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 |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1858 | 13 |
| 1859 | 25 |
| 1860 | 7 |
| 1861 | 5 |
| 1863 | 2 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 7 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1904 | 6 |
| 1909 | 6 |
107 stories
- The Mail That Stopped Coming to Puget Sound
For more than ten days no mail arrived from California or the Atlantic states. Steilacoom’s editor blamed a federal order in San Francisco and wondered how long the town could keep publishing.
- The Day the Steamers Left Puget Sound
An 1861 Steilacoom editor warns that losing ocean steamship service will isolate Washington Territory and strangle its growth.
- A Runaway Horse, a Broken Skull, and a Mother's New Misfortune
Near Judge Chambers's house, Mrs. Riccomba's young son was thrown and dragged; he lay in a very critical state.
- Fighting Whisky and a Free Fight in Steilacoom's Streets
A dozen strangers brawl outside Jerry Dennis's house, prompting the editor to demand the disorderly den be closed.
- A Bullet From Nowhere Struck a Boy in Quiet Steilacoom
A 13-year-old collapsed in the street with a .22-caliber slug in his leg. X-rays found the bullet; nobody could say who fired it.
- A Runaway from the Olympia Jail
A man named Simmons, recently confined in the Olympia jail, has been spotted in Steilacoom.
- The Gendered Crisis of the Washington Asylum
A brief, callous report from 1878 chronicles an individual suffering a mental health crisis, shedding light on the historical intersection of medical pathologization and gender nonconformity in the Pacific Northwest.
- The Sad State of McNeil Island
A former inmate calls for books to replace the monotony of prison life.
- The Asylum's Quiet Harmony
A rare glimpse into the operations of Washington Territory’s only mental hospital, as reported by its superintendent in 1884.
- A Frontier Call to Stand by the Union
Meeting in Steilacoom, Pierce County Republicans resolve to support the Constitution and condemn the removal of the Territorial Capitol.
- Duck Hunter Shot in Rowboat Accident
A Japanese hunter near Steilacoom was seriously wounded after his own shotgun discharged in his boat.
- The Unauthorized Preacher
A man committed to the state asylum after an erratic attempt to seize a local pulpit is sent back to care.
- The Town That Voted to Keep Its Saloon
By a single vote, the town of Steilacoom decided to maintain its remaining liquor license in a special election.
- Steilacoom Builds Before the Crowd Arrives
Warehouses on pilings, a new store and a brick jail: the town's 1853 building boom was a bet on growth.
- The Hudson's Bay Company Puts a Price on Washington Territory
A proposed £500,000 sale of the company's Puget Sound land claims alarmed settlers and left Congress uncertain about who really owned the ground.
- A Miraculous Escape on Puget Sound: Two Steamers Collide Near Steilacoom
The steamer Northerner and a second vessel met suddenly on the water in October 1858, crushing the little steamer’s bow and nearly sending its captain into the Sound.
- The Vultures on Steilacoom's Streets
A furious 1858 editorial accuses local authorities of letting California gamblers plunder the town in plain sight.
- Steilacoom’s Editor Asks Who Will Start the Fire Brigade
With wooden buildings packed into the business district and no reservoir, engine or ladder company, the Puget Sound Herald warns that a single blaze could erase the town’s prospects.
- A Boomtown Year: Steilacoom Runs Out of Empty Houses
In its first-anniversary survey of Puget Sound, the Herald finds every vacant building in Steilacoom filled — and thirty new ones thrown up in eight months.
- The Steamer That Never Came: Steilacoom's Broken Promise of a Pleasure Trip
A hundred neighbors set aside their work for a promised steamboat excursion to Olympia — but the boat failed to show, the crowd simmered, and the day ended in a dance hall instead of on deck.
- The Coat That Became a Campaign Scandal
A Steilacoom merchant says Col. Wm. H. Wallace paid for the coat Warren Gore called stolen—and that the real target is the county's voters.
- A Frontier Fourth: Cannon, Troops, and a Ball in Steilacoom
On July 4, 1859, Steilacoom turned out for a warship salute, a military review at Fort Steilacoom, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and an evening ball.
- The Mystery of the 'Sea-Monster' in Pierce County
A strange creature from the 'animal kingdom' is brought to Steilacoom, sparking local debate over its true nature.
- The Farmer and the Unruly Ox
A cautionary tale of how cruelty toward livestock backfires on the master.
- The Mystery of the Degenerate Wheat
A local doctor presents a strange botanical specimen that challenges the agricultural wisdom of 1859.
Download all 107 as a spreadsheet (CSV) · Show them on the map