Research the archive
Narrow 22,457 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.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 4 |
| 1864 | 2 |
| 1865 | 2 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 10 |
| 1876 | 75 |
| 1877 | 56 |
| 1878 | 17 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1880 | 11 |
| 1882 | 16 |
| 1883 | 45 |
| 1884 | 22 |
| 1885 | 55 |
| 1886 | 34 |
| 1887 | 26 |
| 1888 | 26 |
| 1889 | 93 |
| 1890 | 9 |
| 1891 | 59 |
| 1892 | 88 |
| 1893 | 85 |
| 1894 | 114 |
| 1895 | 47 |
| 1897 | 4 |
| 1898 | 4 |
| 1899 | 24 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1902 | 6 |
| 1903 | 63 |
| 1904 | 40 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 36 |
| 1910 | 8 |
| 1911 | 13 |
| 1912 | 6 |
| 1914 | 15 |
| 1915 | 16 |
| 1916 | 34 |
| 1917 | 12 |
| 1918 | 3 |
| 1922 | 2 |
| 1923 | 4 |
| 1924 | 6 |
1,207 stories matching better
- The Dairy Dilemma of 1876
Before high-tech factory farming, Seattle's early settlers navigated the delicate, labor-intensive art of managing livestock health by hand.
- The Battle for Seattle’s Soul
Tensions boil over between labor organizers and the property-owning elite over the presence of Chinese workers, as the city teeters on the edge of mob rule.
- Seattle Rebuilds With Brick After Great Fire
How the Queen City responded to the 1889 conflagration with both civic resilience and a remarkable display of internal charity.
- Thirty-Seven Miners Died 150 Feet From Safety
An 1894 coroner's jury in Franklin, Washington, heard how a small fire in the Oregon Improvement Company's coal mine became a wall of smoke — and why the men who could have escaped stayed to fight it.
- Federal Troops Arrive to Quell Anti-Chinese Agitation in Seattle
United States soldiers are deployed to maintain order amidst rising tensions, as the newspaper argues the law must be upheld against the ongoing intimidation of Chinese residents.
- The Brutal Doctrine of 'Root Hog or Die'
A Seattle newspaper editorial argues for the forced assimilation and dispossession of Indigenous people, mirroring the era's harshest colonial policies.
- The Trial of Judge Wickersham: A Tacoma Scandal Over Land, Lies, and 'Delirium'
In February 1889, the trial of a powerful federal judge in Tacoma exposed a web of political corruption, land fraud, and sexual scandal involving a young woman named Sadie Brantner.
- The Receiver Cut Their Pay 2 Cents an Hour. A Judge Made Him Put It Back.
When the Rainier Avenue Electric Railway's court-appointed receiver trimmed motormen's wages from 20 cents to 18 cents an hour, the crews — months behind on pay, with houses in Columbia City bought out of their own wages — took him to court and won.
- Seattle Rebuilds After Fire, Clearing Ruins and Sheltering Residents
Following the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, the city grapples with the logistics of debris clearance, housing relief, and the return of labor.
- The Political Price of a Road
Seattle citizens threaten to trade the state capital to Walla Walla to secure a vital road link, as regional rivalries threaten to derail the city's future.
- A Close Call on the Hill
After a devastating nighttime fire in 1877, Seattle residents grapple with the fragility of a wooden city and the lack of basic firefighting infrastructure.
- Hop Growers Pledge Their 'Word and Honor' to Pay Pickers Less
With the hop market collapsing in the summer of 1894, growers from ten Puget Sound counties met at Puyallup and fixed a single price for picking — 65 to 75 cents a box, down from the dollar they had promised. Ezra Meeker, the valley's biggest grower, said out loud what the resolution implied: the pickers had no seat at the table.
- They Climbed Rainier First—and Slept in a Sulphur-Scented Ice Cave
In 1870, Hazard Stevens and P. B. Van Trump reached Mount Rainier's summit after a brutal 10½-hour climb, then spent a freezing night beside volcanic steam vents.
- The Mothers of Richland Storm the Caucus
Women turn out in force at Gibbs Hall, nominate Mrs. C. D. Hopper for council, and promise a bachelor mayor the fight of his life.
- The Great Welcome: Seattle Plans a 'Rousing' Ovation for Returning War Heroes
Mayor Humes and city officials rally behind a public subscription to fund fireworks, banquets, and even a mock battle at Lake Washington to greet the Washington Volunteers returning from Manila.
- Fatal Bridge Accident Claims Hog Rancher
A Japanese hog rancher dies after being trampled by his own horses on the Grant Street Bridge.
- The Beating of Henry Brown: A Runaway Elevator Boy and a Family's Violent Secret
A 14-year-old black elevator operator flees his home after a savage whipping by his father, revealing a tangled story of poverty, pride, and punishment in 1894 Seattle.
- A Desperate Jump at the Spring Street Wharf
Deserted, drinking, and despondent, Kate Johnson tried to drown herself in Seattle harbor—then fought the men who pulled her out.
- The Price of Rebuilding Seattle After the Great Fire
As the city rises from the ashes of the 1889 Great Fire, editors urge property owners to resist the temptation of 'fire traps' and prioritize permanent, safe construction over quick profits.
- The Seattle Way: How Local Businessmen Built a Railroad
A Walla Walla newspaper praises Seattle’s 'All pull together' motto after local merchants successfully pressured Henry Villard to finance a new coal-hauling railroad.
- The Great Dayton Barley Corner
A local malt house proprietor pulls off the largest grain deal in Dayton's history, driving up prices and frustrating outside buyers.
- Cosmopolis Town Hall Razed by Careless Cigarette
A discarded cigar stub destroys the town's municipal center, prompting a rapid pledge to rebuild better.
- The Shack on A Street: A Mother’s Defiance Against the County Physician
Mrs. McGinnis of Tacoma refuses to let her afflicted child be taken to a hospital, insisting she can care for him better than doctors while living in poverty with four other sick children.
- An 1872 Manifesto for the 'Working Girl'
In an era of stifling expectations, a Seattle newspaper columnist argues that women should prioritize professional autonomy over the 'inferno' of a loveless marriage.
- Olympia’s Blackest Day: A City on the Brink of Ruin
A recent fire in the state capital exposes the desperate need for modern water works and steam engines, as Olympia’s leadership warns that 'any morning may see the balance of the city in ruins.'