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 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 3 |
| 1871 | 8 |
| 1872 | 110 |
| 1876 | 536 |
| 1877 | 378 |
| 1878 | 279 |
| 1879 | 15 |
| 1880 | 134 |
| 1882 | 98 |
| 1883 | 511 |
| 1884 | 326 |
| 1885 | 566 |
| 1886 | 361 |
| 1887 | 327 |
| 1888 | 314 |
| 1889 | 800 |
| 1890 | 11 |
| 1891 | 340 |
| 1892 | 1,332 |
| 1893 | 1,606 |
| 1894 | 1,246 |
| 1895 | 1,087 |
| 1896 | 2 |
| 1897 | 9 |
| 1898 | 21 |
| 1899 | 366 |
| 1900 | 6 |
| 1902 | 6 |
| 1903 | 153 |
| 1904 | 71 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 76 |
| 1910 | 26 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 28 |
| 1917 | 10 |
| 1923 | 9 |
| 1924 | 12 |
| 1925 | 3 |
| 1928 | 14 |
| 1929 | 17 |
11,240 stories
- Fatal Prize Fight Leads to Manslaughter Charges
A prizefighter died after a brutal seventh-round beating, and the theater owners hosting the spectacle were bound over for abetting.
- Bank Failure Leaves Local Families Penniless
Seattle bank collapse hits White Bluffs residents, wiping out savings of local depositors.
- The Police Sweep Through Whitechapel
A massive police crack-down on the city's red-light district leads to crowded courtrooms and a battle over jury trials.
- The Sad Mystery of 'Kanaka Joe'
A man who drowned in Elliott Bay is identified as a former hospital patient known as 'Kanaka Joe' from the Sandwich Islands.
- Exclusionist Policy at the Seattle Public Schools
A newly adopted board resolution forbids any principal or teacher from discouraging Chinese pupils, yet the paper reports on the city's ongoing anti-Chinese agitation.
- The Fight for the Ballot in the Northwest
A stirring speech in the Senate champions Washington Territory's decision to grant women the right to vote as a beacon for the world.
- The 'Lumberman' Who Swindled Seattle's Elite
A smooth-talking con man gains the trust of the city’s fashionable society before vanishing with thousands in unpaid debts.
- The Ballard Tragedy
A 14-year-old nursemaid is accused of murdering an infant in her charge with rat poison.
- A Tragic Afternoon on Lake Washington
A young boy is struck down by a sailboat boom during a sudden squall, and his father's grim prophecy about the lake is chillingly fulfilled.
- A School Girl Takes a Stand
A local student writes to the paper to challenge the community's hypocrisy regarding the treatment of animals.
- Violence at the Leland House
A jealous waiter attempts to murder a waitress at a Seattle boarding house.
- A Builder's Conflict: Parkinson and the City Contract
Local contractors and workers spar over a building contract awarded to an architect, sparking a debate about public versus private interest in Seattle's growth.
- A Deadly Lift Leads to Heavy Judgment
A Seattle gardener faces financial ruin after a jury finds him liable for his friend's death following an intoxicated ride in his truck.
- Sewer Workers Strike for Eight-Hour Day
Laborers on a Twenty-ninth Avenue sewer project successfully force a return to the eight-hour workday against contractor pressure.
- Henry Villard Arrives in Seattle
A grand reception for the Northern Pacific Railroad leader marks the dawn of a new era of rail connectivity for the city.
- Seattle's First Female Lawyer Fined After Courtroom Altercation
Kate Kane, the city's only female attorney at the time, was fined after throwing water at a judge she claimed insulted her.
- Seattle’s Sudden Housing Crunch
An influx of new arrivals has left residents sleeping on hotel floors and cramming into single houses.
- A Hero’s Death and a City’s Charity
A city employee dies saving a child, leaving a struggling family destitute in a cold, unforgiving city.
- The Fortune-Teller and the Stolen Life
A woman seeking comfort after the loss of her child was swindled by a traveling group, leading to a mental health crisis.
- Defiance of the Chinese Exclusion Act
Local Chinese leaders organize to resist a federal registration mandate, warning of a potential 'wholesale deportation.'
- A Man Found Bleeding in Blackchapel Alley
A man named Babcock is found gravely wounded after an encounter in the city's notorious 'Blackchapel' district.
- Tragedy Strikes the Monticello
A fireman dies following a boiler explosion, sparking questions about the safety of marine engine design on Puget Sound.
- The Rotting Schoolhouse
A local mechanic alerts the city to a school building construction so shoddy it was doomed to collapse.
- The Great Northern's Monopoly on the Waterfront
Railroad superintendent McCabe warns that the city's waterfront is being handed over to James J. Hill, effectively cutting off public access.
- The Tragedy of the Mill Worker
A Finnish laborer’s mental decline follows a fatal accident at a local mill.
Download the first 10,000 as a spreadsheet (CSV) · Show them on the map