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 |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 24 |
| 1889 | 42 |
| 1891 | 24 |
| 1892 | 67 |
| 1893 | 106 |
| 1894 | 78 |
| 1895 | 111 |
452 stories matching agent
- The Insurance Cartel's War on Competition
Seattle underwriters clash over a 'non-intercourse' rule designed to force agents to abandon independent companies.
- Defiance on the Puyallup Reservation
A railroad developer ignores the Indian Agent’s orders to stop grading on tribal lands, setting the stage for a potential military standoff.
- The 'Gold Mine' of the Indian Wars
In 1891, a sensational book about the life of Sitting Bull and the Battle of the Little Bighorn hit the Seattle market, promising agents a 'gold mine' of sales.
- The Forced Relocation of the Spokane Tribe
As winter approaches, government agents scramble to move Spokane families to the Coeur d'Alene reservation, offering small frame houses as an incentive.
- Puyallup Land Sales Spark Tension With Federal Agent
Agent Eells defends his role in the controversial sale of tribal lands, claiming the Puyallup people are being manipulated by real estate speculators.
- A Railroad Land Agent’s Half-Million-Dollar Hole in Spokane
Paul Schulze’s defalcation as Northern Pacific land agent grew to $400,000–$500,000, with a Spokane syndicate trying to protect its property.
- The Fire Insurance Panic
Seattle insurance agents threaten to hike rates due to the city's dangerously narrow alleys.
- The Employment Agents Who Sold Phantom Jobs
Seattle's labor commissioner wants City Hall to crack down on agents who charge workers for jobs that don't exist—or pay them in worthless due bills.
- Insurance Agent Vanishes After Passing Spurious Checks
A smooth-talking insurance agent charms his way through Seattle's business community before disappearing with premiums and bad checks.
- The Railroad Land Agent Who Pocketed the Payments
A Northern Pacific receiver says a dead Tacoma land agent kept buyers' installments for years, leaving them with receipts but no deeds — and a loss that could reach $250,000.
- Agent Presses Wenatchee Indians to Take Their Allotment Money
A government agent asks every Indian on the Wenatchee fishery reservation to claim a share of the sale proceeds — but Chief Balnulk refuses unless a new reservation is set aside, and most of his band follows him.
- The Great Migration from the Flood Plains
Northern Pacific agent B. N. Austin predicts a wave of farming families from the flooded Mississippi and Missouri valleys to settle the Pacific Northwest.
- The Special Agent's Unlucky Streak
A United States land office agent fears a streak of bad luck after encountering three suicides in three weeks of travel across Washington.
- Political Retaliation at the Yakima Reservation
An Indian Agent attempts to replace an old Union soldier with a Confederate veteran, only to be overruled by federal authorities after local veterans organize.
- The Puyallup Indian Agency Was Abolished
Federal officials declared the agency obsolete, shifted its schools to a new superintendent, and retired Agent Eells after more than 23 years.
- King County Auditor Accused of Padding His Salary with Extra Jobs
A letter to the editor details how Auditor Frank Twichell drew extra pay as purchasing agent, building-fund agent, and legislative lobbyist—all while collecting his regular salary.
- Private Employment Agents Fight Back Against the City's Free Labor Bureau
Accused of swindling job-seekers, a Seattle employment firm blames organized labor and a union-backed city bureau for a campaign to put it out of business — and dares the city to investigate.
- A Fraudulent Promise of Work
Employment agents defend their reputation after sending laborers on a fruitless, costly trip to British Columbia.
- The Great Butter Robbery of West Street
A bold waterfront heist ends with an unlikely intervention by an old gentleman, a flight across the city, and a classic retort from a local thief.
- Eastern Gold Trickles Back into Seattle
After eight months of investment drought, local agents report the first renewed interest from Eastern backers in Seattle property.
- Tacoma’s $1 Million Water Lawsuit Alleges City Hall Collusion
City Attorney Wickersham refiled Tacoma’s suit against the light and water company, alleging officials and company agents conspired to carry the election.
- The Unintended Charity Case
A Ballard real estate agent's impulsive act of Thanksgiving kindness accidentally turns into a petty theft.
- The Land Agent's Ledger: A Tacoma Suicide, $15,000 in Policies, and a Northern Pacific Audit
After Paul Schulze's death, New York Life agents move to pay his policies while railroad officials quietly examine the books of their late land agent.
- The Real Estate Agent Who Thought He Was a Millionaire
George M. Armour’s hallucinations of vast wealth led to his institutionalization and the appointment of his brother as guardian.
- A Close Call on the Grant Street Bridge
A real estate agent’s commute turned chaotic when local duck hunters accidentally peppered his horse with birdshot.