 279 |
| 1879 | 15 |
| 1880 | 134 |
| 1882 | 98 |
| 1883 | 475 |
| 1884 | 283 |
| 1885 | 566 |
| 1886 | 353 |
| 1887 | 327 |
| 1888 | 314 |
| 1889 | 798 |
| 1890 | 11 |
| 1891 | 334 |
| 1892 | 1,285 |
| 1893 | 1,528 |
| 1894 | 1,190 |
| 1895 | 223 |
| 1896 | 2 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1899 | 372 |
| 1900 | 6 |
| 1902 | 6 |
| 1903 | 115 |
| 1904 | 62 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1909 | 29 |
| 1910 | 7 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 4 |
| 1916 | 22 |
| 1917 | 7 |
| 1923 | 9 |
| 1924 | 9 |
| 1925 | 2 |
4,949 stories
- The City Treasurer Absconds
Seattle City Treasurer Adolph Krug flees to British Columbia amid reports of a massive $30,000 deficit in the municipal treasury.
- The Great Northern Rail Strike Paralyzes the Northwest
Workers across the line walk off the job to protest wage cuts and the threat of strikebreakers.
- The Great 'Commonweal' Trek Across the Cascades
Striking workers and the unemployed navigate a treacherous path from Seattle and Tacoma toward Washington D.C., clashing with deputy marshals and local authorities along the Northern Pacific tracks.
- Mob Violence Against Federal Officers on Seattle Streets
A correspondent defends the Seattle police for their inaction while deputy marshals were hunted through the downtown district by angry crowds.
- The Pullman Strike Shuts Down Washington's Rails
Federal troops and the U.S. Army move to break the nationwide rail strike, with tensions running high in Seattle, Tacoma, and Snohomish.
- A Bloody Reckoning at the Custom House
A violent confrontation between Chinese immigrants and customs officials over thousands of dollars leaves three people severely wounded and a search for truth.
- A Deadly Prank at the Blue Front
A malicious false alarm of a plague quarantine triggers a fatal panic in a Seattle dance hall.
- The Bold Smuggler of the 'Ina'
A Victoria-based steamer brazenly docks at the city landing in broad daylight to coal up, while its captain blurs his ship's identity to evade detection.
- The Battle of the West Street Crossing
A lone police officer stands his ground against a railroad crew in a decades-long property dispute.
- The Great Storm of 1894
A violent cyclone-like windstorm tears through Western Washington, leveling buildings and trapping citizens in the debris.
- Guns at the Polls: Seattle’s First Ward Primary Erupts in a Street Brawl
Sheriff Woolery and saloon man John Considine tried to seize a Republican primary by arresting the election judges; Chief Rogers and his police fought back with warrants, clubs and drawn revolvers.
- 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 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 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- The Great Northern Reaches the Sound
A celebratory train marks the completion of the Great Northern railway line into Seattle, signaling a new era of regional connectivity.
- The Great 'Ram’s Horn' Legal Battle Ends
A landmark Supreme Court decision upholds railroad franchises against the City of Seattle, clearing the way for new industrial development along the waterfront.
- The Tragedy of Ursula Unfag
In a sensational murder trial, defense attorneys reveal a harrowing cycle of abuse and exploitation behind the death of a local editor.
- The Minister Who Faced Down the Mob
How a local pastor stood against the 1886 anti-Chinese riots and became a target of the city's fury.