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 Child of Contention
A twelve-year-old girl is caught in a legal tug-of-war between her struggling mother and the House of the Good Shepherd.
- A Shootout on Front Street
An attempted arrest of two suspected thieves ends in a violent exchange of gunfire near the waterfront.
- The Bookkeeper Who Played Lawyer
A former insurance company clerk, accused of forgery, stunned the King County courtroom by ditching his defense counsel to argue his own case.
- The City vs. The County: A Dispute Over Who Feeds the Poor
A finger-pointing match erupts between the City of Seattle and King County as local officials refuse to fund the medical care of the indigent.
- The Waterfront Salmon Strike and the Ghost of a Deal
A broken promise of a buyer, a scuffle over fishing rights, and the quiet departure of Chinese cannery workers reveal the volatility of the Seattle fishing industry.
- The Postal Inspector's Decoy Trap
A persistent postal investigator nabs two local lottery men after months of elaborate sting operations.
- A Desperate Note at Meadow Point
A young man, broken by unemployment, leaves a chilling note in a rented boat before vanishing near Ballard.
- The City’s Cruel Gatekeeping of Life
A man lay injured, but the city refused to pay for his emergency care, highlighting a systemic failure in the treatment of the city's vulnerable.
- Streetcar Accident Leaves Injured Passenger Without Recourse
A teenage girl’s suit against the Grant Street Electric Railway is dismissed when a judge rules the company has no legal duty to provide safe passage to the sidewalk.
- The Elopement That Baffled Tacoma and Seattle
A husband seeks his wife after she runs off with a gambler, only to find the new arrangement agreeable to all parties involved.
- Gambling House Siege on Front Street
A theatrical manager battles a city crackdown with lawyers and his own fists.
- The Customs Trap: An International Steamship Row
A British steamer’s decision to transport passengers between two American ports leads to a local confrontation over federal shipping laws.
- The Sewer Tunnel Brawl
A physical confrontation between a city commissioner and a foreman reveals deep-seated tensions over patronage, naturalization, and the hiring of a Canadian family for city work.
- The Sad End of Seattle's 'Boy Captain'
A legendary Puget Sound steamboat captain turned professional gambler finds his luck—and his life—allegedly lost at sea.
- The Underground Fire Beneath Jackson Street
Firemen battle a persistent blaze burning within the tide-flat ashes beneath the electric light works.
- A Heartbreak in a Seattle Boarding House
An elderly man’s public quest to 'rescue' his beloved from her life at the Pacific House leads to a courtroom confrontation.
- A Miraculous Escape on Front Street
A young boy was run over by a delivery truck, yet managed to walk away with his life.
- The Waterfront Collapse
McNaught's wharf at the foot of Virginia Street crumbles into the bay, destroying a warehouse and a local fish packer's livelihood.
- A Dance Hall Rescue
A young immigrant woman, alone and desperate, finds an unexpected protector in the unlikely setting of a Seattle dance house.
- The Lonely End of a Civil War Veteran
After years spent laboring in Seattle's saloons, Alexander 'Scotty' Brown dies in the back room of a Jackson Street establishment.
- The Custody Battle of Baby Augustus
A toddler causes a stir in Judge Osborn's court as separated parents spar over custody rights in a high-stakes legal drama.
- The Mystery Man at the Rail Yards
A man found critically injured near the Northern Pacific tracks dies in the hospital, leaving behind only a cryptic note and a broken life.
- The Sudden Flight of Ballard's Prominent Citizen
A local businessman flees to Chicago, leaving unfinished projects and a cryptic telegram behind, out of a sensitive fear of public scandal.
- The Obsession of George Jarvis
A Seattle man is arrested for a campaign of harassment against two local dressmakers, leaving their neighbors and the city’s socialites reeling.
- Fatal Plunge into the Tide
A runaway team forces a Seattle teamster off the unguarded planks of Commercial Street to his death.