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.
Refine2 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1883 | 109 |
| 1884 | 42 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 4 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 23 |
| 1890 | 5 |
| 1891 | 11 |
| 1892 | 51 |
| 1893 | 35 |
| 1894 | 39 |
| 1895 | 35 |
| 1897 | 5 |
| 1898 | 12 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1900 | 4 |
| 1902 | 19 |
| 1903 | 74 |
| 1904 | 16 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 9 |
| 1909 | 31 |
| 1910 | 16 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 11 |
| 1917 | 6 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 9 |
| 1924 | 5 |
| 1925 | 1 |
39 stories
- The Industrial Armies on the Move
Across the West, unemployed men organized as 'Coxeyites' or 'Industrial Armies' are clashing with law enforcement and rail companies as they travel toward Washington, D.C.
- The Opium Ring's Man on the Inside?
A government inspector alleges that a U.S. Deputy Marshal in Spokane is actively protecting opium smugglers.
- They Seized a Locomotive to Stop a Train—Then Faced Judge Hanford
After a mob of 3,000 surrounded a Northern Pacific train in Spokane, ten men were charged with contempt and riot; three pleaded guilty and two were sent to hard labor.
- Spokane Women Form Protective Association
Nearly 300 women crowded into court to demand justice for a victim of sexual assault, signaling a new era of civic activism.
- The Opium Smuggler of the Union Depot
A traveler posing as a hardware salesman is arrested in Spokane after authorities discover 1,300 pounds of contraband in his luggage.
- Worker Plunges into Spokane Falls
A carpenter at work on the new Post Street bridge loses his footing and is swept to his death before a crowd of witnesses.
- ‘Incipient Treason’: Judge Hanford Sentences the Spokane Strikers
Seven men are jailed for contempt after a mob derails trains and seizes a roundhouse during the 1894 railroad strike. The federal judge calls it insurrection.
- A Farmer Vanishes in the Night, and a Secret Order Is Blamed
Charles Gloystein was called from his Spokane County home at midnight. Weeks later all that has surfaced is his battered, bloody hat — and the editor points straight at the oath-bound Freemen's Silver Protective Federation.
- The Silver Fight Waiting Inside Spokane’s Republican Convention
Nine Supreme Court hopefuls, three congressional candidates, and a free-silver bloc turn Washington’s 1894 state convention into a backroom brawl before it even opens.
- The Silver Fight That Split Washington's Republicans
A packed Spokane convention picked judges and congressmen, then turned on a single plank: whether the party would demand free silver.
- Spokane Merchants Take the Railroad Monopoly Back to Court
Thirty-five Spokane merchants ask a federal judge to force the Northern Pacific and Union Pacific to obey an 1891 Interstate Commerce Commission order that found the roads were gouging the inland city.
- The 'Apostle' of Lona Lake
A Spokane man claimed divine powers to swindle followers out of their money and valuables, only to end up in the county jail.
- A Spokane Republican Vanishes — and a Newspaper Cries Assassination
An outraged Spokane editorial accuses a secret Populist 'rifle-armed' organization of luring Charles F. Gloystein from his home and murdering him, and demands a $10,000 reward.
- A Death Oath in the Silver Federation—and a Man Who Vanished
The Spokane press called the Farmers' Protective Silver Federation secret, oath-bound, and rifle-armed, then linked it to the disappearance of Gloystein.
- A Mother, a Revolver, and Nux Vomica: Spokane’s Poisoning Trial
Helen Grier stands trial for her sixth husband’s murder, while her daughter testifies that Grier first handed her a gun and then bought the poison herself.
- Brutal Highway Robbery Outside Spokane
A Hungarian farmer is fighting for his life after being attacked and robbed by three men on his way home from town.
- The Scandal of a Spokane Millionaire's Secret Marriage
After his bank failed and his first wife passed away, A.M. Cannon's secret wedding to a divorced woman sparked a nationwide media sensation and accusations of insanity.
- An Effigy, a Threat, and a Spokane Man Who Disappeared
When Charles F. Gloystein vanished, someone hung his effigy and nailed threatening placards near his home. Spokane's Republican Union blamed the Freeman's Silver Protective Federation—and demanded the criminals be caught.
- The Body in the Grave: A Spokane Poisoning Trial Takes a Strange Turn
Prosecutors secretly exhumed James Grier's body a second time to identify it, and the court ordered yet another examination in Helen Grier's murder trial.
- The Underground Opium Pipeline
A bold smuggling operation involving pack animals and stages ends in a Spokane arrest.
- Centenarian tribal elder killed by train in Spokane
A historic figure known as 'Indian Tom' is struck by a switch engine at a crossing.
- The Coxeyites Descend on Spokane
Populist supporters and unemployed 'Industrial Army' marchers head toward Spokane, setting up a confrontation with the city's new leadership.
- The Opium Smuggling Ring Hidden in Plain Sight
A federal investigation reveals that opium smuggling in Spokane was a widespread enterprise involving a 'legion' of local beneficiaries, as detailed in a scathing Treasury report.
- The Spokane Racket Over Male Attire
When an amateur actress faced a local scandal for wearing pants on stage, the press stepped in to defend the choice as both traditional and modest.
- The Mysterious Fire on Second Avenue
A Spokane shopkeeper finds herself behind bars after a suspicious blaze tears through her dress shop.