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
- A Wrestler’s Reckoning in Chinatown
A visiting strongman who bullied locals found himself severely overpowered after attacking the Chinese quarter.
- The Narrow Escape of Aberdeen
A pre-dawn fire in a downtown barber shop threatened to raze the young city, but a swift response from the local hose company stopped the flames before they reached the business district.
- The Army at the Bluff
As Aberdeen booms, an 'army' of three hundred laborers armed with dynamite and shovels cuts through the hills to bring the railroad into town.
- The Gateway to an Empire: Aberdeen’s Railway Boom
In 1891, the rush for transcontinental rail connections and ocean shipping turned a muddy Chehalis Valley settlement into a regional industrial juggernaut.
- The Phosphorus Terror of Hoquiam
A saboteur sows the streets with incendiary devices, nearly reducing the town to ash before the rains intervene.
- The Looming Expulsion of Chinese Workers from Grays Harbor Canneries
As local salmon canneries gear up for the season, the paper notes an ominous understanding regarding the workforce.
- The Divorce Case Slugfest
A bitter custody and alimony dispute turns physical in a Tacoma law office.
- The Razor Hidden in the Underwear
A domestic dispute turns desperate when a man arrested for threatening his wife attempts to conceal a weapon during a search at the jail.
- Tragedy at the wharf: The lonely death of Harvey Burrell
A former county clerk meets a grim end in the Seattle harbor after wandering down to the docks at night.
- Fatal Landslide Near Richmond Beach
A foreman is buried alive after returning to a construction site to retrieve his coat as the earth gives way.
- Coastal Tempest Strands the Falcon on the Flats
A ferocious south-wester wreaks havoc on shipping, forcing rescues and leaving a merchant vessel stranded in the mud.
- The City Council's Chaotic Brawl
Yakima’s local government descends into insults, filibustering, and open hostility during a session regarding city spending and official conduct.
- Brutal Assault Outside City Hall
A man is left in a stupor after a vicious attack by a suspect who claims his victim stole his wages while he slept in the immigrant house.
- A Sick Child, an Empty Cupboard, and $22 in the Collection Plate
A Unitarian minister in Tacoma argues that charity is only a bandage, and that a man who works hard and still cannot feed his family is the church's real problem to solve.
- Main Street Refuses to Be Paved
Property owners between Fifth and Sixth beat back a macadam upgrade, a councilman berates them for it, and the street gets planks instead.
- Fire Ravages Cle-Elum
A devastating blaze wipes out a business district, echoing the recent destruction in North Yakima.
- The Desperation in the Estelle Lodging House
A young clerk's public suicide attempt on a Seattle street reveals the grim, hidden toll of illness and economic instability in 1891.
- The Settler's Hunger for the Moses Reservation
An 1891 report from Colville showcases the era's aggressive push to seize Indigenous land for white settlement, detailing the minerals and rich soil the state's residents felt belonged to them rather than the tribes.
- The Boy Mayor of Seattle
Harry White rose from an Iowa farm to become the youngest, most energetic architect of Seattle's rapid post-fire expansion.
- The Senatorial Duel: A Tale of Two Cities and One Beltway Seat
As the Washington legislature prepares to convene in 1891, the race for the U.S. Senate descends into a fierce local rivalry between established incumbent Watson C. Squire of Seattle and the ambitious newcomer Judge William H. Calkins of Tacoma.
- The Land Locators Who Left Town on a Fraudulent Fortune
A band of swindlers targeting Seattle settlers skipped town, leaving behind forged documents and a trail of broken promises that the law couldn't quite reach.
- The Disappearance of the Bridge Carpenter
A missing worker, a night of drinking, and a suspicious vacuum in the city's saloons.
- The Commuter Frontier: Rails Extend to Lake Washington
A New Year’s Day opening of the Rainier Avenue Electric Line promises to transform suburban residential life along the lake.
- The Wheat Blockade
A political standoff at the state capital reveals the struggle between Eastern Washington farmers and the railroad monopolies.
- The Political Bazaar of 1891: How the Calkins Faction Tried to Buy the Senate
In a frantic scramble to seize power, legislative 'strikers' in Olympia flooded the capital with promises of patronage and political favors, mirroring the high-stakes, behind-the-scenes maneuvering that still defines state politics.