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
- A Pioneer's Desperate End
After business reverses and personal tragedy, a pioneer hardware merchant dies by suicide in his North Seattle store.
- The Ghost of the Yesler Will
Henry Yesler, Seattle's pioneer mogul, left behind a vast fortune and a city convinced he bequeathed it all to them—but the document is missing.
- A Woman Kidnapped from Her Home
A Chinese immigrant couple is torn apart as conspirators use a bogus larceny charge and a U.S. Marshal to traffic a woman into potential enslavement.
- The Missing Will That Would Have Given Seattle a Library
Henry Yesler's widow and two doctors are arrested, accused of burning a will that left the pioneer's fortune—and his mansion—to the city.
- Smallpox Outbreak Hits Seattle Lodging Houses
City health officers scramble to contain a sudden spike in cases as the disease spreads through the southern district.
- An Arson Plot Unearthed in a Rented Shack
A struggling family, searching for kindling in their attic, discovers a lethal trap set to torch their home.
- City Council Uncovers the Seamy Side of Seattle
After a wave of burglaries, council members go on a late-night tour to witness the reality of city vice for themselves.
- The Perpetual Motion Inventor's Wild Night
Dr. Hannibal Mills, a local crank obsessed with his 'perpetual motion' machine, shoots a saloon keeper after a drunken argument.
- The Horror of the Seattle Police Dungeon
A man held for seven days without charges in a 'black hole' recounts the squalor, lice, and mental torture inflicted by the local department.
- 1893 Fire Chief Arrested in Citizenship Fraud Case
Seattle's fire chief faces a federal charge of naturalization fraud, allegedly lying about his residency to secure his position.
- Seattle's Chinese Community Resists Mandatory Registration
Local merchant groups and the Chinese Six Companies instruct laborers to defy the Geary Act until the Supreme Court rules on its constitutionality.
- The Puget Sound Smuggling Ring Scandal
A government inspector uncovers a vast operation allegedly smuggling Chinese migrants and opium into the Pacific Northwest, implicating customs officials and steamship lines.
- A Revolver in the Mouth: Immigration Conflict on the Steamship Mogul
Tensions boil over in Tacoma as federal inspectors clash with ship officers while attempting to enforce strict Chinese exclusion policies.
- Officer Censured for Beating a Citizen
A police commissioner’s inquiry reveals that an officer brutally beat an innocent Black man at Second and Union, raising questions about police conduct in early Seattle.
- A Secret Birth on the Walk to Tacoma Avenue
A young woman collapsed from labor pains while climbing a steep Tacoma hill, forcing a druggist to assist in an unexpected roadside delivery.
- Pearl Buttons and a Will Deepen Lake Washington Mystery
A missing woman’s will is discovered, while two travelers stumble upon evidence at Lake Washington that deepens the mystery.
- Habeas Corpus Intervention for Chinese Merchants
A local judge intervenes to stop the deportation of Chinese merchants aboard the SS Victoria in Tacoma harbor.
- Anti-Chinese Rally Held at Pioneer Square
Local populist orators gather to denounce the Geary Act's suspension and demand the expulsion of Chinese laborers.
- The Waterfront Land Wars
A railroad company wins an eviction suit against waterfront 'squatters,' highlighting the precarious state of living for those occupying valuable tide lands.
- A Desperate Escape in a Boarding House
After years of alleged domestic abuse, a young woman in a Third Avenue boarding house attempts to end her life.
- Fire Scare at South Eighth and Dearborn
A fire in a small stand caused a panic among nearby residents, who mistook a white man’s warning for a police raid.
- The Six-Hour Coup
A corrupt acting mayor attempts to replace the police chief to open the city to gamblers, only to be overruled upon the mayor’s return.
- Accusations of Trafficking in the Victoria Chinese Mission
Prominent Chinese merchants in Seattle level explosive allegations against the superintendent of a Chinese mission in Victoria, accusing him of extortion and human trafficking.
- The Deadly Cost of Ignoring Fire Safety
Tragedy strikes a Seattle boarding house as terrified residents leap from windows, exposing the city's lack of building safety regulations.
- Sniper Fire on the Seattle Commuter Line
Commuters on a Northern Pacific train near the Seattle brewery had a brush with death after a bullet shattered their carriage window.