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.
Refine2 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 98 |
| 1883 | 511 |
| 1884 | 326 |
| 1885 | 566 |
| 1886 | 361 |
| 1887 | 327 |
2,189 stories
- The Ghost of the Anti-Chinese Riots
A mysterious agitator claims the soldiers have arrived to protect Seattle's Chinese population, triggering panic and confusion on the docks.
- The Final Division of the Terry Estate
After twenty years of shared ownership, the heirs of Seattle pioneer C.C. Terry divide the family’s downtown real estate holdings.
- New Year's Eve Terror at the Brunswick
A head cook is struck down by an unknown assailant in a downtown lodging house, sparking a city-wide investigation and an arrest of a desperate, unemployed plasterer.
- The Hatchet in the Room
A New Year's night assault at a Seattle boarding house leads to a suspicious man, a bloodied hat, and a neighborhood hunt.
- The Old Union Flag
A group of Seattle schoolboys preparing for a dance discovered a historic, weather-beaten Union flag—triggering a local effort to preserve the banner that once flew over the Civil War-era Union League.
- The Lonely Traveler’s Fear of the 'Conspiracy'
A Welsh immigrant's cross-state journey ends in the Seattle jail, fueled by his desperate pleas for protection from imagined pursuers.
- The Wharf War on Taylor Street
A legal tug-of-war breaks out as the Union Wharf Company tries to block the Hastings family from accessing the waterfront, setting a precedent for public street rights in early Seattle.
- The Boycott Handbills
After anonymous anti-Chinese handbills appear in Seattle, local laborers write to the Post-Intelligencer to clarify their role—and distance themselves from the movement.
- A Runaway Team Causes Panic on Front Street
A teamster's attempt to stop his runaway horses results in a dangerous, public struggle near the Occidental Hotel.
- The High-Stakes Duel on Jackson Street
Two prominent Seattle businessmen settled a long-standing rivalry with an elaborate, heavily trained, and well-wagered foot race across a city bridge.
- The Steamship Race of the Century on Puget Sound
A high-speed duel between two rival steamboats turns into a thirteen-mile grudge match across the Sound.
- The Pirates of the Pacific: When Salvage Means Plunder
A biting critique from 1886 argues that maritime 'salvage' laws in the Pacific Northwest have transformed honest sailors into modern-day pirates who hold ships hostage for ransom.
- The 'Seattle Idea': A Warning Against Corporate Territorial Grabs
In an 1885 editorial, local papers sounded the alarm over the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company’s attempt to claim vast swaths of Seattle’s waterfront and tide lands.
- The Scandal of the 'Assignation House' on Front Street
A public, anonymous accusation of moral impropriety sparks a newspaper rebuttal and a demand for civic dignity in early Seattle.
- The Mysterious Poisoning at the Fountain
A peculiar outbreak of illness in Seattle leaves townspeople baffled after drinking from a public water source.
- The Fracturing of Seattle’s Labor Movement
As industrial tensions simmered in 1886, a local newspaper editorial condemned the radicalization of the Knights of Labor, contrasting them with the more moderate national leadership of Terence V. Powderly.
- The Price of Keeping the Peace
After anti-Chinese riots rocked Seattle in 1886, the city found itself with a massive bill for martial law and the cost of keeping the peace.
- A Father’s Cruel Abandonment
A Seattle physician leaves his children in the care of a stranger and vanishes without payment or provision, exposing the vulnerability of local families to predatory abandonment.
- The Ghost of a Bullet
A Civil War veteran finds a long-forgotten piece of shrapnel finally working its way out of his body twenty years after the battle.
- Mrs. Dine, Aging Teacher, Needs Community Support
An aging Seattle resident, who once helped build the foundations of the city, now struggles in penury—prompting a call for civic support.
- The Great Liquor Debate of 1886
As Seattle teetered on the edge of a new era, citizens prepared for a pivotal June vote to determine the future of the local liquor trade.
- The Temperance Storm Brews in Seattle
Prohibition advocates take to the stage in 1886, igniting a fierce debate over morality, city control, and the role of the working man in a changing Washington Territory.
- The Jailbreak on Commercial Street
A clever prisoner manages to pick the lock of his cell and slip away into the night, leaving the sheriff scrambling for a lead.
- The Unpaid Players of the Casino Opera Company
When an acting troupe failed to pay its stars in 1886, the performers fought back by seizing the entire production—including the costumes and luggage—to cover their lost wages.
- The Stranger and the Starving Boy
A hungry child caught stealing a loaf of bread on a steamer finds an unexpected defender in a kind-hearted passenger.