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 |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 7 |
| 1883 | 39 |
| 1884 | 20 |
| 1885 | 36 |
| 1886 | 24 |
| 1887 | 33 |
159 stories matching amount
- The Great Hop Tare Battle
Seattle brewers and merchants fight back against the 'sacking cloth' price gouging of local hop farmers.
- The Unraveling of a Seattle Banker
When the cashier of the Snohomish National Bank was found to be a defaulter, the resulting financial ruin exposed deep cracks in the stability of local frontier finance.
- The Whatcom Million-Dollar Bet
Citizens of Bellingham Bay pledge their own wealth to lure the railroad, hoping to transform their sleepy coastal town into a Pacific terminus.
- The Brutal Reality of Convict Leasing in the Washington Territory
A scathing look at the state's profit-driven 'convict lease' system, where human beings were treated as disposable capital and exploited for labor with zero accountability for their survival.
- The Disappearing Contractor of Madison Street
A Seattle infrastructure project hits a snag when the lead contractor vanishes with thousands of dollars in city funds, leaving his bondsmen to face the bill.
- The Great Liquor Heist: A Partner Vanishes with $2,000 of Goods
In a mystery that baffled Seattle's wholesale liquor trade in April 1882, one partner opens the store to find the stock largely gone, while his business associate has fled town without a word.
- The Unseen Cost of Modern Progress
An editorial from 1890 reflects on the plight of the unemployed and the friction between the 'well-fed' and the hungry during Seattle’s rapid industrial expansion.
- The Price of a Badly Written Charter
Tacoma’s new municipal charter proves to be a legal disaster that costs the town thousands in needless fees and litigation.
- The Bold Legal Maneuver of Mrs. O'Connell
A Seattle woman wins a groundbreaking court victory for financial independence and custody of her children.
- The Wealth of the Nation Trapped in the Vaults
A century and a half ago, President Grover Cleveland grappled with a modern-sounding crisis: federal budget surpluses causing economic panic, skyrocketing costs for common goods, and the crushing weight of a tariff system on working families.
- The Sheriff’s Mercy in Union
A coal miner facing eviction due to a grocery debt is granted a reprieve by an empathetic sheriff.
- The Pirates of the Pacific: When Salvage Means Plunder
A biting critique from 1886 argues that maritime 'salvage' laws in the Pacific Northwest have transformed honest sailors into modern-day pirates who hold ships hostage for ransom.
- The Shipbuilder Who Wasn't: A Swindler’s Bogus Checks and a Wife’s Shame
Captain John E. Higgins arrives in Seattle posing as a respected Bath, Maine shipbuilder, only to be exposed by Harbor Police Officer Metzler after cashing forged checks on local merchants.
- Bloody Conflict at the Tacoma Mills
A wage dispute involving a belaying pin and a pistol leaves one man shot.
- The Hidden Hoard of Seattle's Recluse
When two elderly men were found dead in a filthy, squalid room, a subsequent search revealed a small fortune stashed in bedposts and rags.
- The Industrial Heartbeat of Port Madison
A century-old giant of the timber trade hits record-breaking production levels as demand for Washington lumber skyrockets.
- The Day the Doors Closed on Commercial Street
A Seattle merchant's overextended dry-goods empire collapses under $23,000 in attachments, and a North Seattle store falls with it.
- Surveyors Map a Path for the Lake Washington Ship Canal
A mysterious but well-funded crew begins the long, arduous work of designing a canal to connect the Sound to Lake Washington.
- The End of the Steamship Monopoly
Competition heats up on the Sound as new steamer lines challenge the dominance of the Villard railroad and boat combinations.
- The Great Tacoma Potato Fiasco
When a local farmer tried to break into the Tacoma market with a wagonload of produce, he found that the city’s much-vaunted commercial prosperity was, quite literally, not worth a hill of beans—or potatoes.
- The City Cracks Down on Unlicensed Saloons
Three women and a Frenchman are fined by Judge Cann in a sweep of Washington Street’s unsavory quarters.
- Vice on the Rocks: Seattle's Cleanup
A sweeping, if optimistic, report on the courts cracking down on the city's infamous dens of inequity.
- The Front Street Beer Hall Break-in
A burglar gained entry to a local establishment through a transom window, netting only small change and wine.
- The Price of a Petty Grudge
A Seattle legal dispute drags on for four years over ten dollars, costing hundreds in court fees while a jury of citizens yawns through the spectacle.
- The Ethics of the Free Rail Pass
A territorial representative is caught accepting a railroad pass while charging the government for travel expenses, prompting a sharp rebuke on political corruption.