Research the archive
Narrow 22,457 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 |
|---|---|
| 1883 | 13 |
| 1884 | 7 |
| 1885 | 27 |
| 1886 | 6 |
| 1887 | 13 |
66 stories matching bond
- Who Should Own the Canal That Would Make King County?
In a long letter to the editor, a Seattle correspondent takes apart the bill letting King County buy the Washington Canal — and warns that handing the region's only outlet to a private company would 'sell the birthright of the future citizens.'
- Seattle's Saloon Keepers Face the 'High License' Squeeze
As 1885 begins, the city cracks down on liquor sellers, leaving many owners struggling to pay their bonds—and prompting some to consider an honest day's work instead.
- The 'Kid Mayor' of Michigan Found in Port Townsend
A brilliant young con artist once known as the 'Kid Mayor' has fled the Washington Territory after his real identity—and a trail of fraudulent bonds—finally caught up with him.
- City Council Members Dodge Responsibility on James Street
While private citizens were forced to fulfill their contracts, two city council members allegedly abandoned their own street improvement project without penalty.
- Domestic Violence in Pioneer Seattle
A husband is arrested and held on bond after threatening his wife's life in court.
- The Disappearing Clerk of Commercial Street
A dry goods clerk accused of larceny abandons his bond and flees to Port Townsend under an assumed name.
- The Classroom of 1885: Eyesight, Health, and the 'Teacher's Burden'
Before the era of standardized testing, Seattle educators gathered to debate the physical design of the classroom, the 'proper' seating of pupils, and the creeping dangers of nearsightedness.
- The Horror at Slaughter
A man named Spafford is arrested for the gruesome killing of his wife in a small village near the White River after he attempted to perform an illegal abortion.
- The Northern Pacific Stakes its Claim
Railroad giants bond the Dr. H. A. Smith farm for a new Seattle terminus.
- Charged with Forcible Expulsion
Three men are arrested for conspiracy against the U.S. government following the forced expulsion of Chinese residents from Snohomish.
- The Struggle for Local Control Over Seattle's Saloons
A new 1886 ordinance tightened the grip of the City Council on the city’s liquor trade, imposing strict licensing, background checks, and Sunday bans in an attempt to regulate the chaos of the frontier economy.
- The Great Timber Land Swindle
A Seattle man is held on $300 bail after a witness confessed to filing multiple fraudulent land claims using fake names.
- 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 $18,784 Express Package That Vanished—and the Sheriff Arrested for It
A grand jury charged a Northern Pacific agent, a Franklin County sheriff and another man in a January 1894 express theft. The sheriff’s Ainsworth neighbors posted his bond—and doubted the charge.
- The Waterfront Tug-of-War: A Seattle Infrastructure Battle
A heated debate on the floor of Congress reveals the growing pains of Seattle’s ports as the territory fights for federal status to manage its booming trade.
- Blood on the Waterfront: A Bloody July 4th in LaConner
A quiet holiday celebration in the Skagit County mill town turned violent when a local businessman was stabbed in a saloon dispute.
- The Promised Rail Line from Seattle to Gray's Harbor
Investors from New York set their sights on a massive rail expansion to connect Puget Sound to the coast.
- A Boston Banker Tells Walla Walla to Hold Its Wheat
A capitalist touring the territory by rail — with $75,000 already sunk in Washington land — predicts high grain prices, a finished Northern Pacific, and scolds the town's 'sleepy' businessmen for taking their money elsewhere.
- The Mysterious Disappearance of a Local Hotelier
After securing bond on a criminal charge, a local business owner vanished after borrowing money and cigars from a business partner.
- The Ghost of Fort Steilacoom: Workers Cheated Out of Their Wages
A group of laborers at the new asylum construction site speak out against contractors and commissioners who left them unpaid and used rot-prone materials.
- The Green River Coal Land Dispute
A law firm linked to the Northern Pacific Railroad is accused of using armed men to seize coal-rich land from local settlers.
- The Broken Promises of the Northern Pacific
A scathing editorial accuses the railroad giant of land-grab schemes and consistent bad faith toward the people of Washington Territory.
- The High-License Fight of 1885
As Seattle grapples with the rise of saloons, local temperance advocates and city officials debate the 'high license' strategy to curb the city’s drinking problem.
- The Mayor's Private Mill: A Conflict of Interest in Old Seattle
Mayor Henry Yesler, facing accusations of professional misconduct, attempts to lease city-owned facilities to his own timber business under the guise of municipal efficiency.
- The Seattle Liquor Board's Battle for Moral Standing
A landmark 1886 legal challenge in King County forces a judge to define the limits of civic power when local officials refuse to grant a liquor license based on a claimant’s character.