Research the archive
Narrow 22,457 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 2 |
25 stories matching bearer
- The Forger Who Ordered Champagne to the Mansion of J. M. Colman
For two weeks a smooth-talking stranger worked Front Street with forged order slips and a taste for the good stuff — until six bottles of champagne went to the wrong address.
- The Torchlight Parade for 'Prosperity'
Thousands of Seattle residents packed the streets and an armory in 1889 to cheer Republican candidates, a political display that felt more like a frantic race for jobs and survival.
- A Trail of Fire Through Port Townsend
When four hundred torch-bearers paraded the bluff at night, they turned the seaside town into a spectacular display of political theater.
- A Town Buries a Judge
Olympia’s bar and Masons escort John G. Sparks to the Masonic cemetery, with resolutions praising a lawyer, magistrate, and civic fixture.
- A Mountain of Coffins: Franklin Buries Its Miners
After a mine fire killed 37 men, the coal town of Franklin held a day of funerals—five graves at Black Diamond, three Italian miners on a hillside, and widows whose grief doctors feared would kill them.
- The Tailor, the Raffle Ticket, and the Entire Afternoon Police Force
A well-dressed Californian sold chances on a $30 suit of clothes to nearly every patrolman in Seattle. Then the drawing night came and went — and the swindled cops hauled him in themselves.
- Living on Borrowed Time in Lower Seattle
A scathing editorial decries the 'man-traps' of the waterfront, where buildings are propped up on flimsy planks to accommodate rising street grades.
- The Governor Who Stood Between Corporations and the Workingman
When railroads threatened to use militia to break a strike in 1873, Governor Elisha Ferry refused to deploy state power until the laborers were paid, carving out a legendary reputation for fairness.
- The Great Blaine Betrayal: How a Few 'Carpet-Baggers' Humiliated Washington's Republicans
At the North Yakima convention, local leaders rejected a resolution honoring James G. Blaine, sparking outrage and accusations of political conspiracy.
- The 'Corpse' Who Sat Up and Ran for the Bay
A wharf loafer mistaken for a corpse startled undertakers when he sat up in the receiving box, bolted for the water and fled uptown.
- Horrific Sawmill Accident Leaves Worker Fighting for His Life
A logger is maimed in a catastrophic carriage accident at the Stetson Manufacturing Company mill in Montesano.
- The $40 Forgery That Fooled Seattle’s Hardware Elite
A dashing stranger with a dark mustache and bare chest walks into W.P. Boyd & Co., flashes a forged check from the Seattle Hardware Company, and vanishes with $40 in cash—leaving behind only a single typo that saves the victim from total ruin.
- Bailey Gatzert Dies Peacefully Among Loved Ones
Ex-Mayor and civic leader Bailey Gatzert dies at the Rainier Hotel; the city mourns a man who helped build Seattle's foundation.
- The Unmarked Funeral of a 'Prodigal Daughter'
A sympathetic account of a funeral service held in a Seattle brothel for a woman who died suddenly in 'terrible' circumstances.
- A Community's Last Act for a Murdered Man
When immigrant Julius Scherbring was killed for his meager savings, his German countrymen stepped in to ensure he received a proper burial rather than a pauper’s grave.
- The Unquiet Departure of J.R. McIlveen
After escaping a hospital ward and surviving a legal tug-of-war over his sanity, a Seattle man makes a sudden, dramatic exit.
- A Tragic Afternoon at Whatcom Creek
A seven-year-old boy drowns while playing on log booms, sparking a somber community funeral.
- The Prohibition Party Names a Full Ticket — and a Woman-Suffrage Lawyer for Governor
Meeting in Tacoma, Washington’s Prohibitionists nominated Judge Roger S. Greene and adopted a platform demanding national prohibition, votes for women, labor arbitration and a Saturday half-holiday.
- The Night Olympia Went to War — and Nobody Shed a Drop of Blood
A touring tragedian closes his engagement with six acts of Shakespearean murder, and the army court-martial in town turns out in force to watch.
- The Mystery of the Silent Man
A deaf and mute man, unable to communicate, wanders the mill districts of Seattle, leaving local authorities perplexed and the public uneasy.
- The Squire’s Secret Christmas Delivery
In 1885 Seattle, a wealthy local benefactor orchestrates a secret delivery to a struggling family, highlighting the sharp contrast between holiday luxury and the poverty of the growing city.
- The Republican Campaign Launch
Candidates take the stage in Seattle to argue for land forfeiture, taxation of railroad monopolies, and statehood.
- The Poultry Aristocracy of 1895 Seattle
A Sound Poultry Club show filled a hall with prize pigeons, canaries, and incubator chicks—including a homing pigeon said to be the fastest in the world.
- The Church-Sponsored Prizefight
A local church in Seattle raises funds by selling tickets to a boxing match between two Black men, sparking a cynical editorial critique.
- The Political Pulse of Eastern Washington in 1880
A pre-election report from the territory reveals shifting alliances and Republican optimism across the Cascade divide.
Also about this, in other words
- A Hero Betrayed by Paperwork
A local Indigenous hero, renowned for saving shipwrecked crews, faces the loss of his homestead due to a bureaucratic failure.
- The Battle for the Great Northern Depot
Everett union workers clash with Seattle tradesmen over strike-breaking at a local railway site.
- Smuggling Silks in His Trousers
A crew member of the steamship Olympia attempts to bypass customs, revealing the era's aggressive enforcement against Chinese laborers.
- A Merchant's Defiance in Olympia
A Chinese merchant addresses accusations of smuggling, asserting his identity as a successful, law-abiding American pioneer.
- The Sailor Who Hung by His Own Neck
A seaman aboard the English ship Halewood survives a sixty-foot fall after a piece of rigging snags his throat in mid-air.
- The Abandonment of Ong Let
A Chinese domestic servant faces death alone in the hospital after his community fund dries up and authorities offer no help.
- The Strong Boy and the Local Champion
Omer Marbet and Frans Unfried sign articles for a $500 catch-as-catch-can wrestling match at Turner Hall.
- The Pugilist’s Surprise
A strongman looking for a wrestling match in early Seattle learns that a quiet demeanor doesn’t always mean a lack of spirit.