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 | 11 |
| 1889 | 43 |
| 1891 | 17 |
| 1892 | 23 |
| 1893 | 45 |
| 1894 | 55 |
| 1895 | 90 |
284 stories matching list
- The Price of Ownership: Seattle’s 1888 Delinquent Tax List
A sprawling registry of property owners, from the prominent to the 'Unknown,' failing to pay their dues during Seattle’s rapid expansion.
- The Great Seattle Tax Delinquency List
A vast, published ledger of delinquent property owners across Seattle's emerging neighborhoods exposes the precariousness of early land ownership.
- The Political Grudge Match in Rosalia
A legislative seat is caught in a bitter proxy war after a list of locals is circulated to pressure a politician’s vote.
- The Fight Over Public Printing in Snohomish
A judge rules that the county treasurer has the discretion to choose which newspaper receives taxpayer money for publishing delinquent tax lists.
- City Treasurer Decamps as Embezzlement Scandal Rocks Seattle
City Treasurer Adolph Krug has fled the city after an audit revealed a $20,000 deficit in his accounts.
- The Padded Guest List
A political movement to reform Seattle government gets caught red-handed inflating its support with the names of prominent citizens who never agreed to join.
- The Real Estate Boom at Ronton Addition
Investors and business leaders scramble to buy into Seattle's rapid expansion.
- The Fake Canal Subscribers That Exposed a Seattle Newspaper War
In 1892 the Seattle Telegraph touted a popular subscription fund for the Lake Washington canal. The Post-Intelligencer called the list a confidence game built on the names of prominent citizens who never pledged a cent.
- The Cricket Runs Aground
A steamer at Olympia drifts from its moorings and is submerged by the rising tide.
- The Great Seattle Canal Subscription Scandal
Prominent business leaders expose the local newspaper's fabricated list of wealthy donors to the Lake Washington ship canal project.
- The Great Delinquent Tax Sale of 1888
A sweeping list of hundreds of 'Unknown Owners' and Seattle residents facing the auction block, revealing the precarious nature of early land speculation in the city.
- Federal Crackdown on Seattle Investment Scams
Federal authorities have blacklisted over fifty 'bond and investment' companies, including one in Seattle, prohibiting them from using the U.S. mail to conduct their business.
- The Canal Scandal: A Fabricated List of Prominent Backers
The Post-Intelligencer accuses the Seattle Telegraph of inventing a list of wealthy citizens and firms to support a private canal scheme.
- The Seattle Land Boom’s Elite Sales Pitch
A 19th-century real estate advertisement lists Seattle’s power brokers as testimonials for a major development push near Madison Street.
- The Olympia Hotel Riot
A political caucus to nominate a U.S. Senator erupts into a shouting match and physical brawl as factions clash over the candidate list.
- The Test of Conscience for Seattle’s Citizen Militia
Company E implements a rigorous questionnaire for recruits, aiming to filter out labor unionists and drinkers in an era of intense industrial unrest.
- The Real Estate Gentrifiers of 1889
A bold advertisement from the Post-Intelligencer lists the city’s power brokers as the first investors in a new development, explicitly using their status to sell land to the aspiring middle class.
- North Yakima’s Finest Track
A newly completed race track in North Yakima promises to be the premier site for horse training in the Pacific Northwest, with local boosters already planning for a major September meet.
- The Great Seattle Building Boom of 1888
A meticulously logged list of nearly 1,500 structures built in a single year, revealing a city transforming from a frontier outpost into a bustling metropolis.
- Seattle Lot Listings Pitch Prime Business Corners in 1888
A classic advertisement from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reveals the city’s early land-grabbing fervor, offering prime downtown lots and suburban tracts for a fraction of today's prices.
- The Great Seattle Housing Boom of 1890
A staggering list of hundreds of building permits filed on the final day of 1890 reveals the rapid, frantic expansion of a city rebuilding itself from the ashes of the Great Fire.
- Seattle's Teachers Were Put on Monthly Contracts—and Cut Off in a Fire or Epidemic
In June 1895, the Seattle school board approved next year's teaching staff but changed the terms of the job: no annual contracts, ten days' notice, and no pay if fire or disease closed a school. The same meeting also debated Queen Anne school plans and cost overruns.
- The Federal Jobs That Came With Life Tenure
A new civil-service order gives Puget Sound customs officers—from deputies to private secretaries—protection that even a change of administration may not break.
- The Fire Department Power Grab
A political showdown at the fire commission exposes plans to purge the force and replace the Chief.
- The Custom House Spoils System
A political power struggle over federal appointments in Port Townsend reveals the deep-seated corruption and infighting within the local Democratic Party.