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.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 16 |
| 1877 | 8 |
| 1878 | 5 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1883 | 16 |
| 1884 | 24 |
| 1885 | 17 |
| 1886 | 8 |
| 1887 | 12 |
| 1888 | 19 |
| 1889 | 36 |
| 1890 | 4 |
| 1891 | 34 |
| 1892 | 69 |
| 1893 | 76 |
| 1894 | 66 |
| 1895 | 78 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 5 |
| 1899 | 18 |
| 1900 | 6 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 41 |
| 1904 | 19 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1908 | 7 |
| 1909 | 32 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 3 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 7 |
| 1917 | 5 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 3 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
668 stories matching scheme
- The Swindler in the Customs House
A former customs official turned smuggling mastermind uses a fake 'special detective' scheme to trick colleagues and line his own pockets with molasses-filled trunks.
- The Great Northern's Secret Path Through Seattle
A quiet scheme to carve a tunnel through Beacon Hill and reshape the city's rail infrastructure.
- The Great Benton County Courthouse Standoff
As outgoing commissioners race to lock in a controversial courthouse contract, taxpayers secure a last-minute injunction to halt the scheme.
- Cattleman Arrested in Alleged Human Trafficking Scheme
A wealthy Walla Walla cattle rancher is caught trying to flee to Mexico after being charged with bringing a Parisian woman to Washington for immoral purposes.
- The Dolly Varden Ticket: Seattle's 1894 Scheme to Stitch Together a Political Frankenstein
Disgruntled Republicans and Democrats met in downtown Seattle to plan a hybrid 'taxpayers' ticket aimed at beating the regular Republican slate—if they could keep the seams from splitting.
- The $5.5 Million Bet That Would Reshape Seattle's Waterfront
St. Louis investors sign on to fill the tide flats and dig a canal linking Lake Washington to Puget Sound, betting Seattle will become the Pacific coast's leading city.
- The Lumber Town That Held Worker's Luggage Hostage
A Grays Harbor mill company is exposed for a predatory scheme that left hundreds of laborers stranded without their personal belongings.
- The Sailor's Forgery
A maritime worker's quick attempt to cash a fake order ends in an arrest.
- The Beer Hall Heist: A Busted Scheme on the Waterfront
A would-be thief’s plan to float stolen kegs to an Indian encampment ends in a cell.
- The Green River Coal Land Dispute
A law firm linked to the Northern Pacific Railroad is accused of using armed men to seize coal-rich land from local settlers.
- A New Town is Born in the Rain
The residents of Port Orchard vote overwhelmingly to incorporate as a new municipality.
- The Grand Coulee Ship Canal Dream
Promoters rally behind an ambitious proposal to connect the Columbia River through a series of lakes and rivers, hoping to transform Washington's inland geography into a global shipping hub.
- The Tragedy of the Parks Children
An Auburn father faces arrest after his children succumb to starvation while he allegedly schemed to remarry.
- Betrayal in the Press Room
When the editor of the Northern Star went on holiday, his trusted staff staged a secret coup to force the newspaper into bankruptcy.
- The Beer-Fueled Plot to Steal a Populist Club
Seattle's First Ward Populists packed a hall over John Considine's theater to stop Democrats from capturing their club—and the meeting turned into a brawl of speeches, resignations and accusations.
- Grays Harbor Voters Skeptical of McGraw's Ditch Scheme
A visit from Republican gubernatorial candidate John H. McGraw leaves local voters cold as he doubles down on the controversial Lake Washington canal project at the expense of local harbor interests.
- Fighting to Keep the Waterfront Open
Tacoma residents push back against an ordinance to vacate Sprague Street, which would block public access to the bay.
- The 1909 City Hall Power Grab That Tacoma Voters Were Told to Stop
A fiery Times editorial urged citizens to pack the council chamber against charter amendments it said would gut civil service, raise council pay, and hand city jobs to political loyalists.
- The Fugitive 'Dude'
A local Indigenous man is pursued by the sheriff for an alleged land fraud scheme involving Puyallup tribal property.
- The Snohomish Bond Scheme: How Outsiders Tried to Rig City Finances
When Eastern and California financiers tried to orchestrate a 'little combine' to depress the value of city bonds, Snohomish officials fought back.
- The Unlikely Rise of Belltown
When William N. Bell first envisioned a northern suburb for Seattle, critics called his plan a 'chimerical scheme of a visionary.' Today, the hammers are ringing as the neighborhood transforms from dense forest into a city hub.
- Northern Pacific Railroad's Columbia River Land Grab
A skeptical look at how the Northern Pacific Railroad is using speculative track-laying to claim 1,000,000 acres of public land.
- Olympia’s Capitol Fight: Donate the Land or Lose the Statehouse
A late-night Senate debate over the new state capitol turned on eleven acres, a $150,000 land scheme and whether Olympia should pay to keep the building—before the bill passed to applause.
- The Cable Car Scheme: How Seattle’s Council Blocked a Franchise to Save Front Street
In a decisive move against corporate influence, the City Council rejected the Seattle Electric Railway Company’s bid for a new cable car line on Front Street, citing public safety and narrow roads over private profit.
- City Hall's Risky Water Gamble
Tacoma officials are bypassing voter approval to fund a massive water expansion through high-interest debt that local bankers are only touching as a side deal.