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 |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 4 |
| 1861 | 5 |
| 1862 | 4 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 5 |
| 1876 | 17 |
| 1877 | 15 |
| 1878 | 11 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 14 |
| 1884 | 10 |
| 1885 | 11 |
| 1886 | 11 |
| 1887 | 11 |
| 1888 | 17 |
| 1889 | 24 |
| 1890 | 3 |
| 1891 | 41 |
| 1892 | 59 |
| 1893 | 60 |
| 1894 | 55 |
| 1895 | 86 |
| 1897 | 5 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 6 |
| 1900 | 5 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 23 |
| 1904 | 22 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1907 | 4 |
| 1908 | 7 |
| 1909 | 27 |
| 1910 | 5 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1914 | 3 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 10 |
| 1917 | 9 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 3 |
612 stories matching payment
- The County Treasury Lockdown
Whatcom County officials are at an impasse over a resolution to freeze outstanding warrants, sparking a legal and political battle.
- Tax Delay Threatens Seattle's First Great Paving Program
A new revenue law lets property owners postpone half their taxes until November, and the road fund is so short that the city may stop accepting new street-improvement petitions.
- The Half-Finished Skeleton on Second and University
After contractors were left hanging without payment, a court orders a developer to pay over $8,000 for a four-story building that never rose past the first floor.
- The City Hall Sewer Crisis
After intense debate, the Seattle City Council moves to settle a long-standing payment dispute with engineer Benezette Williams to ensure the completion of critical sewer infrastructure.
- The Great Tacoma Water Steal
Citizens and council members clash over alleged bribery and misappropriation of funds in the city's purchase of a water system.
- The Unauthorized County Hospital Scandal
Taxpayers sue King County officials for constructing a hospital on the county farm without voter approval or budget authority.
- The Boom at Ross Station: Selling the Future of Seattle
Developers pitch affordable suburban lots near Salmon Bay to laborers, promising a new hub of industry just three miles from downtown.
- The Broken Promise of the Cedar River Extension
Seattle businessmen struggle with Henry Villard over delayed rail construction and the demand for early subsidy payments.
- The Fight for Cash Wages
A proposed Seattle ordinance to force contractors to pay laborers in 'lawful money' rather than time checks was struck down by the City Council.
- The Promised Suburb: Sales Pitch for Palatine Hill
A late 19th-century land developer lures Seattle workers to a ‘suburban’ frontier near Salmon Bay with promises of factories and affordable housing.
- The Eight-Hour Day Battle in 1887
Washington territorial legislators spar over radical new labor laws, including mandates for an eight-hour workday and the end of company-scrip payment systems.
- Railroad Giant Abandons Its Contracted Obligations
The Northern Pacific Railroad has declared its agreement with the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway illegal, threatening to force a bankruptcy and total foreclosure.
- A Prune Colony for Mason County
Frank Williamson sells 1,200 acres on Big Skookum Bay for $20,000, promising five-acre orchard tracts on easy payments.
- The Mill That Asked Workers to Wait for Lumber
A Seattle receiver said the Standard Mill Company could survive only if loggers and mechanics agreed to be paid out of the product of their own labor. The court let 35 cents on the dollar go to labor claims.
- The Captain, the Stowaway, and the Revolver
A confrontation on a Puget Sound steamer between a captain and an armed traveler reveals the wild and precarious nature of local maritime transport in 1886.
- City Hall Battles County Over School Warrant Funds
Tacoma officials move to secure $16,000 in school warrant payments, challenging the County Treasurer's refusal to honor the debt.
- The City’s New Bonding Power
New legislation grants Seattle the authority to issue local improvement bonds, shifting the financial burden of street and sewer projects directly onto benefited property owners.
- Blood and Beef: A Fatal Dispute in Oakesdale
A cattleman's refusal to accept payment for tainted meat leads to a cold-blooded killing in a quiet Washington town.
- The Price of Efficiency: Seattle's First Charter Crisis
In 1891, the city government struggled to adapt its new charter, clashing over the hidden costs of 'efficiency,' the payment of workers in devalued scrip, and the professionalization of city services.
- The Dream of Palatine Hill: A Late 1880s Real Estate Pitch
A historical advertisement promises affordable suburban lots near the Ross Station, marketing a vision of homeownership to the working class of the rapidly expanding Seattle area.
- A Tragic Burial at Sea
While working the lumber trade, a crew member falls from the rigging to his death, leaving his comrades to mourn him in the middle of the Pacific.
- The Price of Progress: Seattle’s Legal Tug-of-War Over Street Grades
In 1891, the city was forced to reckon with the constitutional requirement of paying damages to property owners before regrading streets, a lesson that paralyzed public works and exposed the city's precarious financial state.
- The High Cost of the Winehill Building
A multi-year legal battle over unpaid labor and stone work at the corner of Third and Main ends in a sudden dismissal.
- The Laborer Who Wasn't
A clever con man successfully targets Tacoma merchants by impersonating a well-known local contractor and paying with forged checks.
- The Dream of Palatine: 1888 Real Estate Hype in Seattle
A sprawling advertisement for a 'suburban' development in the Salmon Bay area reveals how developers promised working-class families a foothold in the rapidly industrializing north Seattle.