Research the archive
Narrow 25,688 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 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1887 | 3 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 6 |
| 1890 | 4 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 11 |
| 1893 | 9 |
| 1894 | 11 |
| 1895 | 9 |
| 1898 | 4 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 6 |
| 1909 | 6 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 4 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 2 |
119 stories matching format
- Mountain of Earth Buries Northern Pacific Rails
A catastrophic landslide near Palmer halts travel for days as crews scramble to clear the Green River route.
- The Idaho Capital Plot
Delegates from Lewiston arrive in Walla Walla with a desperate scheme to slice up territories and move the capital.
- A Grassroots Rail Line Planned for Whatcom County
Granges in Ferndale and Custer initiate a cooperative traction railway project, with Lynden and neighboring towns invited to extend the line.
- The Fatal Dance of Washington's Ground Squirrels
Scientists at the state agricultural college tried to wipe out crop-destroying rodents with bacteria—and found a native plague that sent infected squirrels spinning until they dropped.
- The Sheep Herders Who Burned a Half-Million Dollars to Scare Coyotes
For eighteen months a Rattlesnake Hills gas well blazed away at a herders' camp — until experts did the math and a three-cornered oil race began.
- Mining, Military Drills, and a Skunk's Demise in Black Diamond
An 1885 dispatch from the Black Diamond coal fields details civic improvements, the formation of a local militia company, and a comical, if ill-fated, experiment involving a captive skunk.
- The Fight for the Future of Washington's Soil
An 1877 editorial warns against the 'monster evil' of land monopoly, arguing that preventing a feudal system of landlord-tenant reliance is the only way to ensure the new state's future liberties.
- The Birth of a County
Proponents of the new Benton County prepare to prove population requirements to Judge Rigg in a final legal hurdle before state recognition.
- The Shingle Trust's New Order
Shingle manufacturers and dealers in Washington and Oregon form an association to control production and fix market prices.
- A Valley Drowns Every Spring—and One Farmer Wants a Better Dike
A correspondent warns that the Pend Oreille freshet has wrecked $50,000 worth of Calispel Valley crops—and argues the proposed diking districts are too piecemeal to save the basin.
- The Sunday Ballot: How Kennewick’s Baseball League Was Born (and Who Got Left Out)
In April 1914, local businessmen gathered at the Commercial Hotel to launch a new Valley baseball league. But as they celebrated the formation of the team, a quiet but significant exclusion was taking place: players bound by religious vows were barred from the field.
- The Mystery of the Ice-Forming Caves
A scientific inquiry into why midsummer ice forms in the lava tunnels of the Washington wilderness.
- The Great Front Street Fraud: City Council Exposes Fake Petition for Cable Car
In a stunning display of civic integrity, Seattle’s Common Council unmasks a fraudulent petition designed to grant a monopoly cable car franchise, revealing that applicants forged signatures and misrepresented property frontage.
- The City’s Welcome Wagon: Seattle Prepares a Grand Ovation for the 'Washington Boys' Returning from Manila
As the Philippine-American War drags on, local officials, school superintendents, and citizens rally to raise funds for a massive parade and fireworks display to honor the First Washington Volunteer Regiment.
- The 'Disgusting Custom' of Victorian Child-Kissing
As diphtheria claimed lives along the Pacific Coast, public health experts in 1877 issued a stark warning against social rituals that helped the contagion spread.
- The Anthracite Rush in Naches Pass
A new coal discovery near the mountains promises to be the most extensive field on the Pacific Coast.
- Engineers Complete Survey for Lake Washington Ship Canal
In 1891, engineers surveyed the path for a ship canal to connect Lake Washington to the Sound, envisioning a future where vessels could cleanse their hulls of barnacles in fresh water and double Seattle's commercial capacity.
- The Great Fourth of July Camp-Out Fiasco
When Seattle’s local militia attempted to prep for a military parade, their poor planning and lack of supplies resulted in a humiliating, mud-soaked retreat.
- The Mammoth Bones of the Spokane Prairie
An unusual discovery in Eastern Washington yields prehistoric treasures buried in a shallow strip of prairie.
- The Unpredictable Fury of the White River
For decades, pioneers in the White River Valley have battled shifting channels and massive log jams that threaten to drown the farmland—and now, a desperate, explosive attempt to save the riverbank has left the community divided.
- The Great Cookie Trust: How Seattle's Cracker Kings Tried to Control the Market
Facing 'ruinous competition' and rising flour prices, local baking giants planned a monopoly to stabilize profits—and wages.
- The Consolidation That Reshaped Seattle’s Waterfront
When the Northern Pacific swallowed the Lake Shore road, it signaled the end of a chaotic era for Seattle’s docks and a tightening grip on the city’s industrial spine.
- The Great Mountain Name War
Tensions boil over as Tacoma citizens petition to rename the newly designated Mount Rainier reservation to Mount Tacoma, reigniting a 100-year-old geographic debate.
- The Neighborhood Fight for X Street
Ninety property owners push back against a city council street-paving plan, winning a temporary victory against the municipal machine.
- The Chehalis County Tax Revolt
Hard-hit by the post-boom recession, property owners organize to challenge local taxes and municipal waste.