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 |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 4 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1872 | 10 |
| 1876 | 41 |
| 1877 | 29 |
| 1878 | 8 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 5 |
| 1882 | 6 |
| 1883 | 30 |
| 1884 | 16 |
| 1885 | 27 |
| 1886 | 14 |
| 1887 | 15 |
| 1888 | 15 |
| 1889 | 35 |
| 1890 | 8 |
| 1891 | 35 |
| 1892 | 80 |
| 1893 | 74 |
| 1894 | 84 |
| 1895 | 118 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 11 |
| 1899 | 24 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 3 |
| 1903 | 44 |
| 1904 | 37 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 17 |
| 1909 | 46 |
| 1910 | 6 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 17 |
| 1915 | 14 |
| 1916 | 25 |
| 1917 | 11 |
| 1918 | 3 |
| 1923 | 2 |
| 1924 | 3 |
| 1925 | 3 |
| 1929 | 1 |
942 stories matching instead
- The Uninvited Guest in a Photograph
A local photographer and a prominent couple are left baffled after an extra, unrecognizable figure appears in their portrait.
- The Great Hop Correction: A Merchant’s Penny and the Price of Truth
In a rare moment of journalistic humility, local merchants publicly corrected a previous error regarding hop prices, revealing the volatile nature of Seattle’s agricultural trade in February 1903.
- The Great Gasoline Shift: Kennewick Becomes Standard Oil’s New Hub
As the Columbia River town prepares to replace Pasco as the central distribution point for gasoline in the region, locals watch the logistics of early 20th-century commerce reshape their identity.
- The Street Cleanup Petition
Business owners bypass the city council to force a pre-holiday cleanup of Kennewick's streets.
- The Parents Said Tacoma's Schools Were Failing. The Typesetter Who Set Their Letter Answered Back.
A frustrated parent writes in to say the city schools teach paper-folding instead of arithmetic; a linotype operator at the same paper — and a Tacoma graduate himself — replies that the trouble may lie closer to home.
- The Phosphorus Terror of Hoquiam
A saboteur sows the streets with incendiary devices, nearly reducing the town to ash before the rains intervene.
- Tacoma Retains State Horticultural Office
A tight legislative vote in Olympia ensures the state's horticultural headquarters stays in Tacoma, narrowly escaping relocation to Kennewick.
- Diphtheria Closes School in Walla Walla
A local report highlights economic tension and a health crisis in Walla Walla, while a child in Waitsburg narrowly avoids a poisoning tragedy.
- The Woman Who Swore on Dynamite: A Spokane Courtroom Shock
In a rare moment of courtroom gravity, a female defendant in Spokane was asked to place her hand on dynamite instead of the Bible for her oath—leaving the room in profound silence.
- Kennewick Sheriff Spares the Dog, Bills the Owner
A new enforcement order ends the practice of killing unmuzzled dogs found at large, putting fines and jail time on the people who let them run.
- 'Only Another Name for a Sort of Annual Picnic': Washington's Road-Tax Fight
A good-roads convention hears that farmers resent paying their road tax in cash instead of working it out, that the money vanishes into 'graft or rake-off,' and that Spokane County's section-line roads were laid out so badly they must be rebuilt from scratch.
- Drought in the 'Crystal Springs'
Citizens of Walla Walla were sold a dream of mountain water, but a local investigation reveals little more than mud and dried-up holes.
- The Mysterious Disappearance of a Pasco Hotelier
A hotel proprietor who left a suicide note for his wife is discovered alive in Nevada weeks later.
- The Discharged Driver's Damages
A livery driver sues a patron for $1,000, claiming the customer's false complaints caused his wrongful termination.
- The Birthday Deception in Ballard
A local reading circle purposely published a false meeting announcement to surprise a popular schoolteacher on her birthday.
- Ballard Mill Workers Win Wage Fight
After an attempt to cut pay, Ballard shingle mill workers successfully pressured owners to maintain the old wage scale.
- Judge Intervenes to Save Boys from Reform School
A Seattle judge issued a last-minute stay to keep two boys from being sent to the state reformatory, instead using them as witnesses against the man accused of training them in crime.
- Debating the Future of the Nooksack River
Engineers and newspapers clash over whether the Nooksack River is filling the harbor with silt, potentially threatening the maritime economy.
- A Deadly Mistake at the Livery Stable
A local stableman survives a poisoning after accidentally consuming carbolic acid instead of whisky.
- Main Street Refuses to Be Paved
Property owners between Fifth and Sixth beat back a macadam upgrade, a councilman berates them for it, and the street gets planks instead.
- The Midnight Saloon Bill Fails in Olympia
Washington state legislators reject a proposal to force saloons to close at midnight, with some arguing that patrons should be allowed to stay warm by the fire.
- Is the Mayor a British Subject?
Tacoma's political scene erupted over rumors regarding Mayor Wright's naturalization status.
- The Boss Who Was Kicked Off His Own Train
A classic local anecdote about a prominent contractor getting a taste of his own medicine.
- Too Wet for the Dry Crusade: Tacoma Boycotts Francis Murphy
The celebrated temperance lecturer came back to Tacoma to find the Tabernacle locked against him—because he preached gospel temperance instead of prohibition.
- The Wheels Threw Him Aside: A Coal Heaver's Narrow Escape
F. Brassell fell beneath freight cars at Tekoa's coal bunkers; he lost an ear and most of his scalp but survived the first night.