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
- The Caucus That Wouldn't End: Olympia's 1895 Senate Deadlock
Republicans balloted again and again in a stormy Olympia caucus, while Spokane businessmen and Union veterans warned that nominating John L. Wilson would wreck the party in Eastern Washington.
- New Safety Laws for Washington Coal Mines
The state legislature passes a radical bill requiring better ventilation and air quality to prevent mining disasters.
- Legislature Moves to Protect Debtors from Foreclosure
A new bill seeks to allow judgment debtors to retain possession and profits of their property during the legal redemption period.
- One Vote Shy: Washington’s Local Option Bill Goes Down in the Senate
A 17–16 roll call, one absent senator and a promised reconsideration left Washington’s saloon-regulation fight hanging by a thread.
- The People vs. the Railroads: Olympia Debates a Rate Cap
While the Capitol fought off adjournment, a bill to cap passenger and freight rates reached the floor of the Washington House — with Populists demanding an up-or-down vote and railroad men asking for more time.
- The Governor Vetoes the Anti-Vivisection Bill
Washington's governor refuses to sign a sweeping ban on animal dissection in public schools, arguing that medical progress and anatomy lessons depend on it.
- Washington House Passes Sweeping Freight Rate Bill
After a day of intense debate and amendments, the legislature moves to regulate railroad rates for farmers across the state.
- Legislature Offers Tax Relief to Struggling Property Owners
A new bill aims to waive penalties and interest for delinquent taxpayers, while proposing a shift to semi-annual payments to ease the burden on residents.
- Governor McGraw Says No to Cheap Textbooks and a Cascade Road
Washington’s governor vetoes a state textbook scheme and a Naches Pass road appropriation, warning that both would waste public money—and that cheap books are not the same as good ones.
- Washington’s Constitutional Convention Gridlock
Delegates in Olympia struggle to write the state's governing document while balancing partisan interests and local industrial needs.
- Educator Stripped of Credentials After Scandal
The State Board of Education revoked L. E. Follansbee’s teaching certificate following reports of abandonment, falsified credentials, and coaching students to cheat.
- Printers Organize a Pacific Northwest Union
Regional labor delegates meet in Olympia to consolidate power and push for standardized representation across state lines.
- Legislators Debate Defenses for a Vulnerable Coast
Concerned that the Puget Sound region was 'utterly defenceless,' the state legislature drafted a formal memorial to Congress demanding coastal protection.
- Legislature Debates Railroad Control
A fiery session at Olympia pits regional interests against railroad power as lawmakers debate how to regulate freight rates.
- Trapped in the Earth
A young immigrant rancher dies in a sixty-foot well near South Bay after being overcome by gas.
- State Offers Grace Period for Struggling Farmers
Facing the severe economic depression of 1893, the State Land Commission announces it will relax collection policies on land contracts to prevent mass foreclosures.
- The Surprise Nomination of a Seattle Banker
John H. McGraw reluctantly accepts the Republican nomination for governor after King County delegates refuse to let him withdraw—selling a self-made banker as the antidote to ward politics.
- The Railroad That Tried to Take Its Tracks Off the Tax Rolls
Northern Pacific receivers tell Thurston County that its right-of-way and stations are federal property—and therefore exempt from local taxes.
- The Battle Over Local Option Prohibition
As the Washington State Senate debates a new 'local option' liquor bill, a fierce lobby of brewery interests and prohibitionists descends upon Olympia.
- The Judge Escapes the Legislature—For Now
Damning reports on Judge W. W. Langhorne reach the House, but lawmakers postpone impeachment and hand the case to the Supreme Court.
- The Mugwump’s Reward: Olympia’s Postmaster Scandal
A controversial appointment of W.A. Newell as pension agent sparks outrage in the state capital, revealing deep political fractures and accusations of patronage.
- The Apple Orchard Bandit
An Olympia fruit thief develops a bizarre, tactical routine to raid orchards under the cover of night, only to be stopped by a shotgun-wielding guard.
- The Pony Legislature’s Last Stand
In Olympia, a defiant territorial delegate denies rumors that the 'rump' legislature met to move the state capital away from Seattle.
- The $1 Million Syndicate: How Three Men Bet Big on Tumwater’s Water Power
A wealthy trio from Kansas City arrives in Olympia with a million-dollar plan to build mills and a cable railway, signaling a massive shift in the territory's economic future.
- The Fight for Washington’s Capital City
A Seattle writer argues that moving the seat of government east of the Cascades would cripple maritime commerce.