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 |
1,115 stories
- The Great Annexation Fight: Seattle's Borders Expand as Ballard Demands Independence
As the City Council votes to absorb surrounding territories into Seattle's corporate limits, a fierce debate erupts over taxation, representation, and the future of the growing town of Ballard.
- The Water Wars: Why Seattle Should Settle with Benezette Williams
As the city prepares to sue a private developer for rights to its own water and sewer plans, this editorial argues that compromise is cheaper than litigation—and essential for public health.
- The Fight to Stop Seattle's Exclusion from the Grain Trade
A proposed legislative bill threatens to reignite old regional rivalries and disadvantage Seattle's grain producers in favor of Tacoma.
- The City Hall Compromise on Vice
A heated debate over whether to permit gambling and vice reveals the deep divide between reformers and those who viewed 'sin' as a necessary economic pressure valve.
- The Pressure Cooker of Tacoma Policing
Chief Zwickey steps down after juggling competing demands from saloon owners and moral reformers
- The Fight to Save Seattle’s Schools from a Legislative Raid
Seattle educators and school board officials are scrambling to block a state bill that would force the city’s education tax dollars to subsidize rural school districts.
- The Fight for Seattle’s School Funds
A legislative battle in Olympia settles whether major Washington cities can maintain control over their own school taxes, thwarting an effort to pull them into a state-wide pool.
- The Eight-Hour Day Crushed in the Senate
After intense debate and a dramatic attempt by organized labor to influence the vote, Washington’s eight-hour labor bill fails by a single vote.
- New Washington State Law Grants Farmworkers Liens on Crops
Legislature passes protective measure ensuring laborers and landlords can secure payment against seasonal harvests.
- The Militia Crisis in the Coal Mines
A critique of the decision to deploy state troops to handle labor disputes, accusing authorities of partisanship and mismanagement.
- Defending Treaty Fishing Rights
Federal authorities signal a crackdown on illegal fishing, reaffirming Indigenous treaty rights from 1866.
- The Great Railway Race to Grays Harbor
Two railroad giants battle to lay tracks into Aberdeen as the town positions itself as the Pacific Northwest’s premier gateway.
- A Child Lost to the River
A tragic drowning accident in Melbourne claims the life of an eight-year-old boy while visiting family.
- Aberdeen’s $65,000 Waterworks Gamble
City fathers approve a bond election for a municipal water system—but only registered voters get a say.
- The Harbor’s First Hospital
Established by the Sisters of Saint Joseph, a new hospital is meeting the urgent medical needs of Aberdeen’s booming logging and milling industries.
- Tragedy on the Slough
A sixteen-month-old child loses her life in a tragic drowning accident near the family home.
- Aberdeen Votes Big for Education
Voters overwhelming support a bond measure to build a new schoolhouse, signaling the rapid growth of the harbor community.
- Bakery Workers Win Daylight Hours
Seattle bakeries reach a labor settlement to end night shifts, shifting the rhythm of the city's bread production.
- Railroad Rumors and Reality at Eagle Gorge
A mountain landslide sparks fears of a mass casualty event for railroad workers, though local reports suggest the situation is less dire.
- A Bishop Claimed 430 Acres of a Federal Military Reservation
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Nesqually went to the U.S. Supreme Court to secure title to the Vancouver military reservation, setting church, Crown-era permission, and federal ownership against one another.
- The Ox-Yoke Judge Who Kept Olympia the Capital
O. C. Hewitt, Lincoln’s chief justice of Washington Territory and the father of Odd Fellowship in the state, died at 82 in East Tumwater after a frontier life that included burying massacre victims, winning a Supreme Court case, and saving Olympia’s capital status.
- The Court-Martial That Laughed Up Its Sleeve
In closed sessions at Olympia, Col. J. C. Haines faces charges of foul and abusive language—but his supporters say the fix is already in.
- A Mayor, a Rigged Lottery, and the Fight for Olympia's City Hall
A month out from the municipal election, the Tribune accuses Mayor J. C. Horr of quietly fixing his fences for a second term — and the drawing of lots that handed one councilman a longer seat looks to a good many people like a put-up job.
- The Doctor Wasn't Who He Said He Was
Found dead along the Northern Pacific tracks near Olympia, Dr. C. S. Smith was unmasked by his own will as S. C. Thompson, an Iowa county treasurer who had fled a defalcation in 1872.
- Bypassed by the Railroad, Olympia Grabbed a Shovel
When the Northern Pacific chose Tacoma, Olympia’s citizens turned Thursdays into railroad-building days—then remade their town as a bustling capital of 8,500.