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 |
|---|---|
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1887 | 2 |
11 stories matching dec
- The Campaign to Drive Out Chinese Laundry Workers
Tensions boil over in late 19th-century Seattle as the Knights of Labor organize a systematic movement to forcibly remove Chinese laborers from the city's economy.
- Tragedy in the Woods Near Sultan
A teenage boy searching for game in the Washington wilderness dies in a heartbreaking accidental discharge.
- Tragedy at the Seattle Penitentiary
A desperate escape attempt by three prisoners at the Seattle jail ends in a bloody shootout, leaving one dead and others wounded.
- The Battle for the Council Floor
A legislative standoff in Olympia over petty offices and party control highlights the raw political maneuvering of the late Washington Territory era.
- The Political Pilgrimage to Steilacoom
In 1887, Washington Territorial legislators took a collective trip to inspect the state's asylum, but the solemn mission quickly devolved into a social affair that kept the real results hidden from the public.
- A Violent Escalation at the Train Station
A drunken horse trade between two men in Steilacoom turns into a public shooting, leaving a man wounded and the assailant on the run.
- The Blast at Mason Slip
A steam tug carrying three crew members is obliterated in a freak explosion on the Seattle waterfront.
- The City That Outgrew Its Rivals
An 1885 dispatch from the front lines of the Seattle boom describes a town shedding its humble roots and leaving former neighbors like Steilacoom in the dust.
- Cabin Raided by Boat Thieves in Kitsap County
A local veteran returns from his mail run to find his winter supplies, clothing, and bedding stolen, sparking a search for the thieves.
- A Coal Train Kills a Miner on the Tracks at Renton
Bradbury Whittaker, a miner from Pennsylvania, was run over by a backing coal train near Renton—the third such death in a short time—and a coroner's jury found no one to blame.
- The Postmaster Who Refused to Hire Women
An eighteen-year-old applicant details how she was misled and eventually dismissed by the Olympia postmaster due to her gender.