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 |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1891 | 8 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
23 stories matching boomer
- Grays Harbor City Townsites Scheme Ends in 1891
How professional townsite boomers once built a 'city' of imagination that existed only on paper, leaving investors with nothing but worthless lithographs.
- City Council Vetoes Payment to Liquor Dealer's Widow
Mayor H. G. Struve declines an appropriation for a deceased saloonkeeper’s family, citing strict legal and corporate boundaries for public funds.
- The Great Spokane Land Rush
Hundreds of 'boomers' flooded a disputed railroad tract in the heart of Spokane after a legal ruling fueled rumors of unclaimed land.
- The Six Who Vanished: Tacoma’s Senatorial Scandal and the Art of Political Silence
In the wake of a bitter Washington State Senate race, the six key allies of defeated candidate Judge Calkins have disappeared from public view, leaving behind a trail of bribery allegations and a furious debate over whether the election was stolen or won by superior strategy.
- The Great Port Angeles Gold Scam
How a clever land boomer used fake gold coins to manufacture excitement and swindle investors in the late 1880s.
- A Rockefeller Tells Seattle It Is Destined to Be the New York of the Pacific
Visiting Cleveland iron magnate F. Rockefeller—brother of John D.—says the harbor beats New York's and the ore is right here, if only the city will manufacture instead of import and steer clear of the boomers who killed Wichita.
- The Great Aberdeen Road Bond Fight
Prominent citizens spar over a controversial proposal to bond the county for roads, with critics labeling it a 'boomer' scheme.
- The Taxpayer’s Revolt Against ‘Boomer’ Debt
A local citizen takes to the press to blast the city council for proposing new debt while property values for the wealthy remain untaxed.
- The Senator and the Boomer
Senator Frye recounts a colorful anecdote about Spokane Falls, gambling, and the ruthless competition between Washington cities.
- The Price of a Senate Seat: Inside the 1891 Power Struggle in Olympia
As a crucial U.S. Senate election looms, Seattle political figures and state legislators grapple with accusations of bribery, railroad monopolies, and the 'corrupt' influence of money in Washington’s halls of power.
- The Real Estate Gold Rush: How Seattle’s Early Boomers Made Millions on Dirt
A Sunday editorial in the Post-Intelligencer lays bare the staggering profits of land speculation in 1883, revealing how a few savvy investors turned hundreds of dollars into fortunes through sheer timing and location.
- The Gall and Wormwood of Olympia: Tacoma’s Defeat in the Senate Race
As Washington's first U.S. Senator is chosen in a bitter legislative battle, defeated candidate Calkins' supporters cry foul, while Jefferson County delegates secure the victory for Watson Squire.
- Tacoma’s Costly Water Scandal
City officials discover that the expensive gravity-fed water system sold to the public is a fiction, sparking a search for accountability.
- The Unproven Future of the 'Attractive Townsite'
Northern Pacific President Thomas F. Oakes visits the burgeoning town of Everett in 1892, skeptical of its long-term viability despite the optimism of its East Coast developers.
- The Political Toboggan: Tacoma's Revolt Against a Carpetbagger Candidate
As the state legislature prepared to convene in 1891, prominent Tacoma Republicans publicly abandoned their own local candidate, labeling him an opportunist from Indiana.
- The End of the Frontier Boom
An 1886 dispatch from the San Francisco Chronicle assesses the cooling of Washington Territory's economy, marking the transition from feverish speculation to steady growth.
- The Political Infighting Within Seattle’s Labor Movement
A blistering letter to the editor exposes internal power struggles and corruption allegations within the Knights of Labor, revealing the fractious state of turn-of-the-century worker politics.
- The Political Ring’s Tight Grip on Chehalis County
Aberdeen’s Republican convention devolved into a 'cut and dried' affair as local party bosses utilized proxies and backroom maneuvering to maintain control.
- The Senator, the Booster and the 39 Gambling Halls
A Spokane millionaire refused to clean up a vice-ridden building because, he said, Tacoma would happily take the business.
- Five Feet of Lead and a Mining Camp's Big Break
Newport investors strike a rich oxidized lead vein in the Metaline district, with assays promising $31.68 a ton and a mill within 40 days.
- The Real Estate Magnate of 1883
A visiting journalist encounters a Seattle real estate booster who predicts the city will dwarf Portland and eventually become the primary trade gateway between New York and China.
- The Political Stump in Old Seattle
A skeptical local editor critiques a 1880 Democratic congressional candidate’s visit to Seattle, dissecting his oratory, his 'Solid South' rhetoric, and the harsh realities of campaigning in a territory without a vote.
- The Fight for the County Printing Contract
The Kennewick Courier protests the county commissioners' failure to award them the county printing contract, arguing it was a violation of legal and professional standards.
Also about this, in other words
- Home of Boom Overseer Destroyed by Fire
Passengers on the Clan McDonald discover a house engulfed in flames while passing, but it is too late to save the structure.
- The 'Boom Town' Bust of Chin Kiang
A cautionary tale of real estate speculation from the pages of 1889 Seattle.
- Mrs. Dine, Aging Teacher, Needs Community Support
An aging Seattle resident, who once helped build the foundations of the city, now struggles in penury—prompting a call for civic support.
- The Boomtown Spirit: Black Diamond Cheers a Presidential Ticket
While the nation looked to Chicago for the 1888 Republican ticket, the coal-mining town of Black Diamond organized a rousing local celebration to back Harrison and Morton.
- The Bankruptcy Sale That Defined a Boomtown
As Seattle transitioned from a frontier outpost to a growing city, the closure of merchant Simon Brownstone's stock offered residents a rare, high-stakes opportunity for 'genuine bargains' amid the rough-and-tumble of 1884 commerce.
- Condemning the 'Boom Town' Relics
Building Inspector Sherman launches a crusade against the derelict shacks and half-finished houses left over from Tacoma’s abandoned real estate boom.
- A Scantling Scuffle at the Boom
A simmering dispute over local timber booms erupts in violence at Chenoise Creek.
- The 'Wild Man' of Kearney Street
A profile of Leonor Borcharts, known as 'Oofty Goofty,' a performer who made a living by enduring physical abuse for public entertainment.