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 |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1876 | 5 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 7 |
| 1893 | 7 |
| 1894 | 12 |
| 1895 | 9 |
| 1897 | 4 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 5 |
| 1904 | 3 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 3 |
| 1917 | 2 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1924 | 2 |
102 stories matching uncertain
- The Fever of 1876: Seattle’s Election Anxiety
While Seattle had no formal vote in the 1876 presidential contest, residents were whipped into a frenzy of speculation as they waited for news from the national election.
- The Hustle of the Frontier Mercantile
A deep dive into the aggressive marketing and 'work-from-home' schemes that fueled Snohomish's early economy.
- The Waterfront Cold War: Seattle’s Battle Over the Tideflats
As railroad companies choked off the tideflats with unpermitted pilings, local manufacturers fought to keep their water access open in a clash between industrial expansion and small business survival.
- Will the Prohibition Law Hold Up?
As Washington prepares for a total ban on alcohol, legal experts and brewers prepare to challenge the statute's limits on interstate commerce and advertising.
- Seattle Scraps Skagit Power Expansion
A power project costing $11 million faces an uncertain future as the city council fires the engineering crew and halts construction.
- Twenty-Four Officers Wanted the Adjutant General Gone
A petition against Adjutant General O’Brien reached the governor, who refused to demand a resignation—prompting a theatrical outburst from Tacoma’s “Little Corporal.”
- Steilacoom Builds Before the Crowd Arrives
Warehouses on pilings, a new store and a brick jail: the town's 1853 building boom was a bet on growth.
- The Struggle for an Infrastructure of Our Own
An 1876 editorial reflects on the frustration of relying on federal aid to build the Pacific Northwest, urging locals to fund their own railroads and commercial infrastructure instead.
- A Mayor Willing to Resign Over a Ballot Technicality
When Olympia’s election tickets were printed under the wrong law, Mayor Horr offered to step down rather than hold office on a legal loophole—and urged the council to appoint the people’s chosen successors.
- The City Rallies for a Bankrupt Manager
When the Traders' Bank in Tacoma folded, it took the theater manager's personal funds with it—prompting an outpouring of support from the Seattle, Portland, and Tacoma arts communities.
- The Rising Tides of Industry
An 1873 editorial reflects on the fragility of Pacific Coast harbors, warning that unchecked mining waste and silt are creating an uncertain future for maritime commerce.
- Two Steamers Saluted Off Cape Flattery—Then Vanished Into the Storm
A schooner captain’s account places the missing Keweenaw and Montserrat together off Washington’s coast on a night of monstrous seas, just before both were lost.
- The 75-Foot Coal Chute Plunge
A dock worker survived a terrifying descent through a ship's coal bunker, landing 75 feet below in the hold.
- The Wild West at the N.P. Hotel
A young man, fueled by a 'periodic drunk,' terrorizes a hotel proprietor with a revolver in downtown Spokane.
- The $4-an-Acre Shoreline Fight
Olympia’s Tribune rebuts a Spokane paper’s claim that Washington tide lands were being handed away for a pittance—and asks whether Governor Ferry must share the blame.
- An Aerial Bust at the Snohomish Ball Game
A much-anticipated airplane exhibition turns into a mud-caked failure, but the local baseball game saves the day for the fans.
- The Unspoken Cost of Building a Frontier City
A disillusioned man’s search for government work exposes the desperation lurking behind the optimism of 1885 Seattle.
- The Perils of the Columbia Gorge Rail Route
A critical 1885 editorial argues that the treacherous, storm-battered rail line along the Columbia River is failing, urging the Union Pacific to build a direct, reliable connection to Puget Sound.
- The Middleman Trap: A Farm Journal Warns the Growers About Shady Commission Houses
A Northwest agricultural paper tells fruit shippers to beware 'snide concerns' that report produce as damaged and pocket the difference — and names a Tacoma firm closing its season 'under the cloud of shady transactions.'
- The War-Ready Chief of Ballast Island
Grandson of Chief Seattle, 'Tyee Peter' rallies his followers to defend the U.S. against Chile—and reflects on a history of misunderstanding with the military.
- Seattle Nearly Buys Its Canal, One Subscription at a Time
With $21,181 left to raise, the $500,000 Lake Washington Waterway fund is within reach — bankrolled by saloon keepers, a fireman and a hospital sister's $150.
- The Senate Kills the Railroad Rate Bill, and the Party Loses Face
An editorial lashes the state senate for 'slaughtering' the Helm bill regulating railroad freights and fares, despite the Republican platform and Governor McGraw's own demand for fairness to the public.
- The Drunken Gentleman of Commercial Street
A tipsy passenger’s chaotic attempt to board a streetcar and his subsequent social performance in 1877 Seattle.
- They Spent $1,500 of Taxpayers’ Money to Fight the Recall
A Kennewick editor demands a stronger recall law after two county officials allegedly used public funds to thwart voters—and kept their offices while the election played out.
- Steilacoom Empties Its Garrison for a Near-War on San Juan Island
On Aug. 9, 1859, soldiers and two brass cannon left Steilacoom aboard the steamer Julia to reinforce Capt. Pickett’s tiny command, as the U.S. and Britain edged toward war over a boundary and a pig.