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 |
1,126 stories
- City Council Slashes Infrastructure Budget
Council finance committee moves to tighten the city's belt, cutting bridge and sewer projects despite resistance.
- Workplace Accident Leaves Logger Gravely Injured
A tree felling accident at a coal company operation results in a devastating leg injury and potential gangrene.
- The 'Holy Roller' Political Machine in Walla Walla
Accusations of election tampering and the cynical naturalization of nine Russian immigrants for machine gain rock the Walla Walla political scene.
- The Politics of the Red Light
Spokane's mayor refuses to suppress the 'social evil,' arguing that regulation in a restricted district is the only realistic approach to human nature.
- The Battle for the Rainier-Grand Hotel
Federal marshals forcibly remove a hotel operator as a bitter legal battle over a lease expiration reaches a breaking point.
- From Nuisance to Gold: The Klondike Rescue of Washington's Horses
A Yakima Valley horse company capitalizes on a remarkable market turnaround—from horses sold to canneries for $2 a head to prized stock for the Klondike and beyond.
- Formaldehyde in the Milk: Seattle's Pure Food Prosecutions
State Dairy and Pure Food Commissioner E. A. McDonald reports eight Seattle milk sellers fined for adulteration, including formaldehyde and low butterfat, as part of a statewide crackdown.
- Samuel Hill Warns Seattle Would 'Die Like Rats in a Trap' Without Highways
As Congress weighs the Latimer and Brownlow road-funding bills, the Seattle utility magnate and son-in-law of James J. Hill makes the case that paved highways out of the city are a matter of survival, not comfort.
- The Farmers' Own Store: Stanwood's Answer to the Butcher's Price
A correspondent from Florence reports that cooperative Rochdale stores are spreading down the West Coast — Stanwood's has been open six months, and its shareholders have just voted to add a butcher shop rather than keep selling cattle at a loss.
- A Brutal Pacific Crossing—and Five Passengers Held at the Dock
The Japanese liner Tosa Maru limped into Seattle after fourteen days at eight knots. Then immigration officers detained two Russians, two Japanese and one Korean for questioning.
- A South End Street Would Cost More Than Everything on It Is Worth
Residents of the Sixth Addition want South L Street graded. The city engineer says bridging the Northern Pacific tracks would run $30,000 past the value of the abutting property.
- The Governor Would Not Send Loy Sen Back
Washington's governor refused California's requisition for a Chinese woman accused of a $1,000 swindle, a case her friends called persecution.
- The Real Estate Bet on Pacific Avenue
A local clothing retailer purchases a building to secure its future, signaling a surge in Tacoma property values.
- Streetcar Strikes Schoolgirl on Sixth Avenue
A pedestrian is injured after being hit by a speeding trolley, sparking local frustration over transit safety.
- The Streetcar Blues
A local editor skewers a poet's romanticized version of riding Tacoma's crowded, unreliable trolley cars.
- Star Clothing Co. Forced Out of Business
A prominent Pacific Avenue retailer is closing its doors after being displaced by the sale of their building.
- The Daily Struggle of Tacoma’s Hillside Transit
Commuters express growing frustration as the unreliable cable car line repeatedly leaves passengers stranded mid-slope.
- The Loneliness of the South End Chicken Rancher
Neighbors discover Johann Neugerg, a solitary 66-year-old rancher, dead in his shack after days of silence.
- Republican Rally at the Raymond Hotel
Campaign rhetoric heats up in the Fourth Ward as politicians debate the mayor's administration and the meaning of 'mergers.'
- Tragedy at Point Defiance
A young fisherman vanishes after a struggle with his sail in the currents off Tacoma.
- The Mayor-Elect's 'Backbone'
Tacoma's mayor-elect quashes a persistent rumor that a local political powerbroker was trying to control his municipal appointments.
- The Price of a Fire: Stolen Lubricant
A Wilkerson man is jailed for pilfering railroad grease to heat his home.
- Condemning the 'Boom Town' Relics
Building Inspector Sherman launches a crusade against the derelict shacks and half-finished houses left over from Tacoma’s abandoned real estate boom.
- The War on Bicycle Racks
A local business owner protests the removal of bike parking in downtown Tacoma, shifting the blame to the city’s crumbling infrastructure.
- A Sermon Interrupted
A man claiming to be a preacher invades a local church, leading to a struggle and arrest.