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 |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 8 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1880 | 4 |
| 1883 | 8 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 8 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 10 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 7 |
| 1892 | 7 |
| 1893 | 7 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 14 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 5 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1904 | 3 |
| 1909 | 3 |
| 1917 | 1 |
115 stories matching charm
- The Waterfall That Broke the Poets: Snoqualmie’s Majestic Leap
A special correspondent describes the Snoqualmie Falls not as a mere tourist stop, but as a 'noble and striking natural wonder' that defies language, offering a glimpse into the rugged beauty of Washington Territory in 1888.
- The Navy Secretary Goes Down Into the Big Hole
Secretary of the Navy Herbert rides the lighthouse tender Manzanita across the Sound to inspect the giant new dry dock at Port Orchard, settles a bitter dispute over how deep to drive the pilings, and dances the night away at the Rainier.
- The 'Reverend' Who Fed on Seattle’s Faith
A man posing as a Universalist minister charmed the city’s socialites, ran up massive tabs at the best restaurants, and vanished into the night.
- The Silver-Haired Widow of the Palouse
A charming con artist charmed her way into the best homes of Colfax, only to be undone by a stolen set of hotel silver.
- The Senator Who Came for the Canal
A visiting New Hampshire senator tours the route of the proposed Lake Washington canal, charms the Chamber of Commerce, and promises his vote — while predicting Seattle will one day rival the great ports of the world.
- A Sinking Buggy, a Borrowed Team, and a Reservation About to Open
In 1892 a newspaperman packed his wife and infant into a rickety buggy to cross the soon-to-open Colville Reservation, fording the Kettle River and leaning on Native families along the way.
- Two Apologetic Highwaymen Held Up a Tacoma Liquor Dealer
A short cut through a vacant lot, a big revolver, and robbers who blamed hard times—but left the Odd Fellows charm because it was a present.
- Tambourine Drill Packs the Opera House, but the Boys Nearly Spoil the Night
A standing-room crowd cheered the young ladies' drill and a packed program—until local boys' 'hoodlumism' threatened to derail the evening.
- The Fortune Teller's Change of Heart
A local clairvoyant, weary of peddling fake love charms to desperate women, finds an unexpected path to a simpler life.
- Seattle Athletic Club Dazzles with 'Midwinter Night's Dream'
A packed Cordray's Theater applauds a lavish amateur travesty of Shakespeare, complete with cross-dressing fairies and a floral tribute to the librettist.
- The Great Hair Heist of the Commuter Train
A love-struck suitor tries to claim a souvenir from his sleeping crush, only to accidentally shear her wig instead of her locks.
- The Tragedy of the Dancing Mouse
A tiny creature with a flair for the dramatic met her end while trying to enjoy a violin performance in the comfort of a private home.
- The Dream of Ravenna Park: A Victorian Utopia in the Pines
Promoted as a 'city of churches' and culture, W.W. Beck’s ambitious Ravenna development sought to mirror an Italian paradise on the shores of Lake Washington.
- The Violent Expulsion of Chinese Workers from Tacoma
While Seattle officials debated the law, a vigilante mob in Tacoma took matters into their own hands, forcibly ejecting Chinese residents from the city.
- The Warden Stole His Son’s Fiancée—Then Got Fired Over Eggs
A federal prison appointment at McNeil’s Island unearths a family romance gone wrong and an expense account full of phantom eggs.
- The Vampire Panic of Seattle
A grim, gothic account of a 'vampire' outbreak in a local immigrant community, documenting the desperate, violent lengths to which villagers went to protect their own.
- The Confidence Man of Madison Street
A charismatic stranger built a house in Seattle, charmed local investors, and pulled off a sophisticated bank fraud that left the city stunned.
- A Magnate's Despair: The Suicide of Paul Schulze
A Tacoma streetcar president and irrigation promoter, ruined by debt and the loss of Northern Pacific confidence, takes his own life with a chilling note about ambition.
- A Frontier Vendetta Spills onto the Beach
An Indigenous man is shot in a dispute over a death attributed to 'bad Tamanas' or spiritual curses.
- When the Titans of Industry Came to Seattle
In 1885, as Seattle clamored for growth, a high-society banquet for Senator John Sherman and railroad executives signaled the dawn of the city's obsession with 'big industry'—and the blunt, profit-driven advice they offered to the locals.
- The Birth of Woodland Park
How a private visionary’s 'enchanter's wand' turned a rugged, logged-over wilderness into Seattle’s premier public escape.
- The Hypnotic Lothario of Tacoma
A wealthy widow discovers that her 'handy' boarder was a con man who used alleged hypnotic powers to swindle her and charm local women.
- A Heartbreak in a Seattle Boarding House
An elderly man’s public quest to 'rescue' his beloved from her life at the Pacific House leads to a courtroom confrontation.
- The Con Man Who Conned a Town
Before he was caught, a master swindler known as 'Gen. Ward' charmed the elite of Spokane Falls and eloped with a banker's daughter.
- The Morphine Abyss
A woman shares her harrowing descent into morphine addiction and her recovery at the Keeley Institute, offering a rare, personal testimony of 19th-century narcotic dependence.
Also about this, in other words
- The Constable Who Walked Off With the Diamond Ring
A $150 raffle at a South Second Street barber shop ended before the drawing could begin when a creditor arrived with a writ of attachment.
- The Fiddle or the Fortune
A young woman’s struggle for artistic independence against the suffocating expectations of Gilded Age Seattle.
- The Duck That Struck Gold
A holiday dinner turns into a prospecting claim when a bell boy discovers nuggets inside a Whidby Island duck.
- The $1,000 Diamond Ring, the Saloonkeeper and 'Camille'
A wealthy Seattle courtesan says she bankrolled her young lover's saloons and had her diamond earrings reset for him to wear behind the bar. Now he's charged with stealing the ring — and she's destroyed the will she wrote in his favor.
- The Goddess of Slang: A Poetic Flirtation in the Territory
A whimsical verse from the late 19th century captures the playful, rhyming courtship rituals of Snohomish Territory, offering a glimpse into the lighthearted side of pioneer life.
- The Empathetic Pup of Idol Hill
A local carpenter finds comfort in a loyal companion who mirrors his own physical struggle.
- A Vicious Visitor in Town
An unknown local poisoner is targeting the town's dogs, causing alarm among residents.
- The Diva’s Relic: When a Sacred Charm Held Up a Seattle Opera
A superstitious cantatrice once refused to perform because she’d lost a piece of the True Cross—forcing her manager to hunt through trunks until the curtain rose.