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 |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 421 |
| 1889 | 1,084 |
| 1891 | 492 |
| 1892 | 2,259 |
| 1893 | 2,699 |
| 1894 | 2,015 |
| 1895 | 1,830 |
10,800 stories
- Waterfront Tug-of-War Over Labor
A captain loading lumber at the Seattle waterfront finds his non-union crew repeatedly intercepted by striking longshoremen.
- The Siege of Commercial Street
A routine arrest of a sailor in a Seattle lodging house escalates into a pitched battle between police and the neighborhood’s residents.
- The Stranger in the King County Jail
Convicted of robbery during a drunken brawl in 1891, a friendless sailor seeks clemency with the support of the city's power brokers.
- The Abandoned Property on Stewart Street
A divorce filing in Seattle details a life of abuse and abandonment, as a woman fights for her home and the support of her children.
- The Salmon Strike and the 'Foreign-Born' Agitators
Fishermen demand a pay raise from the Myers cannery, leading to threats, intimidation, and accusations of foreign influence.
- A Night of Exchange at the Baptist Chinese Mission
A rare 1891 cultural exchange took place at the Baptist mission, featuring speeches and a feast that aimed to bridge racial divides through education.
- The Theater Owner's Vicious Reckoning
After a gambling raid, a theater owner allegedly beat his accuser within the walls of his own business.
- The Banker's Scandalous Opera Alley Spree
A Coupeville bank cashier’s disappearance turns into a public disgrace as reports emerge of his lavish debauchery in Tacoma’s red-light district.
- The Makah Nation’s Fleet Challenges the Seal Hunters
With firearms banned, the Makah sealers of Neah Bay turn to traditional hunting methods, outmaneuvering white commercial competitors.
- The A.P.A. Sermon at the Seattle Theater
A local pastor uses his pulpit to incite against the Catholic Church, claiming a secret war for the nation's soul.
- A New Haven for Working Women
The newly organized Young Women's Christian Association opens its doors to provide meals, employment, and safety to Seattle's laboring class.
- Court Overturns Conviction in Saloon Killing
The Washington Supreme Court grants a new trial to James Murphy, who murdered a bartender for refusing to serve him liquor.
- A Jackson Street Attack, and the Laundryman Who Would Not Let It Go
A repeat offender punched three Chinese men outside a laundry; a booking error let him off lightly, until one victim pressed his own assault charge.
- A Razor, a Fist, and a Wife's Plea for Divorce
Emma L. McKenzie told a Seattle court that her husband threatened to kill her with a razor and beat her in front of their 7-year-old son.
- The Great Fire That Turned Seattle’s Suburb into Ash
A fast-moving blaze in the early morning hours consumed nearly all of South Seattle's business district, leaving dozens of families destitute and causing over $100,000 in damage.
- The Day the Territorial Supreme Court Killed Women's Suffrage in Washington
In a landmark test case from May 1902, Judge Sash ruled that the Organic Act of Washington Territory only granted voting rights to males, effectively striking down local efforts to enfranchise women.
- The Settler's Victory Against the Northern Pacific
A landmark Secretary of the Interior decision in 1888 effectively blocked the Northern Pacific Railroad from seizing 'indemnity' lands held by Washington homesteaders.
- The Governor’s War: Seattle’s Militia Mutiny and the Coal Creek Massacre
In the wake of a deadly strike at Newcastle coal mines, Governor Elisha Peery clashes with local sheriff over military command, exposing the fragility of civil authority in Washington Territory.
- The Black Miners Who Came to Save Roslyn
In February 1885, a special train carrying 300 African American laborers from the East Coast arrived in Washington Territory to break a coal strike. Their arrival ended weeks of unrest and restored order to the struggling mining town.
- The Last Frontier: Washington Admitted to the Union
As President Harrison signs the 'Omnibus Bill,' Seattle celebrates the end of territorial status and the dawn of statehood for the Pacific Northwest.
- The Night Cheney Burned to the Ground
A pre-dawn fire decimated half of Cheney’s business district, leaving city officials to suspect arson as the town vowed to rise again from the ashes.
- The Battle for the Tideflats: A Legal Standoff in Early Seattle
A landmark court ruling in 1890 defined the limits of corporate expansion over the rights of property owners, setting a precedent for Seattle’s rapidly changing waterfront.
- After the Great Fire of 1889: Rebuilding a City from the Ashes
While Seattle recovers from a devastating conflagration, a citywide debate pits public safety and urban planning against private interests over the future layout of the business district.
- Seattle Rebuilds After Fire, Clearing Ruins and Sheltering Residents
Following the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, the city grapples with the logistics of debris clearance, housing relief, and the return of labor.
- The Rebuilding of Seattle After the Great Fire
Civic leaders and laborers work to transform the scorched remains of the city into a modern metropolis.