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 |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 12 |
| 1877 | 8 |
| 1878 | 22 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 2 |
51 stories matching fire
- Suspicion of Arson After Slaughter House Fire
An early morning fire on the Beach road leaves a local meat business in ruins, with the owner offering a bounty for the arsonist.
- The Burning of the Bon Ton
After the proprietor of the notorious Bon Ton was jailed for running a 'bawdy house,' his building was razed by a suspicious fire.
- The Great Seattle Water Alarm of 1877
A brief, wry note from the archives captures a moment of civic relief in a fledgling Seattle, highlighting the contrast between the fire-prone state capital and the rain-soaked Emerald City.
- Seattle’s Desperate Need for Modern Firefighting
As the city rapidly expands, the Common Council scrambles to replace inadequate, antiquated fire gear before a disaster strikes.
- Burning Down the House: A Seattle Fire Crisis
Decades before Seattle had a reliable municipal water system, a local editor recounts the tragedy of watching a home burn to the ground for want of a hydrant.
- The Engine House Was Locked—and the Janitor Was at Church
When two fires broke out in Seattle's Chinese quarter, the engine house was locked and the janitor held the key. Bystanders put out the flames—and the paper demanded a fire department overhaul.
- The Night the 'Mad House' Burned Down
A suspicious blaze destroys a landmark building in Seattle, forcing local citizens to scramble to save the nearby gas works from the encroaching flames.
- Seattle’s First Steam Fire Engine
Facing a growing city's vulnerability, Seattle’s leadership authorized a massive expenditure in 1878 to modernize the local fire brigade.
- The Unlikely Hero of the Fire Escape
When a local doctor patented a new fire escape in 1878, he had to prove it could survive the ultimate test: a 'timid' gentleman from the New England Hotel climbing down from a third-story window.
- The Midnight Attack on a Chinatown Cigar Stand
A deliberate arson attempt threatens to ignite the heart of downtown Seattle after rags soaked in coal oil are discovered burning against a Chinese-owned business.
- The Tinderbox Downtown
A small chimney fire at a local tin shop narrowly avoids tragedy, sparking a community call to clear flammable debris from Seattle's rooftops.
- The Steam Engine Scandal of 1878
When Seattle’s city government faced accusations of graft over a new fire engine, the paper stepped in to defend the city council against 'personal defamation.'
- The Scandal of the City Fire Engine
A missing $300 in gold coin leads to a bitter political falling-out in 1878 Seattle, revealing the city's early struggles with public trust and municipal accounting.
- The 1878 State of the City: Seattle’s Growing Pains
Mayor O.A. Weed’s annual report reveals a city wrestling with debt, smallpox, and the urgent need for a real fire engine.
- The Rising Brick Skyline of Early Seattle
As Schwabacher Brothers prepares a massive new brick warehouse on Commercial Street, the city celebrates its shift from wooden frame town to a permanent commercial hub.
- The Great Moss Panic of 1878
Seattle's early city council once declared war on rooftop greenery to prevent the city from burning down.
- A Deadly Campfire Dispute
A traveler is brutally murdered after refusing to share his fire with a group of transients, highlighting the volatility of the frontier trail.
- The Great Gale of 1878
A rare, unprecedented windstorm tears through downtown Seattle, rattling the nerves and rooflines of the city’s early pioneers.
- A Tragic Kitchen Fire in Semiahmoo
A young woman loses her life in a heartbreaking domestic accident during a time of religious devotion.
- A Frontier Library Lost to Flame
When fire gutted the residence of a prominent territorial family, a community rallied to replace the lost comforts of a home built through years of industry.
- The Price of Living 'Down on the Sawdust'
A Seattle laborer was fined $5 after evicting his partner for public intoxication, offering a stark look at the criminalization of poverty and survival in the 1870s.
- A Family Tragedy in the Whatcom Courtroom
A mother and her twelve-year-old son were convicted of manslaughter after a deadly land dispute, highlighting the violent risks of territorial-era frontier claims.
- The Shootout at Crout's Hotel
A domestic dispute in Seattle turns bloody when a husband from Cheyenne arrives to settle a score with a revolver.
- Seattle’s Tinderbox: A Warning from the Ashes of Reno
As a massive fire ravages Nevada, this Seattle editor sounds the alarm over the city’s wooden buildings and exorbitant insurance costs, urging brick construction before disaster strikes.
- The Labor Unrest on the Narrow Gauge
When Chinese track laborers struck for higher wages on the railroad, they were met with firearms and immediate termination.