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 | 1 |
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1859 | 5 |
| 1860 | 3 |
| 1861 | 9 |
| 1862 | 5 |
| 1863 | 5 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 49 |
| 1877 | 35 |
| 1878 | 21 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 7 |
| 1882 | 8 |
| 1883 | 41 |
| 1884 | 19 |
| 1885 | 22 |
| 1886 | 24 |
| 1887 | 18 |
| 1888 | 21 |
| 1889 | 57 |
| 1890 | 10 |
| 1891 | 43 |
| 1892 | 97 |
| 1893 | 81 |
| 1894 | 112 |
| 1895 | 154 |
| 1897 | 6 |
| 1898 | 15 |
| 1899 | 23 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1903 | 32 |
| 1904 | 23 |
| 1905 | 5 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 18 |
| 1909 | 48 |
| 1910 | 13 |
| 1911 | 7 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 6 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 13 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 2 |
| 1924 | 4 |
| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 2 |
1,092 stories matching proper
- Grand Jury Reports Overcrowded Jail and Neglect
A critical look inside King County’s criminal justice facilities and care for the vulnerable.
- The Struggle for a Proper Stage
A popular movement takes off to build Seattle its first dedicated grand opera house as performers complain about the city’s cramped, inadequate venues.
- The Day Two Houses Fell on Their Owners: A Seattle Collapse That Should Have Killed Everyone
W.H. Burrett’s attempt to raise two frame buildings for renovation turned into a nightmare when the structures collapsed onto workmen and families below, leaving only miraculous luck to keep the death toll at zero.
- The Great Industrial Tug-of-War
As Everett grows, local boosters grapple with the aggressive strategies of Henry Hewitt, Jr., who is actively courting Tacoma's mills with bonus offers.
- The Forgotten Navigator of the Pacific Northwest
A call to honor Captain Robert Gray, the man whose discovery of the Columbia River and Grays Harbor secured the region for the United States.
- The Madison Street Bridge Disaster
A grand jury returns a manslaughter verdict against a motorman following a tragic accident involving the East Side Railway.
- Border Hurdles for New Arrivals
Customs officials confront a backlog of Chinese passengers arriving without proper certification.
- The Piano That Bound a Community Together
How the ladies of Snohomish organized to bring culture and music to their town.
- The Mob Rule at Our Doorstep
When an organized society in Walla Walla issued threats against anyone hiring Chinese labor, the press decried the move as a return to the lawless spirit of the frontier.
- Ousted Over an $18.90 Lumber Bill, a Councilman Gets His Seat Back
Ballard's council removed Thomas Winsor without a hearing — right after he accused the city treasurer of pocketing $1,058. A judge ruled the whole thing illegal and threw out his replacement.
- The Forgotten Potential of Seattle's Poor Farm
A visit to the county-owned farm on the Duwamish reveals a rich historical site where city officials debated the ethics of poverty and public support in 1877.
- A Seattle Hotel Death, a Body Exhumed, and a Family’s Slander Suit
Miss Witnail died suddenly after the Pollocks brought her west; when an Iowa coroner found childbirth, accusations and lawsuits followed.
- The Farmer’s Cabinet: Why Seattle’s Papers Are Fighting a War in Washington
An editorial in the *Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer* argues against elevating the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet status, warning that it would create bureaucratic chaos and ignore the true role of federal oversight.
- The Iron Stranglehold on Seattle’s Waterfront
A powerful railroad uses its monopoly on transportation to freeze out competitors and strangle the city's independent growth.
- The Preacher, the W.C.T.U. Woman, and the Congregation That Chose Not to Look
Rev. C. C. Marston talked his way out of a scandal in Centralia, was dismissed in Olympia, and has resurfaced in Illinois doing revival work — with another man's wife at his side and his own wife and five children left in want.
- The First Foreign Clearance
The schooner Annie Larsen marks a new milestone for Aberdeen's status as a port by clearing for Peru.
- The State Tries to Soften the Panic for Delinquent Taxpayers
The Senate passes a bill remitting penalties and interest on delinquent 1893–94 taxes, citing “great financial stringency” and declaring an emergency.
- The Indignation at the Oiled Road
Citizens hold an 'indignation meeting' to condemn the poor state of the road between Finley and Kennewick and the officials responsible for its maintenance.
- Dancing for the Miners
The town of Gilman rallies to support the families affected by the catastrophic Roslyn mine disaster.
- The Victorian Quest for the Century Mark
In 1878, Seattleites were offered advice on reaching age 100 through 'tranquility of mind' and the avoidance of potato starch—a stark reminder of the era's medical optimism.
- Papers, Please: The Chinese Certificate Canvass
Federal inspectors sweep Washington to find Chinese residents without the new certificates, warning that those lacking papers face arrest and deportation.
- The Unseen Women of Walla Walla's 'Pike's Creek' Camp
A rare glimpse into the labor and living conditions of the women supporting the work crews in the frontier wilderness of Washington Territory.
- The Railroad Finally Calls It Mount Rainier
Under pressure from a newspaper expedition and the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, the Northern Pacific abandons 'Mount Tacoma' in its maps and ads.
- The Wreck That Nearly Came Through Newport
A loose rail derailed an engine near Hillyard just as two soldier trains were passing through the region. Speed—or the lack of it—was all that prevented a disaster.
- The Women of Olympia Organize for the World's Fair
Local women form a committee to ensure Washington State is properly represented at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.