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 | 3 |
| 1883 | 11 |
| 1884 | 6 |
| 1885 | 7 |
| 1886 | 4 |
| 1887 | 6 |
37 stories matching torn
- An 1854 Storehouse, a Saloon, and a Building on Wheels: Seattle’s Old Blocks Give Way
As Schwabacher Bros. cleared Mill Street for a new brick block, an 1854 storehouse with a saloon past was torn down and another old building was rolled toward the waterfront.
- The Riotous Destruction of a Home
When a house caught fire, neighbors and bystanders didn't just help extinguish the flames—they tore the home apart.
- The Railway Reaches the Waterfront
New rail lines carve a path through the heart of the city’s industrial waterfront, displacing old businesses and promising a new era of commerce.
- Tragedy at the Black Diamond Sewer Pipe Works
A boiler explosion in the works at Black Diamond Landing resulted in one death and multiple fatal injuries.
- The Crumbling Sidewalk of James Street
For three weeks, a gaping hole on James Street has left residents navigating a mess, leaving neighbors to wonder if the city has forgotten the street commissioner exists.
- Shanties Cleared at University Street
The City Council orders the destruction of precarious housing at the waterfront, forcing residents out to make way for development.
- Main Street Reshaped: Col. Squire’s Development
Col. Watson C. Squire initiates the demolition of aging buildings behind the Brunswick and Arlington hotels, signaling a period of major urban redevelopment in Seattle.
- Storm Topples Telegraph Poles, Threatening Streets
A morning windstorm turned a downtown intersection into a dangerous thicket of downed lines, nearly causing a panic.
- The Brutal Toll of a Pacific Northwest Winter
A traveler, lost in the woods near Seattle, fights for his life after days of exposure in sub-zero conditions.
- Spontaneous Combustion Narrowly Misses Seattle Disaster
A late-night fire at a dry goods store was quelled just in time, highlighting the hidden dangers of combustible materials in the wooden city.
- A Steamship Crashes Into the City Dock
Mechanical failure aboard the 'Umatilla' causes a messy collision with the warehouse at the city's waterfront.
- A Near-Fatal Industrial Accident at the Oregon Improvement Mill
A mill worker is struck by a spinning iron collar, highlighting the constant physical risks faced by laborers in Seattle’s early industrial landscape.
- Fatal Blasting Accident at Blue Mountain
A foreman is killed in a gruesome explosion while attempting to clear a stalled dynamite charge on the railroad grade.
- The Tragedy at the Cabin
A pioneer settler is found dead in his home after a brutal struggle, sparking a local manhunt near Colfax.
- The Lawyer's Bloody Glove
A brutal murder in a Seattle office leads to a dramatic investigation, a stolen inheritance, and a tragic end for a young wife.
- Late-Night Burglary at Germani Hall
An attempted heist on Mill Street is thwarted by sharp-eared officers on patrol.
- The Senator and the Irish Couple
A Western politician’s misguided attempt to intervene in a domestic brawl on the frontier results in an unexpected, four-way showdown.
- Fire Ravages Port Townsend's 'Chinatown'
A morning fire levels several properties in the Chinese quarter, leaving the community to count their losses.
- The Salvage of the Mississippi
After four months of struggle, wreckers are forced to dismantle the sunken collier piece by piece.
- The Building Boom vs. The Tenant's Plight
Seattle pioneer H. L. Yesler contemplates clearing his property on Mill Street, leaving local business owners scrambling for space as he pivots to ambitious new construction.
- The End of Wooden Seattle
A historic property deal marks a turning point as Seattle trades its 'dilapidated, squatty, and dangerous' wooden storefronts for modern, multi-story brick architecture.
- The Scandal of Chief Woolery
A scathing 1885 editorial accuses Seattle's Chief of Police of protecting gambling dens and brothels while posing as a moral martyr.
- Tragedy on the Tracks: A Night of Horror
A train derailment near Seattle leaves passengers trapped in the wreckage as a fire begins to spread through the cars.
- A Marriage Held at Gunpoint
A Seattle woman files for divorce, revealing a harrowing home life where her husband enforced isolation with a revolver and staged nightly terrors.
- The Perilous Wreck of the Steamboat at Ozette
After a devastating storm, a ship's crew and passengers faced a harrowing survival on the coast, clinging to the remnants of their vessel and the lighthouse keeper's mercy.