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 |
351 stories
- Two Lost Hunters Stayed Alive for Two Days Without Food or Fire Near Sullivan Lake
Fred Douglass and a companion wandered off the deer trail, soaked their matches, and survived by walking until they stumbled onto a miners' cabin at Happy Camp.
- A Newport Hardware Dealer Takes On the Railroad—and Reaches the State Supreme Court
H. M. Lund's suit asks whether a railroad must pay abutting property owners before running trains down a town street.
- The Washington–Idaho Line Was Never Quite Where Everyone Thought It Was
A congressional committee moving to re-mark the boundary publishes a surveyor general's confession: the 1873 line zigzagged as much as a degree and a half off course, was measured with link chains, and stopped short when the crew quit to save their own lives.
- Northport Wants to Know Who Moved Its Road
A legislative road award to Northport was rerouted through Colville, and the Northport Republican lays the blame on a surveyor's report and county commissioners.
- The Rails Come to Newport: Yards, Depots, and a Town Betting Its Future on the I. & W. N.
Railroad brass walk the ground for new yards, surveyors push down-river, a depot rises, and the town council is asked for a franchise — as high water stalls the Great Northern bridge at Albeni Falls.
- County Printing Contract Sparks Legal Fight
Stevens County commissioners award the county printing contract to the Colville Examiner, but a rival paper sues, alleging the process was unfair.
- Newport Left in the Dark as Town Council and Electric Company Deadlock
A standoff between the town council and Northern Electric leaves Newport without streetlights, prompting fears of crime and a possible new franchise.
- Newport Council Digs In Against Electric Company's Meter Rates
A 25-year steam-heating franchise request collides with a fight over streetlight bills and what the town can afford.
- West Bank Wins the Railroad
Idaho & Washington Northern picks the west side of the Pend Oreille for its Metaline extension, promising Ione by late next year and a boom for the Calispel valley.
- A Minister's Daughter Confesses to Forgery—and Promises a Tell-All Book
Winifred Moter, now Mrs. A. G. Daniels, waived examination on a $300 check charge and was bound over to superior court, while her father, a Newport minister, was expected to arrange bail.
- Great Northern Races to Finish Its Newport Cut-off by September
A rumored route change, a new bridge and crews working through slides and clay banks point to a major reworking of the railroad between Newport and Spokane.
- A 150-Man Spur for the New Fidelity Mill
Caughren & Woldson took the contract for three miles of Great Northern spur track to Fidelity Lumber’s new mill, with heavy rock cuts and a payroll paid through a Newport bank.
- The Taxman Cometh: A Battle Over Corporate Accountability
An attorney challenges Bellingham newspaper editors to account for the lopsided taxation of railroads versus local farmers.
- The Price of a Machine Government
Auditor records reveal Whatcom County’s debt ballooned to $600,000, sparking local outrage over fiscal mismanagement and political patronage.
- The Political Circus of 1908
Local news satirizes the convoluted web of political machines, patronage, and special interest groups fighting for influence in Whatcom County.
- Tragedy Follows Accidental Lye Poisoning
After nine months of suffering, a toddler passes away following a household accident.
- Lynden Votes to Go Dry
A landslide local election victory mandates the end of licensed saloons in the town for the coming year.
- The Governor’s Veto: A Political Backstory
A defense of Governor Henry McBride’s 1903 veto of a local option bill, shifting blame from his personal stance to legislative corruption.
- Tacoma Caps the Saloon Trade
Mayor Wright signs an ordinance tying saloon licenses to population—and turns every existing license into a small fortune.
- Newport vs. the Census: 'Colville Should Come Out of Her Dream'
When the secretary of state counts only 1,000 residents, Newport's paper fires back: we are 1,800, the county's largest city—and tired of paying for Colville's improvements.
- Newport Bought Its Fire Hydrants — Then Never Had Them Installed
The town paid for fire plugs in September, but the council never ordered the water company to set them. Now the work can't be done until spring — and the paper is warning that the town may pay for the delay.
- The Captain, the Sleigh, and the Unmarked Railroad Grade
Joe Cusick knew every road into Newport — except the new, unballasted track that threw him into the snow at Third Street.
- The County Road That Came With a Price Tag
In 1908, Stevens County commissioners approved a 17-mile road from Gerome to Hunters, overruled a remonstrance, and paid four landowners for the right of way.
- Two Hundred Spokane Boosters Ride the New Line Into Newport — and Get a Sleigh Ride
President F. Blackwell of the Idaho & Washington Northern brought nearly 200 Spokane business and railroad men over his brand-new road to Newport, where the band, the Commercial Club and five sleighs were waiting to sell them on the town.
- A Stern-Wheeler for the Pend d'Oreille: Newport Bets on the Metaline Trade
Seven thousand dollars subscribed, a hundred-foot boat drawing two feet of water, and a captain promising to be running ore to Newport by June 1.