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 | 26 |
| 1884 | 12 |
| 1885 | 25 |
| 1886 | 22 |
| 1887 | 18 |
110 stories matching differ
- The Rivalry of the Sound: Seattle vs. Tacoma
A critical report from a German newspaper highlights the starkly different development paths of the two boomtowns.
- The Madison Street Assessment Mix-Up
A clerical error by the city has suddenly shifted the burden of sidewalk taxes, creating a financial mess for homeowners.
- The High Cost of Paving Progress
A warning to the city that the frenetic pace of street regrading is pushing homeowners toward financial ruin.
- The Mystery of the Silent Man
A deaf and mute man, unable to communicate, wanders the mill districts of Seattle, leaving local authorities perplexed and the public uneasy.
- The Skagit's First Steam Logging Railroad
A new industrial era for the Upper Skagit river as local logging ramps up production with a custom-built iron engine.
- Seattle's New Water System Takes Shape
An massive engineering project aims to transform city life with springs and eventually Lake Washington's deep reserves.
- The Rapid Transformation of Puget Sound
An old-timer writes to the editor to ask for news of Seattle, prompting a reflection on the dizzying speed of the city's growth from a three-house settlement in 1853 to a bustling port in 1883.
- The Great Chicken Crackdown of Tacoma
A local crime spree left Tacoma poultry-less until an arrest at a YMCA service broke the case.
- The Hunter and the Runaway
A determined civilian investigator tracks a suspect across the West, certain he’s bagged a notorious fugitive, while the target sits in a Seattle jail cell for the minor crime of selling liquor to Indians.
- The Mammoth Bones of the Spokane Prairie
An unusual discovery in Eastern Washington yields prehistoric treasures buried in a shallow strip of prairie.
- The Mystery of the Ice-Forming Caves
A scientific inquiry into why midsummer ice forms in the lava tunnels of the Washington wilderness.
- Real Estate Standoff Paralyzes Whatcom
A townsite dispute between original owners and a land colony halts development and freezes local business.
- The Anatomy of a Political Glutton
A satirical 1885 editorial dissecting the sudden, transformation of humble private citizens into greedy 'Ins' once they secure public office in Washington territory.
- The Mystery of the Man on Brannan Place
A brutal murder discovery in Seattle sends a shockwave through the city after a dock worker is found with his pockets turned inside out.
- 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 Coal Mines Shut Down: Economic Anxiety Grips 1886 Seattle
Falling prices and labor disputes forced the indefinite closure of the Newcastle mines, throwing hundreds out of work.
- The Iron Workers’ Truce
After months of tense negotiations and the threat of a prolonged shutdown, iron manufacturers and workmen in Seattle reach a compromise to avert a general strike.
- The Odyssey of Two Stolen Bays
A pair of horses stolen in Klickitat County resurface in Seattle, changing hands multiple times before their original owner comes to collect.
- The Doctor’s Great Escape Was Thwarted at the Wharf
A debt-ridden doctor attempts to skip town on a steamer, but his disgruntled creditors have a different plan for his luggage.
- The Silent Girl in the Lodging House
A young, unresponsive woman is abandoned at a Third and Mill Street lodging house by two unknown men.
- The Masquerade Scandal of 1885
A Seattle man is arrested for cross-dressing at a public masquerade ball, leaving society columnists to offer their moralizing take on his 'vice.'
- Commuter Outrage on the Sound Shore Line
Drastic schedule changes cause massive drop in ridership as commuters are forced to wait hours for trains.
- The Roller-Skating Rink Disaster
A grocery man's customer describes the catastrophic attempt of his father, a self-proclaimed former skating expert, to navigate the local roller rink.
- Gambling in the 'Chicago Dollar Store'
A call for city officials to shutter a fraudulent lottery operating in a Yesler building.
- The University’s Growing Pains
Facing a surge in enrollment, the University of Washington Territory expands its boarding facilities to accommodate a new generation of students.