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 |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 3 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1863 | 2 |
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 30 |
| 1877 | 22 |
| 1878 | 11 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 6 |
| 1882 | 7 |
| 1883 | 22 |
| 1884 | 10 |
| 1885 | 14 |
| 1886 | 4 |
| 1887 | 13 |
| 1888 | 13 |
| 1889 | 43 |
| 1890 | 13 |
| 1891 | 39 |
| 1892 | 59 |
| 1893 | 50 |
| 1894 | 19 |
| 1895 | 4 |
| 1899 | 12 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1903 | 24 |
| 1904 | 31 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1907 | 4 |
| 1909 | 23 |
| 1910 | 4 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1914 | 12 |
| 1915 | 12 |
| 1916 | 20 |
| 1917 | 8 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1924 | 4 |
| 1925 | 2 |
556 stories matching infrastructur
- The Stench of the Exchange
A Snohomish newspaper takes aim at an upstream sanitation disaster, warning that the town’s growth is outpacing its infrastructure.
- The Midnight Scavenger of Old Seattle
A modest advertisement for a 'night worker' reveals the grim, necessary sanitation infrastructure of 1880s Seattle.
- Cusick’s New Water Works
A local entrepreneur brings modern infrastructure to a growing valley town.
- The Muck in Our Taps: Lake Union Water Woes
Seattle residents in 1885 are already fed up with their water quality, echoing long-standing frustrations with civic infrastructure.
- The Cable Car Veto: How a 1889 Power Struggle Defined Seattle’s Streets
Mayor Robert Moran’s refusal to approve a cable railway franchise on Front Street—citing private greed over public interest—mirrors Seattle’s century-long battle with developers and transit infrastructure.
- Seattle’s Early Infrastructure Struggles: A City Thirsty for Reliability
A pipe burst in the heart of Seattle left residents without water, forcing them to queue at public wells as the growing city learned the hard way about the vulnerabilities of its infrastructure.
- Winter Thaw Damages Yakima Valley
A rapid melting of snow causes significant disruption to irrigation infrastructure and roads.
- The City’s Debt Crisis of 1892
Facing a massive budget deficit, Seattle officials put a sweeping plan for fiscal reform and infrastructure bonds to a direct vote of the people.
- Kennewick's Waterfront Transitions to Public Ownership
The Kennewick Improvement Company moves to sell its dock assets to the Port of Kennewick, marking a major shift in local infrastructure control.
- The Roads of Seattle: A Grumbling Legacy
A wealthy traveler’s sharp assessment of Seattle’s infrastructure in 1880 highlights a civic struggle over street quality that feels strikingly familiar to modern residents.
- The Great Mud Puddle: Seattle’s Drainage Nightmare
A massive sinkhole at the corner of Main and Colfax streets has turned a vital thoroughfare into a swamp, threatening the city's infrastructure and hygiene.
- The Struggle for an Infrastructure of Our Own
An 1876 editorial reflects on the frustration of relying on federal aid to build the Pacific Northwest, urging locals to fund their own railroads and commercial infrastructure instead.
- The Railway Expansion That Didn't Happen
Speculation about a new Green River line reveals the frantic, often unfulfilled, infrastructure dreams of 1890s Washington.
- The Wharf Eaten Alive
Seattle's city wharf at the foot of Spring Street is in a precarious state after being compromised by marine borers.
- The Lights Go Out in Oroville
A winter cold snap leaves the town in darkness after ice dams the river, testing the limits of early infrastructure.
- Seattle's Government Canal Dam Collapses
Severe flooding in the Fremont and Green Lake districts cuts off transport as infrastructure fails.
- City Sued After Falling Light Pole Injures Resident
A victim of a city infrastructure failure seeks damages for injuries caused by poorly graded streets.
- The Boomtown That Almost Wasn't: Seattle in 1876
While the rest of the nation struggled through a deep economic depression, a local newspaper reflects on the unprecedented industrial and infrastructure expansion that transformed Seattle from a village into a bustling coal and lumber hub.
- Seattle Makes Its Case for Statehood
As the constitutional convention convenes in Olympia, Seattle’s delegates argue for the city’s readiness, its infrastructure, and its claim to statehood.
- Bridge Swept Away by Rising Cedar River
A span of the county bridge at Elliott was lost to rising waters, marking the first infrastructure failure of the season.
- The Water That Wasn't There: Seattle's First Major Infrastructure Crisis
As the city prepares for its first major expansion, the Seattle Water Company announces a total shutdown of supply to upper levels, leaving residents and businesses in the dark.
- The Broken Promises of the Tide Flats
Tacoma business leaders turn on the Northern Pacific Railroad after years of waiting for promised infrastructure.
- The Struggle to Build the Wishkah River Road
Local residents rally to fund a critical infrastructure link, exposing a backlog of unspent government appropriations.
- The Ferry Fight on the Duwamish
A contest over a river crossing franchise exposes the competition for infrastructure and land rights along the lower Duwamish in 1876.
- The Church Looks Toward Puget Sound
Methodist leaders convene in Vancouver to strategize church expansion and infrastructure across the Pacific Northwest.