Research the archive
Narrow 22,457 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.
Refine1 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1862 | 7 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 38 |
| 1877 | 12 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 11 |
| 1885 | 19 |
| 1886 | 6 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 20 |
| 1889 | 18 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 8 |
| 1892 | 39 |
| 1893 | 56 |
| 1894 | 32 |
| 1895 | 12 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 7 |
| 1909 | 1 |
306 stories
- The Seamen's Union and the Dynamite Scare
A wave of paranoia hits the Pacific Coast as authorities hunt for a fugitive sailor linked to a fatal San Francisco bombing.
- The Hatch Left Open: How a Passenger's Injury Put a Steamship Under Arrest
Mary Phelps was permanently maimed when a crew removed a hatch aboard the City of Panama. When the vessel reached Port Townsend, U.S. Marshal Hopkins seized it—prompting citizens to raise a $100,000 bond.
- The Day the Sloop Fired on a Federal Cutter
In 1860, twenty-four Port Townsend citizens chartered a sloop to save $5 on fares to Olympia. When intercepted by a revenue cutter, their captain opened fire with a brass howitzer—only to discover he’d just threatened the U.S. government.
- The Bread and Butter Vote: How the Custom House Ring Rigged Port Townsend Politics
In a stunning display of patronage politics in September 1876, federal employees in Port Townsend marched in lockstep to defeat local opposition, proving that government jobs were still the ultimate political currency.
- Smallpox Scare Drives Indigenous Families from Port Townsend
After learning of a smallpox outbreak in British Columbia, a group of Kuyoquot Indians preparing to work the canneries turns back to protect their communities from contagion.
- The Legal Quandary of Chinese Exclusion
A local judge grapples with the harsh realities and administrative conflicts of the 1892 Chinese Exclusion Act.
- The Jefferson County Political Volcano
A local Democratic club launches a full-scale mutiny against the Collector of Customs, accusing him of cronyism and financial improprieties.
- The Port Townsend Democratic Uprising
A raucous meeting of the Young Men's Democratic Club in Port Townsend erupts in chaos as members pass scathing resolutions condemning Collector of Customs James C. Saunders for cronyism and alleged corruption.
- The Editor’s Defense of a Federal Appointee
After losing his status as Public Printer, the newspaper editor takes up the cause of the embattled Port Townsend Collector of Customs, Victor Smith.
- The Town That Lost Its Custom House
An observant traveler visits Port Townsend and finds a community reeling from political retaliation and questionable pulpit interpretations.
- A Woman Takes Port Townsend Police to Court
Elizabeth Scott is suing the city for $5,000, alleging that a police officer broke her wrist for the 'crime' of smiling at the Chief of Police during a parade.
- Five Hours Adrift Near Marrowstone Point
A sudden shift in the wind leaves three sailors clinging to their swamped sloop for five hours in the cold waters off the Olympic Peninsula before rescue arrives.
- The Great Steamship Escape
To avoid being seized by creditors after a collision, the steamer Premier was secretly floated and moved across the border into British waters.
- The Pilot’s Plea for Protection
A Puget Sound pilot is found cutting wood for a living because the lack of regulation has made the profession impossible to sustain.
- A Wood Wagon Sank in the Mud Outside Good Templars' Hall
A Port Townsend editor told the new town trustees to fix existing roads before launching grand new ones—after neighbors had to unload Peter Smith's wagon to free it.
- The Trial of Ferdinand Falkenbarg
A shooting incident involving the 'Duke of York' and his family sparks outrage in Port Townsend, revealing the complex, fading status of local Indigenous leaders in the frontier era.
- The Waterfront Cold War: Seattle's 1888 Seamen's Strike
Tensions boil over on the Puget Sound as sailors fight a planned wage reduction, leading to a massive standoff in Port Townsend.
- The Tragedy of a Wealthy Wanderer
After years of traveling from China to Alaska, a woman known as Ida Williams attempts to end her life in Port Townsend.
- The Violent End of a Beachcomber Feud in Port Townsend
A long-standing quarrel between two ex-soldiers in Port Townsend culminates in a fatal shootout on the beach.
- Canada’s Naturalization Papers Denied at the Border
Federal authorities reject the residency status of Chinese British subjects, sparking a test case for immigration restrictions.
- The Struggle for a Family’s Right to Stay Together
A Chinese merchant battles in federal court after immigration authorities refused his wife entry to the United States.
- A Fatal Tiller Blow on the Sound
A pioneer fisherman faces manslaughter charges after a tragic, unintended killing of a close friend.
- The Sealing Wars: Customs vs. Navy
Tensions rise at Port Townsend as federal authorities clash over how to enforce restrictive sealing laws on local schooners.
- The Mine That Wasn’t? A Captain Denies a Half-Million-Dollar Gold Swindle
An English capitalist’s suit against Alaska millionaires turned a Port Townsend sailing into a Pacific Coast sensation, with charges of swapped ore, gold-soaked drill cores, and a forceful denial from Capt. James Carroll.
- The Brutal Reality of Being 'Shanghaied' in Puget Sound
A survivor recounts the terrifying process of being drugged and forced onto a deep-sea vessel, exposing the dark side of local maritime labor practices.
Download all 306 as a spreadsheet (CSV) · Show them on the map