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 | 5 |
| 1889 | 11 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 9 |
| 1893 | 8 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 18 |
59 stories matching midst
- The Neah Bay Sealing Fleet Returns
Local Makah hunters report a windfall catch during the seal migration, demonstrating the significance of traditional maritime economies.
- Washington’s Citizen Soldiers Prepare for Duty
While the upcoming National Guard encampment at Chambers Prairie promises camaraderie, it serves a serious, dual purpose: law enforcement and the maintenance of civil stability.
- The Funeral Faux Pas
A daughter’s confusion during a somber Seattle funeral creates a moment of awkward levity in the midst of mourning.
- The Paving of Second Street
A pivotal public works project in 1889 captures a city in the midst of rapid transformation.
- A Funeral Panic at the Salvation Army Barracks
A tragedy in Spokane leads to a funeral service so crowded that the church building began to buckle and crack, nearly causing a second disaster.
- Democratic infighting over the deputy collector
A power struggle in the local Democratic party leaves the deputy collector post in limbo amid accusations of gambling and political debt.
- A Mutual Aid Lifeline for Seattle’s Unemployed
In the midst of economic hardship, a local cooperative provides food and shelter to hundreds, sustained by community donations and church support.
- Ballard’s Water Works War
A bitter civic argument erupts in the Ballard city council over where to sink artesian wells, ending in a resignation.
- The Wild West of Willapa Bay
Tensions boil over as armed citizens and rival officials fight a desperate 'seat war' to determine the county capital.
- A City Divided Over Disease
As scarlet fever spreads through Seattle, the Board of Health and the House of Delegates clash over funding for an inspector, leaving the city vulnerable.
- A Failed Arson Attempt in Everett
A mysterious fuse and a kerosene-soaked room threatened a downtown business block.
- The Statehouse Heist
A political mob forcibly seizes company records from a government official in a Spokane hotel room.
- The King of California: An Institutionalized Dreamer
A laborer from Enumclaw with grand delusions of immense wealth and heavenly status is committed to the asylum at Steilacoom.
- The Wild West of Seattle Land Speculation
A single week in April 1889 shows the frantic, high-velocity churn of property ownership as Seattle’s real estate fever hit a boiling point just months before the Great Fire.
- The Spokane Newspaper Price War Heats Up
A cutthroat competition between rival morning and evening papers leads to plummeting subscription rates and new publishing schedules.
- Cougar Crashes a Point Roberts Dance
A celebratory night out for local youth turned into a brush with a mountain lion, resulting in a frantic rescue mission.
- The Struggle Over Seattle's Early Park System
City commissioners argue that selling the centrally located City Park could fund a sprawling, water-front recreation area on Lake Washington.
- The Serpent in the Saloon: A Seattle Sermon Demands Local Option
After two liquor-fueled shootings in the city, Rev. Dr. Alton told First Presbyterian Church that Seattle could no longer pretend a licensed saloon was anything but a public danger.
- After the Great Fire: Seattle Extends a Hand to Ellensburg
Fresh from the ashes of its own catastrophic blaze, Seattle offers sympathy and aid to a sister city devastated by fire.
- Saving the Archives from the Great Fire
Recalling the 1889 Great Seattle Fire, an employee recounts his desperate race to save the newspaper's historical files from the flames.
- The Unsung Heroes of Seattle’s Great Fire
While Seattle lay in ruins, the First Regiment of the National Guard took on the grueling, thankless job of guarding the city’s heart from looters and disaster.
- The Iron Road Reaches the Snoqualmie River
As construction on the Snoqualmie branch of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railroad nears its completion, a new frontier town emerges on the South Fork of the river.
- The Doctor for the School Board
Dr. Sarah Kendall, a physician and product of the public schools, mounts a groundbreaking bid for the school board in 1892.
- The Boomtown Delusion of Port Townsend
In the late 1880s, Port Townsend boosters scrambled to convince the world that their city was destined to be the 'Frisco' of the Pacific Northwest.
- Port Townsend Doubled Its Population Without a Boom Campaign
In 1888, Port Townsend boosters promised their city would become the next San Francisco by monopolizing the region's rail and shipping trade.