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 |
2,829 stories
- Puyallup Elders Defy the Wilson Bill
Indigenous leaders on the Puyallup reservation gather to protest government efforts to force the sale of their tribal lands.
- The Traveling Quack and the Stolen Girl
A traveling doctor accused of abducting a 12-year-old girl is arrested in Tacoma after a trail leading from California to the Puget Sound.
- A Striker's Wife Wounded in the Franklin Coal Wars
A woman permanently disabled by gunfire during a strike-breaking confrontation at Franklin mines sues the Oregon Improvement Company for $25,000.
- Minority Stockholders Accuse Northern Pacific of Rail Line Sabotage
Investors in the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway file suit, alleging the Northern Pacific intentionally sabotaged the local line to consolidate control and destroy shareholder value.
- The Strategic Brilliance of Chief Seattle
A look back at the early life and diplomatic ascent of the leader who gave Seattle its name, including his tactical victory on the White River.
- Legal Strategies Against the Geary Act
While the Six Companies prepare a constitutional challenge to the Chinese Exclusion Act, some factions within the community choose to comply to avoid deportation.
- A Warning to the Shanghaiers of Tacoma
A notorious boarding house keeper is sent to prison for his brutal, predatory business practices.
- Federal Crackdown on Chinese Merchants
The Treasury Department orders Pacific coast ports to tighten scrutiny of certificates allowing Chinese laborers to travel, labeling many merchant claims as fraudulent.
- Tacoma's Two-Million-Dollar Question: Buy the Water Works, or Fix the Sewers?
On the eve of a bond vote, Tacoma's taxpayers are told they can have the private water and electric plant and new sewers too. The arithmetic says otherwise: after the purchase, $3,707 is left for sewers.
- Suspicious Death of Indigenous Woman Near Charleston
An Indian woman was found dead in a canoe after an evening of drinking; local authorities noted a suspicious head wound.
- Tacoma's 1893 Water Purchase Vote and Bribery Claims
Bribery allegations and political intimidation reach a fever pitch as citizens decide whether the city should purchase the private water and light plant.
- The Machine Behind the Water Bonds
Tacoma laborers are being fired for speaking out against a water plant sale, while reformers fear an election rigged by saloon-bought votes.
- Expanding Seattle's Waterfront for Global Trade
Local builders begin a massive wharf expansion project to accommodate the largest steamships on the Pacific.
- The Great Canal Dream
Proponents argue that connecting Lake Washington to the Sound would revolutionize Seattle's shipping and spare iron hulls from the ravages of salt water.
- The Last Survivor of Collins' Expedition
Robert Stevenson reflects on a grueling 1860 forest clearing journey and the vanished fort on the White River.
- The Passing of Bailey Gatzert
Seattle mourns the loss of a pioneering merchant and pillar of the early commercial establishment.
- Tacoma’s Floating Border: 142 Chinese Passengers Ordered Back Aboard the Mogul
A Northern Pacific steamer brought 242 Chinese travelers to Tacoma in 1893. Collector Wesson admitted 100, stretched a World’s Fair loophole for 32 actors, and ordered the rest deported—while smugglers counted the cost.
- Seattle Mayor Ousted Amidst Gambling Controversy
Acting Mayor Sweeney is removed from office in a polarized battle between the board of aldermen and the administration over municipal morality and power.
- The Hidden Fortune of Captain Renton
Heirs of a sea-captain's forgotten partner sue the estate of William Renton, alleging decades of financial deception and a secret stolen legacy.
- The Bid for Seattle’s First Dedicated High School
Voters face a critical decision on May 6th to fund a new building and land for Seattle's expanding secondary education system.
- Who Stole the Northern Pacific Express Gold?
A three-thousand-dollar payroll shipment vanishes from a Seattle express office, triggering threats, a dramatic interrogation, and accusations of internal negligence.
- A Bloody Brawl at Blue Canyon
A quiet laborer is left battered after a saloon dispute over a wrestling match turns into a targeted assault.
- The Bride of Sixteen and Her Husband of Fifty-Eight
A teenage bride petitions for divorce, citing a forced marriage, cruelty, and the abandonment of a child.
- The Chaplain and the Murderess
A former Baptist preacher has dedicated his savings and his time to the legal defense of Ursula Juanita Unfug, the woman accused of killing Thomas Henderson Boyd.
- The Tragedy at the Salvation Army Barracks
A dedicated Salvation Army captain is murdered in Spokane by a rejected suitor who then takes his own life.