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 | 6 |
| 1889 | 40 |
| 1891 | 42 |
| 1892 | 27 |
| 1893 | 104 |
| 1894 | 17 |
| 1895 | 113 |
349 stories
- Tacoma Tries to Halt the State Capitol
Tacoma's Chamber of Commerce calls Olympia's new capitol a waste in hard times, but lawmakers vote down a bill to stop the work.
- The Great Olympia Real Estate Boom: 'Only a Question of Time'
As the capital city experiences a frenzy of property sales and predicts its future as a metropolis powered by Turnwater Falls, locals debate whether the boom is sustainable or just hype.
- The People vs. The Senators: Washington’s Bold Demand for Direct Democracy
In a rare moment of unity, the state legislature sends a powerful message to Congress: stop letting politicians pick your senators. It’s time for the people to vote.
- The Clambake at Olympia: A Congressman’s Final Days
Journalist Charles Prosch recalls the Pacific Northwest visit of Representative James Brooks, whose brilliant career ended in a disgrace that haunts political history.
- The Political Battle for Washington’s Future
As Republicans rally in Olympia, party leaders McGraw and Winston defend their state financial management and launch sharp attacks against the rising Populist movement.
- Fifteen Ballots and a Dark Horse
A deadlocked Washington House turns to Whitman County's J. Arrasmith after Democrats and reform Republicans break the 1893 speakership fight.
- The Senatorial Deadlock at the Statehouse
Lawmakers in Olympia struggle to choose a U.S. Senator amidst party fractures and geographical rivalries.
- The Snohomish Turncoat
A young legislator betrays his constituents to join a chaotic senatorial deadlock in Olympia.
- The Olympia Deadlock and the Ghost of James G. Blaine
While Washington legislators wrestled with a stalled senatorial election, the shock of James G. Blaine's death briefly brought a rare moment of bipartisan unity to the statehouse.
- A Merchant's Defiance in Olympia
A Chinese merchant addresses accusations of smuggling, asserting his identity as a successful, law-abiding American pioneer.
- The Ghost of Olympia
A missing weather official, presumed drowned for months, returns home to find his wife has already collected on his life insurance policy.
- A Militia Camp Kickback Scandal Ends in a Fistfight
Tom Box, the Tacoma concessionaire at Camp McGraw, was reduced to the ranks after admitting he lied about paying for exclusive camp privileges — then he called Gen. Curry a liar and took a punch in O'Brien's office.
- The Suicide Machine: An Olympia Pioneer's Meticulous Last Act
A 70-year-old bachelor rigged a gun, a bench and a string in his shed, left a note on a blackboard, and arranged his own death with chilling precision.
- Political Seances in the Capital
Olympia’s socialites visit a trance medium to divine the outcome of a heated senatorial fight.
- Riot and Revelry at the Capitol
As the legislative session in Olympia concluded, members engaged in a chaotic scramble to loot furniture and equipment from the chambers.
- The Tear-Off Ballot Stub and the $25 Fine for Not Voting
Two 1893 bills proposed a perforated anti-fraud ballot and compulsory voting with transient polling places, hoping to end vote buying in Washington.
- Seattle's School Money Sent to the Backwoods
A King County Populist senator votes to hand $10,000 a year of Seattle's tax money to remote rural districts — and the Post-Intelligencer is not having it.
- Seattle Makes Its Case for Statehood
As the constitutional convention convenes in Olympia, Seattle’s delegates argue for the city’s readiness, its infrastructure, and its claim to statehood.
- The Fight for Seattle’s Infrastructure Debt Limit
A delegation from Seattle appeared before the Washington constitutional convention to lobby for the city's power to borrow money to pay for critical infrastructure, including public water and street improvements.
- The Fight for an Independent Judiciary
A skeptical look at a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the legislature to pack the state supreme court.
- The Fight for Washington’s Capital
The constitutional convention’s attempt to prematurely cement Olympia as the capital sparks outrage.
- Washington Debates Making the Railroad Commission Permanent
Debating the power of the state to regulate railroad monopolies in Washington.
- The Struggle for Rail Regulation
Washington's constitutional convention wrestles with whether to empower a commission to oversee railroad giants.
- The Argument for a Railroad Commission
Advocating for constitutional oversight of rail monopolies to curb corporate influence in Washington politics.
- The Price of Iron Rails: Fighting the Corporate Lobby
A century and a half ago, local taxpayers were urged to reject public subsidies for railroad giants, a struggle that mirrors today’s battles over public infrastructure and private gain.