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.
Refine1 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 130 |
| 1883 | 799 |
| 1884 | 455 |
| 1885 | 838 |
| 1886 | 492 |
| 1887 | 484 |
3,198 stories
- A Fatal Accident at the Port Gamble Mill
A longtime employee, planning his future in Seattle, is killed by a falling timber while clearing a machine at the Port Gamble sawmill.
- The President Takes the Side of the Homesteader
In an unprecedented rebuke to a powerful railroad corporation, President Grover Cleveland defends a Washington Territory settler's right to his land.
- The Myth of Labor Displacement
An 1887 editorial piece argues that fears of Chinese laborers 'stealing' work are baseless, claiming they fill roles white workers refuse to take.
- The Governor’s Hotel: A Scandal of Misplaced Charges
When an out-of-town politician accused Washington Territory Governor Watson C. Squire of war profiteering during the anti-Chinese riots, the business community and local Democrats rallied to defend his integrity.
- The Scandal of the County Treasury
After years of whispers regarding the administration of the former county treasurer, a grand jury finally returns a true bill of indictment for forgery.
- The Trimmer Saw's Heavy Toll
A sawmill accident on the waterfront leads to a high-stakes court battle over worker safety and corporate negligence.
- The Great Ballot Standoff of 1887
Defying court rulings and the city attorney, Seattle election officials boldly register 800 women to vote in a municipal election, sparking local outrage.
- The Saloon Vote and the Clean-Up of 1887
A wave of reform hits Seattle’s city government as voters turn out the old guard, citing the corrupting influence of the 'saloon element' in local politics.
- The Tragedy at the New Mill
A violent, drunken confrontation between two laborers at a Seattle-area sawmill ends in a shocking murder-suicide.
- The Unprecedented Heatwave of 1887
As temperatures soared to over 100 degrees, Seattle grappled with a record-breaking heat spell that left dozens dead and the city in a state of exhaustion.
- The Bold Legal Maneuver of Mrs. O'Connell
A Seattle woman wins a groundbreaking court victory for financial independence and custody of her children.
- The Lawless Slaughter of Columbia River Salmon
A century and a half ago, reports from 1887 reveal that unregulated commercial fishing practices on the Columbia River led to the mass harvest of out-of-season fish, despite laws designed to prevent such waste.
- The Great Seattle Property Map Scandal
A scathing editorial reveals that King County’s property assessments are so riddled with errors that the tax rolls are essentially worthless, leaving the local government in a state of administrative paralysis.
- The Great Tax Assessment Debacle of 1887
King County taxpayers find themselves in an uproar as a bungled property assessment, based on a worthless abstract, threatens the city’s financial stability.
- A Frontier Vendetta at Olequa
A simmering family feud in rural Washington erupts in a deadly rail-platform battle, leaving two men dead and a community in shock.
- The Logging War on the Cascade Branch
A standoff between federal agents and the Northern Pacific Railroad reveals the brutal reality of timber 'development' in Washington Territory.
- The Street Improvement Fiasco
Workers left penniless and street projects stalled as city contractors vanish without pay.
- The Church and the Union: A Moral Tug-of-War in 1887
When the Knights of Labor came under fire from the Vatican, their leader had to scramble to prove that their fight for workers wasn't a precursor to anarchy.
- Tragedy on the Tracks: A Night of Horror
A train derailment near Seattle leaves passengers trapped in the wreckage as a fire begins to spread through the cars.
- A Fatal Fall for a Tacoma Fireman
A member of Native Hose Company No. 1 dies after falling from a wet, slick roof while responding to a call.
- The Smallpox Mayor of Old Tacoma
When an outbreak of smallpox threatened the young town of New Tacoma in 1881, its first mayor took drastic, solitary action to save the community.
- The Sudden Awakening of Samuel Baxter
After years lost to the shadows of insanity, a Seattle man shocks his family by abruptly returning to his senses.
- The Great Railroad Land Grab
A government commissioner issues a sweeping order to restore millions of acres of Western land to the public domain after decades of railroad control.
- The Shadow on the Great Street Bridge
A murder trial reveals the dark final hours of a man named Schoberbring, whose death on a lonely Seattle road sparked a search for his killer.
- Trapped on the Tracks: A Laborer's Peril at Newcastle
A railroad construction worker suffers horrific injuries after being run over by a train in the mining town of Newcastle, highlighting the routine dangers faced by Seattle’s laborers in the late 19th century.