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 |
|---|---|
| 1914 | 165 |
| 1915 | 193 |
| 1916 | 208 |
| 1917 | 184 |
| 1918 | 28 |
778 stories
- Hanford Water Users Seek More Water and Lower Fees
Water users on the old Hanford project take their fight against high maintenance fees to the State Public Service Commission.
- The Price of Water: Farmers Challenge Irrigation Monopoly
Water users take their case to the state commission, alleging that high salaries and massive advertising campaigns have left the local irrigation canal in a state of ruinous neglect.
- The Paving Revolt
Kennewick property owners swarm city hall, blocking local improvement plans amidst concerns over mounting debt.
- Kennewick Wins the Northwest's Great Livestock Clearing House
Packers and stockmen from four states organize a $100,000 company and pick a triangle of land by the depot to turn Kennewick into the feeder market between Canada and the Rockies.
- Eighty-Five Portland Boosters Take Kennewick by Storm
A trade excursion rolls into town for four hours of speeches, store visits, and open-river boosterism — with the mayor, the railroads, and a 'cocktail' cherry orchard all in on the fun.
- The Open River Was Supposed to Pay Dividends. Was Anyone Counting?
A year after the Celilo Canal opened, the Courier-Reporter asked whether the Inland Empire would actually use the river—and bragged that Kennewick was already the Columbia’s busiest freight town this side of Celilo.
- The Hanford Ditch War Goes Federal
A power and irrigation utility takes the state to court to fight regulated water rates, signaling a long battle over regional infrastructure.
- Orchardists Face New Menace
A dangerous agricultural blight has hit nearly every orchard in the Highlands, prompting an urgent call for collective intervention.
- The Battle Over Initiative 24
A leading activist warns local women that the 'Brewers' Bill' is a veiled threat to the state's hard-won prohibition laws.
- The Confusion of the Ballot: Understanding the Initiative and Referendum
Voters struggle to decipher the complex state measures governing lawmaking, recall, and public utilities ahead of the November 7th election.
- The Prosecutor Picked Prosser: Kennewick Demands His Resignation
Benton County's prosecuting attorney tells the commissioners he is 'prejudiced in favor of Prosser' in the court house bond fight — and the Kennewick editor says a public official has no right to a favorite side.
- Kennewick Mobilizes for World War I
Local women organize a Red Cross auxiliary and plan a patriotic rally to support the nation as conflict looms.
- The War on Rot: Kennewick's Fruit Crisis
As WWI labor shortages threaten the local harvest, an editorial demands federal intervention to preserve the region's fruit.
- Early Whitman County Pioneer Found Dead in Hotel
H. S. Young, a prominent early settler of Whitman County, passes away in a local hotel while seeking relief from illness.
- Kennewick Valley Farmers Move to Buy Their Irrigation System
After decades of friction, local growers organize an irrigation district to take control of their water supply from a private company.
- The Struggle for Water Autonomy
Facing a decaying irrigation system, Kennewick farmers are urged to stop fighting the provider and take control of their own infrastructure.
- The Loyalty Question in Kennewick
A local editor questions the patriotism of German-speaking residents and parochial schools during the height of World War I.
- The Case for a Central Power Plant in Kennewick
A Seattle engineer argues that consolidating regional power generation in Kennewick could slash electricity rates.
- Local Contractor Wins Highway Bid Amid Board Debate
County Commissioners grapple with local versus lowest-cost bidding in the construction of the Kennewick-Finley Highway.
- The State’s $12 Million Land Swap
A major administrative agreement aims to consolidate state school lands from forest reserves to boost timber revenue.
- The Looming Strike Threatens the Harvest
Railroads impose an embargo on perishable shipments in Kennewick as a national strike deadline looms for Labor Day.
- The Exemption of Martin Garber
When a local man avoided the WWI draft to farm beans and fruit, the community demanded an explanation, forcing the draft board to release his records.
- The Dust That Cost a Dollar: Kennewick’s Summer of Dry Streets
With city coffers empty and saloon licenses expired, the Commercial Club faces a parching summer. Will business owners pay for water, or let the dust settle?
- The Great Strawberry Labor Scramble
As Kennewick prepares for its largest berry harvest in history, local growers are turning to the Exchange and coastal agencies to import hundreds of workers—specifically Japanese laborers—to handle the crop.
- The Mail-Order Menace: How Catalogs Were Killing Kennewick’s Main Street
A fiery editorial in the 1914 Courier-Reporter warns that buying from Montgomery Ward’s catalog is a betrayal of local commerce, arguing that every dollar sent to Chicago or New York directly causes the death of small-town merchants.