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 | 6 |
| 1883 | 28 |
| 1884 | 23 |
| 1885 | 41 |
| 1886 | 24 |
| 1887 | 23 |
145 stories matching object
- The Delegate Who Stalled the State’s Legal Progress
How a stubborn stand on woman suffrage paralyzed Washington Territory’s legislative agenda in the halls of D.C.
- The Mysterious Bomb at the Postoffice
A suspicious package resembling a bomb creates a localized stir at the Seattle post office.
- The Licensing Dispute on Madison Street
A fiery editorial challenge to city officials regarding the selective enforcement of business and liquor licenses in 1885 Seattle.
- The Forgotten Panic Over 'Pauper Immigration'
An 1887 editorial reveals how Seattle's civic leaders—and the nation—framed foreign labor as a social and financial 'drain,' echoing the xenophobic rhetoric of modern political debates.
- City Hall vs. The Legislature: A Fight for Local Control
An editorial challenges the legality of the Washington Territorial Legislature appointing members to the Seattle City Council.
- The Struggle Against Railroad Monopoly
A political demand for the forfeiture of unearned land grants given to the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- Mr. Palmer Urges Senate to Back Women’s Suffrage
Mr. Palmer takes to the floor in Olympia to argue for woman suffrage, dismantling tired objections and demanding a seat at the table for Washington women.
- 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 Railway War for the Snake River
A brutal corporate chess match plays out across the wilderness as the Union Pacific and local navigation companies fight for control of the Pacific Northwest's lifeline.
- The Northern Pacific Railroad's War on Seattle
An 1886 rail schedule change reveals a corporate conspiracy to strangle the city's growth in favor of town-lot speculation.
- Forced Relocation at Puyallup
Government authorities move indigenous students to Oregon to hasten 'the civilizing process.'
- The Broken Promise of the University
A bitter civic dispute over why the territorial university moved from Port Townsend to Seattle, revealing 19th-century political maneuvering and broken handshakes.
- The City Council Seized Our Engine: A Firehouse Rebellion
When the city government stripped Seattle Engine Company No. 2 of their apparatus to give it to a new company, the firefighters organized a defiant public meeting to protest the 'unwarranted usurpation of authority.'
- The Day Seattle Women Lost the Vote
In a bombshell ruling that blindsided the territory, the Supreme Court struck down the 1883 law that first granted Washington women the right to cast a ballot.
- The Discriminatory Zoning of the 1880s
A local paper decries Chinese residents purchasing property, advocating for forced segregation to maintain white property values.
- Steaming Through Deception Pass
A rare account of the steamer Washington braving the treacherous currents of Deception Pass to maintain mail service.
- The Grocer and the Holstein Cattle
A local grocer refutes retirement rumors while planning his move to Salmon Bay.
- The Steamer Glide Theft
A logger loses $400 in cash while traveling to Seattle, but the legal quandaries of searching passengers on a steamer lead to an awkward stalemate.
- A Desperate Rescue in Elliott Bay
A local man spots an overturned canoe in the freezing waters of the bay, pulling two people from a near-death encounter with the winter tide.
- Democratic Revolt in Washington Territory
Local Democrats are refusing to sign a call for a party convention, citing concerns that the move is secretly bankrolled by railroad interests.
- The Railroad Land War
A farmer on the Chehalis River accuses local officials and railroad contractors of corruption and 'bulldozing' tactics regarding land appraisals and property rights.
- The Coal Land Bust and the Stranded Laborers
Speculative collapse leaves workers in 'rookeries' as a corporate empire fractures.
- The Failed Dreams of the 'Great Eastern'
A reflection on the 1873 financial collapse and the vanished promises of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- The 1885 Opium Raid on Washington Street
Constable Van Doren and the Knights of Labor descend upon Chinese opium dens in a bid to test the legality of territorial anti-smoking laws.
- Raising the Warhawk from the Depths
A complex maritime engineering feat underway at Port Discovery to salvage a sunken vessel.