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 |
114 stories
- The Tragedy of the Wood Shed
A miner's attempt to hunt a weasel in Northport leads to a catastrophic explosion that leveled his cabin.
- Doctors vs. Lawyers: The Fight Over Expert Witness Fees
Whitman County physicians and attorneys clash in a heated debate over the value of medical testimony in insanity and criminal cases.
- The Bank That Quit the Nation
A Colton financial institution abandons its national charter, highlighting the struggle of small-town banks under federal mandates.
- Six Boys Fined for Snowball Assault
Local youths targeted a Chinese laundryman with a bone-filled snowball in a targeted act of harassment.
- The Collapse of Colfax College
Students walk out in unison, forcing the closure of the local college after faculty departures and administration disputes.
- The Warehouseman’s Betrayal
A legal dispute over the embezzlement of wheat highlights the fragile trust of the Palouse agricultural economy.
- The Auditor and the Postage Stamp Heist
A political scandal unfolds as a former auditor tries to justify cashing a $120 county warrant he was previously ordered to destroy.
- A Brutal Hazing at the High School
A young boy narrowly escapes death after being trapped in an outhouse by older students.
- Midnight Intruder Attacks Woman on Penawawa Creek
An unknown assailant chokes a woman in her bed, but flees after she calls for help.
- Quarantined and Cold
A citizen accuses county authorities of abandoning families to suffer in the winter cold during a smallpox outbreak.
- Medical Standoff at the Courthouse
Colfax physicians go on strike against the county commissioners over pay for mandatory insanity examinations.
- The Town's Pest House Dilemma
A Garfield official and a local doctor clash over who should pay for a young man's post-quarantine clothing.
- Domestic Crisis in Tekoa
A husband's attempt to isolate his wife leads to a standoff, a threat of murder-suicide, and a swift legal separation.
- Three Days Lost in the Timber
A local rancher survives a harrowing ordeal after losing his way and his pony near Farmington.
- The Shingle Trust Collapses
A failed attempt to artificially inflate lumber prices leaves the industry in chaos.
- The Political Pot Boils Over in Seattle
As the municipal election approaches, local factions scramble to assemble winning coalitions and candidates.
- Midnight Intruder Terrorizes Wilcox Farmhouse
A woman fights off a home invader who broke into her bedroom in the dead of night, narrowly escaping a violent assault.
- The End of Populism in Clark County
After internal negotiations, the local Populist Party has officially dissolved to merge with the Democratic Party.
- The Price of a Violent Temper
A town roughneck learns the limits of his reach after an unprovoked assault on a farmer in downtown Colfax.
- The Price of a Dangerous Bridge
After a terrifying 18-foot plunge into a river, a Whitman County woman finally wins her long-fought battle for damages against the county.
- Colfax's Endless Search for Pure Water
City council members push for an expensive shift from unreliable pumps to an artesian gravity system to secure the town's health.
- The Auditor Who Paid Himself
A former Whitman County official cashed a cancelled warrant for his own campaign expenses years after he left office.
- The Collapse of a Grain Empire
After a massive embezzlement scheme depleted thousands of bushels, a local warehouse company is forced into liquidation.
- The Tragic End of Arthur Hislop
A Tekoa man, plagued by chronic pain from an old railroad injury, takes his own life in a quiet, devastating final act.
- Mental Breakdown of Walla Walla Auctioneer
Business pressures and the stress of testifying in a high-profile arson trial are cited as the cause of a sudden collapse.