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 |
| 1858 | 5 |
| 1859 | 7 |
| 1860 | 3 |
| 1861 | 11 |
| 1862 | 5 |
| 1863 | 5 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 7 |
| 1876 | 74 |
| 1877 | 55 |
| 1878 | 37 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 10 |
| 1882 | 9 |
| 1883 | 85 |
| 1884 | 32 |
| 1885 | 56 |
| 1886 | 44 |
| 1887 | 22 |
| 1888 | 28 |
| 1889 | 49 |
| 1890 | 13 |
| 1891 | 46 |
| 1892 | 119 |
| 1893 | 145 |
| 1894 | 119 |
| 1895 | 132 |
| 1897 | 3 |
| 1898 | 6 |
| 1899 | 44 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 9 |
| 1904 | 20 |
| 1905 | 5 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 27 |
| 1909 | 27 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 7 |
| 1916 | 13 |
| 1917 | 2 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
1,296 stories matching steamer
- The Deckhand Who Went Overboard in Box Canyon
Painting the steamer Metaline, Frank Spaulding missed a grip rail and plunged into the cold, swift Pend Oreille River—then nearly cramped before a crewman fished him out with a pole.
- The Steamer Nellie's Grand Entrance
Snohomish celebrates the launch of a custom-built steamer, signaling a new era of river navigation.
- The Columbia River Finally Opens to Navigation
Steamers Teal and Empire meet in the new waterway basin, signaling a new era for Kennewick trade.
- Steamer and Clipper Collide in Seattle Harbor
A strong ebb tide causes the steamer South Coast to drift into the anchored clipper Thermopylae, destroying a smokestack and damaging both vessels.
- The Great Whale Migration Through Elliott Bay
Passengers on a Puget Sound steamer were stunned to encounter a massive school of whales near Alki Point, marking a rare and wonder-filled moment of natural spectacle in the heart of Seattle.
- Steaming Through Deception Pass
A rare account of the steamer Washington braving the treacherous currents of Deception Pass to maintain mail service.
- The Battle for the Steamer Delta
A bitter dispute over ownership and control of a Puget Sound steamer leads to a legal standoff and a libel suit.
- The Doctor’s Great Escape Was Thwarted at the Wharf
A debt-ridden doctor attempts to skip town on a steamer, but his disgruntled creditors have a different plan for his luggage.
- A Ferry Before the Ferry: The Fight to Replace Open Boats on Admiralty Inlet
Whidbey Islanders were crossing to Port Townsend in open rowboats through tide rips and chopping seas. Local merchants and an island resident with $4,000 wanted piers, a steamer and a regular route.
- The Smallpox Ship at the Wharf
In September 1876, Port Townsend citizens met at the Old Court House to demand accountability after the steamer Dakota brought smallpox into their port.
- The River Lifeline of Early Snohomish
Operating under Captain J. S. Hill, the steamer Fanny Lake provided essential freight and transit services for the growing Snohomish community.
- The Steamer Glide’s Heavy Load: A Narrow Escape on the Skagit
When a steamer faced a brutal northwest gale, a terrified deckhand tried to dump the cargo overboard, sparking a confrontation in the middle of a choppy sea.
- The Tragic Disappearance on the Sound
A small boat collision on a dark December night likely cost a man his life.
- Seattle Turns Out for the Whaleback
A strange steel steamer built in Everett glides into Seattle, drawing crowds, whistles, and one skeptical old skipper.
- The Great Puget Sound Whale Hunt
An unexpected visitor in the waters between Olympia and Shelton leads to a high-pressure pursuit by a local steamer.
- The Fire That Saved Us: A Call for a Second Steamer
A Seattle resident writes to the Post-Intelligencer arguing that the recent downtown blaze proves the city’s single fire engine is no longer enough—and demands an immediate duplicate.
- The Vanishing Steamer: Seattle Waits in Fog for the 'Port Albert'
Passengers and agents grow anxious as the British-American steamer goes missing off the Pacific Northwest coast, sparking fears of a wreck or mechanical failure.
- A Rescue at Sea: The Wellington Libeled for $15,000
A historic salvage claim surfaces as the captain of the San Pedro sues for payment after a dramatic ocean rescue.
- The Alexander: A 170-Foot Steamer Launches at Port Ludlow
McAllister Bros. launch a 600-ton steamer built to run 15 miles an hour—one of the most powerful boats on Puget Sound.
- Boiler Explosion Wrecks Steamer Josephine Near Port Susan
A local steamer bound for the Skagit River suffers a boiler explosion near Fort Susan, leaving several dead and the vessel a total wreck.
- The Sea-Faring Buck of Blaine
A steamship crew takes a detour five miles offshore to rescue a exhausted deer lost at sea.
- A Squall Off Chuckanut: The Mail Steamer Buckeye Goes Down
The steamer Buckeye capsized in Bellingham Bay in 1893, leaving passengers and crew clinging to a lifeboat and raft. All but one survived.
- The Night the Wasco Lost Power in Peavine Pass
Heavy seas swept the Bellingham Navigation Company steamer Wasco, broke her piston rod and blew out a cylinder head before the State of Washington rescued passengers and towed her into Anacortes.
- The Unreliable Steamer Cricket
A local excursion boat breaks down twice in two days, leaving passengers stranded near Alki Point and Five-Mile Point.
- The Tragic Sinking of the Steamer Clallam
A devastating storm claims the lives of dozens as the Puget Sound Navigation Company’s new steamer founders in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.