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 | 6 |
| 1889 | 35 |
| 1891 | 6 |
| 1892 | 54 |
| 1893 | 60 |
| 1894 | 50 |
| 1895 | 80 |
291 stories matching inch
- The Sewers Were Cracking — And Seattle Wanted to Know Why
City engineers trace a rash of shattered pipes to Ballard and Olympia, and to the manufacturers who made them.
- Defective Sewer Construction in the Third Ward
Accusations of corruption and shoddy craftsmanship arise as city officials are caught using undersized rods and poor brickwork on public projects.
- Unearthed Artifacts at a Railroad Grade
Construction crews working on the Great Northern Railway discovered an ancient, mysterious cache of weapons while carving through an Indian grave site near Rock Island.
- The City Pits Engines Against Each Other at the Waterfront
A competitive trial at the foot of University Street tests a new firefighting engine against the city's established standard.
- The Great Rat War of the Seattle Waterfront
A local commission merchant argues that poor box design is turning Seattle apple shipments into a banquet for waterfront vermin.
- Forty Tons of Seattle Iron: Moran Brothers' Giant Pumps Head for the Dry Dock
The biggest centrifugal pumps ever cast on the Pacific Coast leave Moran Brothers' foundry for the government dry dock, three machines able to empty it in two hours.
- The Great Blizzard of 1892
A historic ten-inch snowfall paralyzes Seattle's transit systems, forces school closures, and creates an eerie, blanketed stillness across Western Washington.
- The Shadow of the Giants: A Victorian Obsession with Stature
A century before global social media, Seattle newspaper readers were served serialized curiosities about the world's 'tallest men'—a blend of anthropological fact, tall tales, and traveling circus spectacle.
- Ballard’s Fight to Own Its Water
City council backers file affidavits defending the purchase of the West Coast Improvement Company plant as John Shields tries to block the deal.
- Hidden Artesian Spring Found Under Seattle Building
Workers drilling in the basement of the Sullivan building strike a fresh water supply that flows at a consistent daily rate.
- Ten Inmates Crawl Through City Jail Roof
A dozen prisoners rip the roof off the city jail, leading to a night of escapes, returns for more whiskey, and public mockery of the facility.
- Seattle's First Real Street Paving
A specimen half-block is laid on Commercial Street as a test to end the era of plank roads and mud.
- Sheriff Brown Hunts Three Fugitives in Seattle
Kittitas County sheriff searches Seattle for three men who broke jail in Ellensburg July 9; $100 reward each.
- The Gold Rush on the Pacific Beaches
A Tacoma syndicate aims to extract gold and platinum from the sands of Beard's Hollow near Ilwaco.
- A Mastodon Discovery in the Washington Countryside
A young boy scraping at the bottom of a spring unearths a relic from a lost era, shedding light on the ancient history buried beneath the ranch lands of Washington.
- The Terror of the Middle Valley
A massive cougar that plagued local settlers with livestock raids finally meets its end through a cunning trap.
- Gold Rush Fever Returns to Swauk Creek
A new gold strike in the 'old French pocket' sends miners racing back to the historic camp with reports of high-value veins.
- A Dynamite Cartridge Hidden in a Locomotive's Coal
Sympathizers with the recent strike are suspected after a fused explosive is found in coal loaded at Seattle and fed to a Northern Pacific engine in Tacoma.
- The Great Jailbreak of 1889
In 1889, fifteen of 31 prisoners escaped a city jail through a sawed hole in the wall; none were recaptured.
- Gambler's Lonely End in Dayton
An unidentified man found with a revolver and playing cards leaves behind a cryptic note.
- The Tragedy at Spanaway Lake
A man’s body, found tethered to heavy freight car brake shoes, offers a grim mystery in the woods near Tacoma.
- The Mystery of the Solid Rock Fish
Workers drilling a deep well near Ruston were shocked to find a live, pale fish emerge from 140 feet below the surface.
- The Olympia Gold Rush Rumor
A local prospector claims to have found a high-value gold ledge just two miles from the state capital, sparking intense local excitement.
- Turning Sagebrush Into $100-an-Acre Orchards With Artesian Water
Four artesian wells in the Moxee valley are coaxing desert land into farmland — at a profit of nearly $3,000 per well, a Yakima company claims.
- Winterizing Seattle's Water Pipes
City crews scramble to box in exposed water mains after a costly deep freeze the previous year.