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 |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 314 |
| 1889 | 785 |
| 1891 | 328 |
| 1892 | 1,308 |
| 1893 | 1,604 |
| 1894 | 1,246 |
| 1895 | 1,087 |
6,672 stories
- The Minister and the Saloon
A fiery Memorial Day sermon calls out the city's corrupt politics and the vice rampant in the very shadow of Seattle's churches.
- Seattle Honors Its Civil War Veterans
A massive Memorial Day parade and solemn ceremony at Lake View Cemetery mark the city's largest-ever tribute to fallen Union soldiers.
- A Lonely Death on the Way to the Hospital
An unidentified man, likely a former builder suffering from dropsy, dies in the arms of a jailer while being transported to Providence Hospital.
- The Price of Desperation
A robbery of a life savings and a bureaucratic failure in the county health system lead to tragic outcomes for Seattle's vulnerable.
- The Waterfront's First Industry Ends in Smoke
An abandoned barrel factory, once a symbol of Seattle's early industrial ambition, was destroyed by a fire lit by local children looking to warm up after a swim.
- The Last Survivor of the 1856 Siege
Admiral Thomas Stowell Phelps, who helped defend a fragile Seattle from the woods near Yesler's Mill, recounts the terror and strategic maneuvers of the Battle of Seattle.
- The Jailhouse Gas Leak Incident
A young woman suffering from a mental health crisis dismantles jail plumbing in a desperate attempt to end her life.
- The Waterfront Railroad War
A high-stakes turf war breaks out at the foot of Madison Street as rival rail companies fight to lay track across contested land.
- Tragedy at Pioneer Place
A laborer loses his leg after a harrowing accident on the Yesler Avenue cable line.
- The Theater That Never Rose
A legal war erupts over a prime downtown corner as competing developers and a frustrated landowner fight over a failed opera house dream.
- The Hard Lives of Seattle's Working Class
Hospital records from 1892 reveal the brutal physical toll of industrial labor in Seattle’s growing logging and rail sectors.
- The Midnight Extortion at the Cherry Street House
A Seattle restaurant owner claims he was held at gunpoint and forced to empty his bank account, sparking a sensational lawsuit.
- The Saloon Stoop Feud
A corner clothing shop proprietor scores a court victory against a neighboring basement saloon's attempt to wall off the sidewalk.
- The Strawberry Shootout on the Sehome
A minor dispute over stolen fruit on a Puget Sound excursion steamer escalates into a violent, multi-shot confrontation between crew members.
- The Conductor, the Widow, and the Mock Marriage
A streetcar conductor's scheme to juggle two fiancées collapses in a dramatic confrontation on a Seattle trolley.
- The Tragic Awakening at the St. Charles Hotel
A man awakes to find his roommate dead from a suspected morphine overdose, revealing the dark side of a local sailor's life.
- Seattle's Grand Independence Day Jubilee
A massive display of civic pride, featuring a grand parade of labor unions, military companies, and elaborate trade floats, marks the most ambitious celebration in the city’s history.
- The Siege of Seattle: A Memory of 1856
On the Fourth of July, 1892, Seattle reflected on the narrow brush with total destruction during the battle of 1856, guided by those who lived through the smoke of the Decatur's cannons.
- The Escape of 'Big Nose Pete'
A notorious Chicago burglar makes a narrow escape from a Seattle detective after an intense foot chase through a downtown saloon.
- Gambling Near the Throne
City hall's political elites are quietly sanctioning a new gambling house for the well-connected.
- The Battle for the Bark Elsinore
Striking sailors trail a tugboat in a high-stakes effort to prevent non-union labor from shipping out.
- The Parasol Beatdown on Commercial Dock
A husband’s attempt to slip away from his marriage is thwarted by an irate wife and her umbrella.
- The Sarah B. Yesler Dwelling
Seattle pioneer Henry L. Yesler donates $2,000 to furnish a new boarding house for working women in memory of his late wife.
- Smallpox Scare in Seattle Hotels
Public health officers scramble to quarantine guests at the Alaska Hotel and St. Elmo after two smallpox cases emerge on Main Street.
- The Populist Firebrand Comes to Seattle
Mary Elizabeth Lease and General James B. Weaver draw an massive, curious crowd to the Seattle Opera House to debate the 'robberies' of the wealthy.