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 | 4 |
| 1889 | 9 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 12 |
| 1893 | 11 |
| 1894 | 20 |
| 1895 | 20 |
77 stories matching capabl
- A Captain's Reputation on the Line at Vancouver Barracks
Witnesses at the court-martial disagreed over whether Capt. Goodwin had been drinking—and whether he could still command his company in a riot.
- The City Rises Against a Heavyweight Bully
When boxing legend John L. Sullivan publicly spewed racist venom in 1892, Seattle’s Afro-American League turned his own brutal rhetoric against him, demanding dignity from the local press.
- Sunken Piles Turning the Waterfront into a Minefield
Steamboat captains demand action against loose, spiked pilings clogging the Seattle harbor and threatening the hulls of local vessels.
- Scandal at the Orting Soldiers' Home
The commandant of the state home for veterans faces a morals charge brought by an inmate.
- Why the Great Northern Railway Matters
Reflections on how the newly completed transcontinental link will change the economy of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.
- The Human Cost of Railroad Expansion
A laborer files a massive suit against his contractor after an injury on the Great Northern line costs him his leg.
- Populists Plan a State-Wide Political Circus
As Washington state approaches a contentious election, Spokane Populists prepare a traveling campaign program of bands, juggling, and theater.
- The 'Coolest Thief' in Seattle Captured
A burglar with a penchant for high-quality jewelry and a peculiar key is arrested after a spree on First Birch Street.
- The Shingle War: Seattle Dealers Challenge Manufacturers
A new association of Pacific Northwest dealers forms to fight for control over the marketing of cedar shingles against the manufacturing cartels.
- The Fight for Puyallup Land Rights
A Congressional debate reveals the struggle for tribal land ownership and the interference of government commissions.
- Chief Jackson’s Quest for a Better Police Dispatch
Seattle’s Chief of Police returns from a fact-finding mission to Portland and San Francisco, hoping to import a superior telephone patrol system to curb the static and confusion of the local line.
- The Governor and the 'Commonweal' Marchers
A scathing look at the politics of 'passing the buck' as governors react to the roving industrial armies of the 1894 depression.
- Kent Bids for the Electric Rail
Citizens and business leaders in the White River Valley rally to secure a $100,000 subsidy for an electric railway line to Seattle.
- The Case for a Modern Fire Engine in 1880s Seattle
An urgent editorial call for the city to upgrade its firefighting capabilities to match Seattle's rapid expansion.
- The Street Characters of Old Seattle
A profile of the city's unofficial icons, including 'Old Pencils' and the newsboys 'Limpy' and 'Red,' revealing a glimpse into the gritty, vibrant life of Front Street.
- The Strange 'Living' Well of Port Townsend
A dry well dug in an addition to Port Townsend acts as a natural, pneumatic barometer, baffling local scientists.
- Marine Greyhounds for the Sound
New patrol boats for the Revenue Cutter Service are to be built locally in Port Townsend to crack down on smuggling.
- Smugglers Land Thirty Chinese in Puget Sound
A high-speed steamer outruns revenue patrols to land migrants previously refused entry in Portland.
- The Pioneer Spirit of Seattle’s Lumber Boom
While major financiers discussed global markets, a group of young, ambitious lumbermen were busy building a new mill to feed Seattle's rapid expansion.
- The Hidden Tracks on Whidbey Island
Federal agents capture a British steam launch allegedly used to bypass Chinese exclusion laws by landing contraband passengers on the coast.
- The Tragedy of Mamie's Pet Deer
A pet deer, raised with the freedom of a house cat, is senselessly killed by a hunter in the Skagit Valley.
- The End of the Volunteer Era
Seattle decides to abandon its volunteer fire system in favor of a professional, paid department, prioritizing efficiency over neighborhood spirit.
- Draining the Squak Slough
A proposal for drainage work in the valley promises agricultural prosperity and potential water access for Seattle.
- Seattle’s First Free Kindergarten Opens in a Remodeled South End School
A San Francisco-trained teacher, a borrowed school building, and a training school for young women launch a civic experiment in early education.
- A City Fed Up: Seattle Demands an End to the Fire Department Follies
Six years after the Great Fire, an exasperated editor says the wrangling over the fire department has become a farce — and warns the mayor, council and commission to settle it or step aside.