Research the archive
Narrow 25,688 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.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 13 |
| 1877 | 12 |
| 1878 | 20 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 13 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1885 | 10 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 9 |
| 1889 | 12 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 11 |
| 1892 | 24 |
| 1893 | 33 |
| 1894 | 31 |
| 1895 | 66 |
| 1897 | 4 |
| 1898 | 8 |
| 1899 | 12 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1903 | 42 |
| 1904 | 20 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 11 |
| 1909 | 27 |
| 1910 | 7 |
| 1911 | 7 |
| 1912 | 5 |
| 1914 | 14 |
| 1915 | 12 |
| 1916 | 28 |
| 1917 | 16 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1923 | 8 |
| 1924 | 4 |
| 1925 | 4 |
| 1928 | 2 |
| 1929 | 1 |
518 stories matching annual
- The Fifty-Year Streetcar Bargain
Seattle's house of delegates spent a night haggling over Fred Sander's railway franchise—how much rent, how often, and whether Seattle-made steel could be required.
- The Burden of Local Debt in Whatcom County
Citizens and municipalities face a staggering $63,000 annual interest bill on bonds used to build schools and infrastructure.
- A Valley Drowns Every Spring—and One Farmer Wants a Better Dike
A correspondent warns that the Pend Oreille freshet has wrecked $50,000 worth of Calispel Valley crops—and argues the proposed diking districts are too piecemeal to save the basin.
- School Board Ignores Call for Fiscal Transparency
Three years of broken promises leave Walla Walla taxpayers in the dark regarding the district's eighty-thousand-dollar annual expenditure.
- The Old Guard’s Grudge: Territorial Pioneers Clash Over Seattle’s Reputation
A simmering resentment against Seattle in 1885 threatened to derail the annual meeting of the Territorial Pioneers of Washington, sparking a debate about civic unity that feels remarkably familiar today.
- Walla Walla's School Board Election Turns on a Missing Financial Statement
Taxpayers want the annual accounting the law requires, as the district prepares to spend $156,000 this year.
- Kennewick's Cooperative Giant Cracks Half-Million Dollar Mark
Despite wartime tax burdens, the Kennewick Produce Company reports a massive surge in sales and a record-breaking year for local farmers.
- Four Towns, 1,790 Red Cross Members, and $26.52 in Expenses
Kennewick, Richland, White Bluffs and Hanford bury their Christmas membership quota for the cost of a few posters and receipt books.
- Calispel Valley Ranchers Move to Dike Out the Pend Oreille
A petition for a new diking district would protect 11,000 acres from annual floods—and add thousands to Stevens County's tax rolls.
- County Finances in Shambles
A scathing report reveals Chehalis County is $105,000 in debt while local officials draw high salaries.
- The Fire Chief’s Final Warning
In a 1888 city report, Seattle’s outgoing fire chief slams the 'primitive' volunteer system and warns that the city's rapid growth has left it dangerously under-protected against disaster.
- The Eight-Hour Law Backlash
Young workers organize against labor reform, fearing the end of Saturday half-holidays and annual vacations.
- Seattle Theosophists Tell London and India: We’ll Govern Ourselves
A local branch backs William Q. Judge, denies a split in the society, and decorates its Third Avenue headquarters for Mme. Blavatsky.
- Seattle Teachers Finally Get Paid in Cash—No More Discounting Warrants
A new state law allows the county treasurer to pay current school expenses from the annual tax levy, ending the practice of teachers discounting their salary warrants for ready cash.
- Cutting the Cost of Keeping Warm
A sweeping new public service commission order promises to slash freight rates for coal from the Roslyn mines, potentially saving state residents $50,000 annually.
- The River That Could Be: Kennewick’s Bold Bid to Become a Port City
In 1914, local leaders mobilized a massive delegation to Portland, betting that the new Celilo Canal would transform their dusty town into a major shipping hub.
- The Grange's Predecessor: Organizing King County’s First Farmers
In 1872, the local agricultural community formalized their guild, setting strict rules for annual fairs, membership dues, and the communal defense of the profession.
- A Million Acres on the Block: Colville Reservation Slated for Settlement
Secretary of the Interior James R. Garfield's annual report listed the Colville and Coeur d'Alene reservations among the Indian lands being prepared for opening to settlement in 1908.
- The Judge Who Warned Seattle Not to Sell Its Waterfront to a Canal Company
In 1894, Judge John J. McGilvra urged Congress to build the Lake Washington Ship Canal and warned that a private company's tideflat scheme would put tolls on the water and enrich speculators at public expense.
- A Monopoly Grabs the Tap
When the irrigation company took control of the water company's annual meeting, local farmers realized their rights to the water were being held hostage.
- The City’s Wallet vs. The Streetcar Barons: Seattle Votes on Who Owns the Rails
As fares rise and corporate power grows, Seattle councilmen debate a radical idea: municipal ownership of street railways to save taxpayers millions.
- The People’s Franchise: Seattle Votes Down Municipal Ownership of Streetcars
In a pivotal moment for the city's infrastructure, voters reject the Navin resolution to take control of street railways, cementing private corporate dominance over public transit.
- Seattle's $3 Million Steel Dream on Salmon Bay
A new blast furnace and steel works promised thousands of jobs, a freight-car plant, and 23,000 new residents—if the boosters were to be believed.
- The County Agent, the Sugar Beet, and the Strawberry Harvest That Finally Went Right
In his 1916 annual report, county agriculturalist Lee M. Lampson chronicled a quiet revolution in Benton County — homegrown seed, revived sugar beets, cooperative buying, and the federal employment office that finally matched a thousand strawberry pickers to the ripening crop.
- The Darkest Hour: Temperance Leader Declares Cause 'Dead' Amidst Political Corruption
At the State Temperance Alliance meeting in Seattle, Rev. Clark Davis delivers a scathing indictment of the liquor industry's grip on politics and religion, while Rep. De Steiguer rallies support for Watson Squire.
Also about this, in other words
- The Health Movement of 1923
Washington State launches a campaign to convince residents that an annual check-up is as essential as a regular dental visit.
- A Frontier Promise Kept
In an era of rugged isolation, an anonymous immigrant couple reflects on twenty years of marriage, the silence of their home, and the sudden joy of a child arriving on Christmas Day.
- Federal Dollars Head to Kennewick Fields
The U.S. Department of Agriculture formally integrates Benton County’s agricultural oversight into its federal mission.
- The Relief Society's Annual Report
Seattle's charitable women report on a year of sheltering abandoned children and aiding the city's destitute families.
- The 1876 Snapshot of a Growing Seattle
A new city directory reveals the frantic pace of 19th-century growth, cataloging the small businesses and shifting population of a frontier town on the cusp of modernization.
- The Science of Better Farming
Lee M. Lampson’s annual report details how cooperative marketing and disease testing transformed Benton County agriculture in 1916.
- A Record-Breaking Wheat Harvest Expected
Horse Heaven farmers prepare for an unprecedented bounty as national grain forecasts predict a billion-bushel harvest.
- The Apple Industry’s Existential Crisis
A committee of Pacific Northwest growers warns that thousands of carloads of fruit are rotting in orchards, necessitating a centralized by-product industry to survive.