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 |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1862 | 4 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 28 |
| 1877 | 22 |
| 1878 | 55 |
| 1879 | 5 |
| 1880 | 8 |
| 1882 | 9 |
| 1883 | 37 |
| 1884 | 18 |
| 1885 | 40 |
| 1886 | 17 |
| 1887 | 11 |
| 1888 | 21 |
| 1889 | 62 |
| 1890 | 4 |
| 1891 | 45 |
| 1892 | 61 |
| 1893 | 97 |
| 1894 | 80 |
| 1895 | 137 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1897 | 6 |
| 1898 | 19 |
| 1899 | 19 |
| 1900 | 5 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 64 |
| 1904 | 31 |
| 1905 | 4 |
| 1908 | 16 |
| 1909 | 55 |
| 1910 | 16 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 8 |
| 1915 | 8 |
| 1916 | 20 |
| 1917 | 12 |
| 1918 | 4 |
| 1923 | 6 |
| 1924 | 3 |
| 1925 | 3 |
| 1928 | 1 |
80 stories matching sold
- The Unlucky Fate of the Steamer City of Ellensburg
Creditors protest a forced sale of a river steamer, claiming the vessel was sold for a pittance in a 'farce' of an auction.
- The Steamship Cricket Finds a New Owner
A local steamer has been sold for $7,000 to serve the route between Seattle and Everett.
- Seattle High Society Takes the Stage
A sold-out, star-studded burlesque production at the Seattle Theater featuring an all-male cast and local socialites creates a sensation.
- Ballard's Electric Company Sold for $1,210—Franchise and All
A receivership sale handed the Ballard Electric Light Company's property and franchise to a mortgagee, while the company's subscription stockholders were written off as 'wholly irresponsible.'
- City Moves to Shut Down Dance Houses
A municipal judge rules against saloons operating dance halls, marking a turning point in the city's crackdown on 'lewd and lascivious' nightlife.
- The Warden Fights Back: Grain-Sack Graft and Cruelty Charges at the State Penitentiary
Accused of skimming from grain-sack sales and mistreating prisoners, Walla Walla's warden dares the state to investigate — and the Post-Intelligencer says it should.
- The Saloonkeeper and the 'Fire' Scam
A Snohomish business owner accused of fraud faces court after a dubious claim that his saloon had burned down to escape a debt.
- The Widow and the Land Graber
An Indian widow and her children reclaim their land after being defrauded by a prominent guardian.
- When the City Council Accidentally Legalized the Dance Halls
A lawyer finds that Seattle's council quietly repealed its dance-hall ordinances, and the halls reopen in defiance of the police chief — who can only threaten warrants until a new law is passed.
- A Cabin Sold for $10, Then a Body at the Foot of Union Street
Frank Mails was last seen leaving a Railroad Avenue saloon; the coroner ruled his death accidental, but the details of his last night left quiet questions.
- Three Barks, a Yesler Mortgage, and a Race to the Courthouse Door
A federal judge ordered the Tidal Wave, Northwest and Vidette sold to satisfy a mortgage from Henry Yesler's estate. Hours later, unpaid suppliers slapped liens on the hulls — raising a question in admiralty law no court here had faced.
- The Battle for Kenney Street
A dispute over a blocked street in the Williams addition marks the first legal test of new laws allowing the city to condemn land for public use.
- The Hop King's Defense
Ezra Meeker pushes back against public criticism, defending his company’s labor practices during the hard times of 1894.
- A Railroad Blockade Broke the Lumber Glut
Puget Sound mills had been selling below cost. Then floods and a strike cut the supply line—and manufacturers finally got the upper hand on prices.
- The Diamond Palace Jeweler Who Vanished Owing $15,000
Simon Rumpf sold his Second Avenue store and disappeared, leaving creditors and a former partner to untangle the debts.
- The Palouse Pivot: How a Wheat Crash Forced Innovation
Facing a collapse in grain prices and a disastrously wet spring, farmers in Rosalia are abandoning monoculture for butter, eggs, and poultry to survive.
- Puyallup Tribe Begins Commercial Hop Farming
In a historic shift, local indigenous farmers take the first step toward independent hop production.
- Steaks, Monopoly and a Puget Sound Meat War
Seattle and Tacoma wholesalers are cutting prices and opening shops, while a Tacoma meat man blames a slump in demand and a fight to control the trade.
- A Ruling on School Bond Commissions
A Superior Court judge rules that two men must pay back the county for taking commissions on the sale of school bonds.
- A Seattle Merchant Sold His Stock, Then Vanished — and His Creditors Want Him Back
Simon Rumpf disappeared sometime after selling the Diamond Palace's goods to J. K. Basye & Co. Detectives are hunting Nuremberg, Honolulu, and a cache of missing merchandise they suspect never left the city.
- The Unpaid Bills of the James Street Cable Line
A legal dispute over the James Street cable railway ends in a victory for the company, leaving material suppliers with no way to recover their losses.
- Banker Charged in Fraud Scandal
The former cashier of the wrecked Merchants' National Bank is accused of selling worthless drafts to unsuspecting customers.
- Makah Sealers Face Forfeiture
Federal authorities move to seize two schooners owned by Makah sealers for violating international sealing regulations off Cape Flattery.
- Judge Glasgow Fines Lake Washington's Beer Sellers by the Barrel
Saloon keepers at Madrona Park and the Madison Street pavilion plead guilty, and the police court scales fines to their liquor bills.
- The Tomale Peddler and the Hen Roost
A South Seattle widow loses her flock to a hungry vendor who is quickly caught and sentenced to jail.