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 Forgotten Municipal Boarding House
In 1887, a Seattle councilman proposed a city-funded boarding house to protect immigrants from predatory boarding house operators and ensure the city welcomed its new arrivals.
- A Mother’s Fight for Her Stolen Child
After allegedly losing her daughter to a charitable mission years prior, a Tacoma woman turns to the district court to force a Seattle couple to surrender the child.
- The Seattle Rail Boom of 1888
A massive new contract with a Canadian firm promises to connect Seattle to the transcontinental rail line, fueling the city's rapid, foundation-building growth.
- The Unlucky Traveler of King County
A lonely worker injured on the job finds himself a pawn in a bureaucratic tug-of-war between the county and his employer.
- The Swindled Investor and the 'Silver Mine' Scam
A Seattle real estate dealer is arrested after selling fake claims to a nonexistent silver mine, sparking a heated legal battle and a courtroom confrontation.
- The Shadowed Rooms of Washington Street
A reporter dives into the underground 'stud poker' dens of 1880s Seattle, where railway men and laborers wagered their wages against the house.
- The Great Canal Dream of 1887
A visionary project to link Lake Union and Lake Washington promises to turn Seattle into a fresh-water harbor, revolutionizing the lumber industry and securing the city's future.
- The Unseen Crime Wave in Early Seattle
A local report exposes how the Seattle police force in the late 1880s suppressed news of burglaries to keep them out of the papers, hoping to solve the crimes quietly—with disastrous, ineffective results.
- The Waterfront Property War
A high-stakes legal battle over Seattle's tide lands pits powerful developers against squatters in a fight for the future of the harbor.
- Abandoned with an infant, a woman sues for her livelihood
A Seattle dentist’s wife seeks legal support after he leaves her and their child destitute, exposing the stark financial vulnerability of women in the 1887 frontier.
- The Burglary in the Cathedral
A legal loophole in Washington Territory prevents a man accused of living inside a church from being charged with burglary, sparking a public outcry against the prosecutor.
- The Sea Captain’s Return to Seattle
After surviving a shipwreck, an opium smuggling trial, and years of exile, a seasoned mariner decides he is done running and returns to Seattle to settle his debts.
- The Ghost Ship of Seattle’s Waterfront
A derelict bark ship, once a billboard for local businesses, is buried in sawdust and slabs to become the foundation of a new shoreline.
- Abandoned by the County: The Price of Survival for Injured Laborers
Two men, broken by the dangerous work of the local mills, were left destitute and homeless when the county authorities refused to bear the cost of their recovery.
- The Great Opera House Escape
A suspected swindler slips his guard and vanishes from a Seattle building mid-construction.
- Blood on the Ballroom Floor
A dance in Belltown ends in a violent altercation and a tragic suicide.
- The Rapid Transformation of Puget Sound
An old-timer writes to the editor to ask for news of Seattle, prompting a reflection on the dizzying speed of the city's growth from a three-house settlement in 1853 to a bustling port in 1883.
- A Massive New Gateway for Seattle
The Oregon Improvement Company prepares to construct a giant, copper-clad wharf to accommodate ocean steamers.
- The Unfinished Dream of Connecting the Lakes
A look at the immense civic benefits of cutting a waterway between Lake Union and Lake Washington.
- The Price of Loyalty in the Mill
A convict's poem reflects on his friend's sacrifice after a desperate act of theft to feed a starving family.
- The Street Grader’s Injunction
Prominent real estate developer H.L. Yesler halts work on Third Street with a temporary restraining order against local contractors.
- A Pioneer's Return: 1863 to 1883
Rev. D. K. Maine visits the rapidly transforming city he helped settle twenty years prior.
- Tragedy at the Yesler Mill
A worker ignoring safety warnings perishes after a sawmill accident.
- The Northern Pacific's Expansion Plans for Puget Sound
Superintendent John Muir details new steamships, massive grain elevators, and Alaskan tourist excursions as the railroad bolsters the Northwest region.
- The predatory business of 'confidential' loans
A Seattle reporter goes undercover to expose local money lenders charging exorbitant interest rates to the desperate.