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.
Refine2 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 12 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 8 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
26 stories
- The Expulsion of Bellingham’s Chinese Residents
In 1885, citizens of Bellingham signed a pledge to systematically boycott and remove their Chinese neighbors, marking a dark chapter in Washington's labor and social history.
- The Whatcom Million-Dollar Bet
Citizens of Bellingham Bay pledge their own wealth to lure the railroad, hoping to transform their sleepy coastal town into a Pacific terminus.
- The Boom, The Bust, and The Fire That Haunted Whatcom
A pioneer chronicles the rise and fall of the Bellingham Bay settlements, from the discovery of coal to the geopolitical ironies that stifled a regional metropolis.
- The Bold Ambitions of Bellingham Bay
A committee of local leaders assembles at the Whatcom Hotel to plan a regional future of railroads, universities, and industrial growth.
- The Knights of Labor Strike Back in Whatcom
A fiery public letter from the local labor organization dismantles the 'social assassins' and 'poltroons' who questioned their political legitimacy in 1886.
- A Legal Battle for an Inheritance
The abandoned son of an early Whatcom pioneer fights for his father's homestead after collateral heirs sell the land out from under him.
- The Well That Killed Twice
A promising new homestead a few miles east of Whatcom became a death trap when a pocket of gas swallowed John Kidwell and the neighbor who tried to save him.
- Real Estate Standoff Paralyzes Whatcom
A townsite dispute between original owners and a land colony halts development and freezes local business.
- The Political Tax Revolt of 1885
In a scorched-earth letter to the editor, a Whatcom resident decries the rise of 'Knights of Labor' candidates, claiming their victory at the polls signaled a collapse of property values and fiscal responsibility.
- Whatcom Vigilantes Warn Local Troublemaker
A known card sharper and thief was given a blunt invitation to leave town or face a 'necktie festival' at the hands of local residents.
- The Whatcom Land Dispute Resolved
After years of litigation, the standoff between town-site owners and the Whatcom Colony ends, signaling a new era of growth.
- The Dramatic 'Dynamite' Incident at the Whatcom Mill
A quiet Bellingham neighborhood was shattered when a private residence was leveled by a mysterious blast, sparking a urgent search for the perpetrators.
- A Tragic Afternoon at Whatcom Creek
A seven-year-old boy drowns while playing on log booms, sparking a somber community funeral.
- A Corporate Heist in Whatcom
A shareholder warns Seattle merchants not to purchase illegal drafts from a Whatcom corporation attempting to bleed its own company dry.
- Showdown at the Whatcom Land Dispute
A contentious meeting regarding a contested land claim ended in an attempted confrontation with the Pettibone brothers.
- 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.
- Coal Claims Filed in Chuckanut Mountains
Conflict arises over land rights between coal claimants and timber interests near Bellingham.
- Steaming Through the Puget Sound Boom, Town by Town
A Seattle traveler’s 1883 voyage aboard the Idaho finds crowded wharves, railroad dreams, and real-estate prices high enough to check the very boom they fed.
- The 'Gold Rush' Pioneers Who Couldn't Leave
After the collapse of the 1858 Whatcom boom, two businessmen fled to Wisconsin—but the pull of the Pacific Northwest proved impossible to resist.
- Bellingham Bay's New Steamship Era
The arrival of the steamship Wilmington signals a shift from the gold-rush volatility of 1858 to a permanent, resource-driven prosperity for the region.
- The Governor's Booster Sermon for Washington Territory
Gov. Newell told a Whatcom crowd that timber, coal, fisheries and harbors made the territory's future inevitable—and that the greatest city would rise at the entrance to the Straits.
- Whatcom Wakes Up, and Every Town Wants the Railroad
A Walla Walla correspondent surveys the 1883 Puget Sound boom: Whatcom's lots double, a wharf reaches deep water, and Seattle, Tacoma, Bellingham and Fairhaven all claim the coming terminus.
- A Frontier Community’s Mercy
After their young daughter suffered a catastrophic burn in 1881, a family in Whatcom County found support from total strangers across the Pacific Northwest.
- A Frontier Life Cut Short in Whatcom
A young immigrant settler is tragically killed in a logging accident, underscoring the dangers inherent in clearing the Washington wilderness.
- The Unfiltered Delight of an 1885 North Cascades Trek
Before the North Cascades were fully mapped, a party of thirty-three Seattleites scrambled up a peak near the Nooksack River for a view that they hoped would 'soon' become a national treasure.