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.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1876 | 10 |
| 1877 | 8 |
| 1878 | 10 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 9 |
| 1884 | 7 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 8 |
| 1889 | 26 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 15 |
| 1892 | 18 |
| 1893 | 17 |
| 1894 | 17 |
| 1895 | 17 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 4 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1903 | 11 |
| 1904 | 8 |
| 1905 | 4 |
| 1908 | 3 |
| 1909 | 11 |
| 1910 | 5 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 6 |
| 1917 | 7 |
| 1925 | 1 |
250 stories matching chain
- The Cost of a Stolen Wheel
A newsboy's bicycle is stolen by a man under the influence of drugs, leading to a swift sentence on the chain gang.
- County Jail Prisoners Put to Work on Roads
Walla Walla commissioners order inmates to break rock and repair Mill Creek road under chain-gang supervision.
- Yakima's Sheriff Rounds Up the Jobless and Puts Them on the Chain Gang
With the valley crying out for labor at $2.50 to $3 a day, the county decides that any man without a job is a vagrant — and sentences him to hard labor.
- The Chain Gang Preacher is Back on the Loose
A notorious 'anarchist' reformer and jailbird, known for preaching to guards while in shackles, has been banished from Seattle and is expected to surface in Tacoma.
- The Price of Development in 1878
A wave of land foreclosures hits King County as local settlers see their riverfront properties seized to satisfy debt.
- Watch Thief Nabbed at Lake Washington
A young man loses his gold watch and chain at the Madison Street terminus; an arrest follows, though the watch remains missing.
- The End of the Chain Gang in Seattle
City officials move to retire the practice of using prisoners for manual street labor, shifting to rock-breaking in a bid to deter professional tramps.
- Robbed Under the Nose of Police Headquarters: A Daring Snatch on Yesler Avenue
A visitor from the Snoqualmie hop ranch is relieved of his watch just steps from the jail, leading to a dramatic chase through a vacant lot.
- The Strange Case of the Drifting Float
When a massive, expensive city-owned float vanished from its moorings, it sparked a mystery that ended in a quiet cove across the bay.
- The Great Petticoat Ponzi Scheme
Kennewick residents lose their dimes to a Minneapolis 'endless chain' mail fraud ring.
- Demented Girl Rescued from Puyallup Reservation
After being found chained to an outhouse floor, a young Indigenous girl has secured a place at an asylum.
- Kennewick Knights of Pythias Host Chaotic 'Dokies' Initiation
A parade of 'Tyros' in nightshirts and chains descended upon Kennewick as local Knights of Pythias held a rowdy ceremonial with members from Walla Walla.
- Theft Attempted During Church Service
Two young boys are caught trying to steal an usher's coat during a church service, only to be arrested by a member of the congregation.
- A Chaotic Runaway Team on Commercial Street
A frightened lumber team sparks a chain-reaction collision, leaving one man nearly killed and his buggy destroyed.
- A 30-Cent Debt Ends in a Water Pitcher, a Watch Chain, and Two Lawsuits
A Newcastle boarding-house keeper and a stage driver turn a petty fare dispute into a grand-larceny trial, a jury, and a follow-up assault charge.
- Tragedy at the Western Mill
A 17-year-old worker is crushed by a falling log while loading a rail car in Tacoma.
- The Produce Company's Rapid Rise
A look inside the financial health and expansion plans of White Bluffs' premier cooperative grocery chain.
- The Real Estate Auction That Built Seattle’s First Suburbs
In March 1889, just months after the Great Fire devastated downtown, executors of James Crawford’s estate sold off dozens of city lots in a public auction at Occidental Square. These parcels would become the foundation for neighborhoods like Judkins and Bellevue.
- Fatal Accident at McDonald’s Logging Camp
A swamp hook recoils, claiming the life of a Swedish laborer in the woods near Orting.
- Mud, Drains, and Municipal Neglect
With city infrastructure in disarray, a local editor calls for a better approach to grading, drainage, and basic sidewalk maintenance.
- The City's Endless Bridge Troubles
Tacoma's public works are stalled as city officials argue over shoddy materials and unfinished infrastructure.
- The Street Swindler's Bad Day
A carnival-style street hawker is mobbed and arrested after selling worthless watch chains to an angry Tacoma crowd.
- The New Order at City Hall
As a new Democratic administration takes control of Seattle in 1892, Mayor J.T. Ronald pledges to end the 'barbarous spectacle' of chain gangs and clean up the city's corrupt contracting practices.
- The Butter Bandits of West Street
A bold group of petty thieves used a sophisticated 'sampling' scheme to systematically loot Seattle merchants.
- The Salvage Diver of Elliott Bay
A local diver describes his successful, DIY operation to raise a sunken boiler from the depths of Puget Sound to sell for scrap.