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 | 1 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1876 | 5 |
| 1877 | 4 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1886 | 4 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 3 |
| 1889 | 7 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 15 |
| 1893 | 22 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 18 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1899 | 7 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 7 |
| 1904 | 12 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 10 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 5 |
| 1917 | 2 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1928 | 1 |
168 stories matching pit
- A Colossal Smoke Stack Rises Above Old Town
A 75-foot steel incinerator aims to finally quell a fire that has smoldered for years at the local mill.
- The Day Fall City Danced: A July 4th Celebration in the Shadow of War
While General Howard debated tactics against Native tribes elsewhere in Washington Territory, residents of Fall City gathered in a cedar grove to celebrate the nation's birthday with speeches, picnics, and swings.
- Battle for Yakima Valley Water Rights
A state land dispute pits the Sunnyside Canal Company against the Yakima Development Company in a high-stakes fight for irrigation rights.
- Two Gas Explosions in the Franklin Mine Kill the Pit Foreman
A rescue attempt turns fatal as a second blast tears through the Franklin coal mine, killing foreman P. B. Robinson and burning nine men.
- Two Widows Claim One Miner’s Relief
A Roslyn explosion reveals a double life, pitting a common-law partner against a returning spouse.
- The Fight Over Who Gets to Be a Dentist
A legal challenge in Seattle pits established professionals against unlicensed practitioners as the state seeks to define medical standards.
- The Contract War for Seattle’s Baseball Manager
A power struggle in the minor leagues pits Seattle's local boosters against the board of control over the fate of Abner Powell.
- New Pavement Plans Connect Kennewick and Finley
Benton County commissioners resolve to build a 20-foot wide state highway to streamline travel between the two communities.
- The Fight Over Indian Land Taxes
A legal challenge in Tacoma's superior court questions if tribal land can be taxed, pitting state authority against federal protections.
- The Iron Cage of Fort Adams
A rare glimpse into the brutal security measures at a Washington Territory jail in the late 19th century.
- The Hidden Hazard of the Woods
A toddler suffers horrific burns after falling into a camouflaged pit of smoldering rot.
- The Heated Debate Over 'Shaving' Greenbacks
Washington Territorial legislators clashed over a bill aimed at criminalizing the devaluation of federal currency, pitting economic protectionism against constitutional theory.
- The Anatomy of a Public Works Disaster
Engineering testimony reveals how cheap, porous bricks and massive inefficiency turned city sewer projects into money pits.
- The Coal Miners’ Masquerade Wedding
A wedding in the company town of Black Diamond turns into a spectacle when local miners gatecrash the festivities in full gear.
- The Senate Standoff at Olympia
A legislative deadlock in Olympia pits railroad-backed lobbyists against the people's choice, fueling calls for electoral reform.
- The Great Puma Panic: How a Loose Cat and a Lucky Dog Sparked Chaos at Leschi Park
In the early days of Seattle's municipal parks, a puma escaped its cage, chased a terrier into a bear pit, and nearly cost the zookeeper his bones in a brawl that read like a cartoon.
- Three Tickets and a Saloon Fight in Spokane
A municipal campaign pits Populists, Republicans and the A.P.A. against one another over liquor licenses, Eugene V. Debs and religious intolerance.
- The Ghost of the White River Massacre
Decades after the violence of 1855, the estate of a pioneer family is resurrected in court, revealing a grim history of frontier life.
- The Battle for St. Mary’s Pulpit
A bitter ethnic divide pits Irish and American parishioners against the church hierarchy in Tacoma.
- Thirty-Seven Dead at Franklin: Seattle Rallies for the Widows of a Mine Disaster
A day after an explosion killed thirty-seven coal miners in the Franklin pit, the Post-Intelligencer opens a relief fund for the widows and orphans left behind — pleading with readers that the miners' own generosity cannot stretch far enough.
- Protests Against the White River Ditch
A contentious battle over land damages and irrigation pits the county commissioners against local landowners, headed for court.
- Mayor Ronald Targets Health Board for Removal
A power struggle at City Hall pits the mayor against the Board of Sanitation over alleged incompetence, extravagance, and professional disrespect.
- Tacoma Printers' War Against the Ledger
A standoff in Tacoma pits union printers against a newspaper management that replaced them with imported 'rat' labor.
- The Price of a Streetcar Franchise
Seattle council members clash over the conditions of a transit deal, pitting local home-industry mandates against corporate negotiation.
- Baseball on a Waxed Floor
A drizzling rain turned Seattle's Madison Street Park into a mud pit, forcing players to do more 'ground and lofty tumbling' than actual base running.