Research the archive
Narrow 25,724 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 |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1876 | 6 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 6 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 13 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 6 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1893 | 6 |
| 1894 | 8 |
| 1895 | 12 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 7 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1910 | 1 |
108 stories matching width
- The Great Tide Land Tug-of-War
Delegates at the Washington Constitutional Convention debate whether to reserve the state's waterfronts for the public or sell them to private interests.
- The Miracle Lifters of Tacoma
A local construction firm successfully raises a massive six-story Seattle hotel that cracked during tunnel excavation.
- An Immigration House for New Arrivals
North Yakima citizens bankroll a temporary housing facility for newcomers searching for homesteads.
- The Bottleneck of Yesler Way
A dangerous, debris-filled junction at Yesler, Front, and Commercial streets creates a daily traffic nightmare for Seattle's commerce.
- The Copper Bubble of 1899
A classic 'get rich quick' advertisement disguised as financial journalism, peddling stock in a speculative Seattle mining company.
- The Harassment of Mrs. Robinson
A vulnerable woman in Seattle is subjected to a months-long campaign of targeted abuse, culminating in an arson attempt that nearly burned down a local hotel.
- Taming the Yakima: A Massive Engineering Overhaul
Facing record-low river levels, the Northern Pacific Irrigation Company launched an extensive repair project to shore up their dam and ensure the region’s water supply.
- A Massive Coal Seam Found Near the Wishkah
Prospectors uncovered a 140-foot wide vein of coal just two miles from Aberdeen, potentially changing the industrial future of Grays Harbor.
- The Rapid Transformation of Seattle's Eastern Woods
A new route to Lake Washington reveals a landscape undergoing frantic clearing and development as the city expands toward the water.
- The Mysterious Vanishing Snow of Mount Rainier
A Wallula newspaper reports a strange, massive slide that left a mile-wide track across the face of the mountain.
- The Unseen Agriculture of the Duwamish Valley
A survey of the productive farmland, nascent dairy industry, and pioneering spirit of the families turning the Duwamish and White River riverbanks into a breadbasket for Seattle.
- The Fight to Protect Seattle’s Tap Water
A century ago, city engineers were already sounding the alarm about protecting the Cedar River watershed from industrial development and pollution to ensure a clean supply for a growing city.
- The River Giant: A Record-Breaking Log Boom
The steamer Beaver successfully navigated a massive log raft into the harbor, a logistical feat that left the waterfront stunned.
- The Moxee Bridge Collapses
A two-year-old span falls into the river, prompting questions about engineering and site selection.
- The Pavement Fight: Seattle’s Battle for a Wider Second Street
A century ago, city leaders warned that Seattle’s narrow streets were choking its growth, sparking a massive petition to widen the thoroughfare before the 'brick building' boom made the change impossible.
- The Great Land Grab Ends: Northern Pacific's Grip on Washington Territory Loosens
A landmark federal decision strips a massive railroad monopoly of its indemnity lands, opening vast swaths of Washington to homesteading settlers.
- The Railway Reaches the Waterfront
New rail lines carve a path through the heart of the city’s industrial waterfront, displacing old businesses and promising a new era of commerce.
- Settlers Rise Against Railroad Land Grab
Kittitas County citizens demand the federal government forfeit Northern Pacific railroad land grants, accusing the monopoly of stifling settlement and hoarding millions of acres of land.
- The Garden Valley of the Territory
A correspondent ventures up the White River to survey the booming hops trade, the friction between farmers and the local cheese factory, and the desperate need for a railroad.
- The Deadly Gift Sent to the Melodeon
A scorned woman in Seattle finds herself the target of a sophisticated homemade bomb disguised as a gift.
- The Railroad Wanted 400 Feet; the Landowners Said 200
When the Northern Pacific tried to fence a 400-foot right-of-way near Bucoda, neighboring property owners pulled up the posts and dared the railroad to sue.
- The Shack Post Office Scandal
In 1878, Seattle’s postmaster faced public fury for 'farming out' mail services to a cramped, unhygienic shanty to maximize his own personal profit.
- The City Council Sets Rules for Seattle’s Streetcars
A new ordinance dictates how street railways will operate, mandating street paving, track maintenance, and fare standards to protect the public interest.
- The $275,000 Plan to Dredge Olympia Into a Deep-Water Port
In 1892, a federal engineer proposed cutting a 12-foot channel through two miles of tide flats so ocean steamers could reach Fourth Street. The price tag was $275,000—and a bet on Olympia’s future.
- Trapped in the Wiser Lake Wilderness
A traveler gets lost in the brutal mud, snow, and falling timber of the Nooksack Valley while searching for a homestead.