Research the archive
Narrow 25,724 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 |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 6 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1886 | 4 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1889 | 9 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 6 |
| 1892 | 16 |
| 1893 | 23 |
| 1894 | 14 |
| 1895 | 16 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1903 | 11 |
| 1904 | 6 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 5 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 3 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1923 | 2 |
161 stories matching complic
- Tragedy in Hillyard
A Spokane saloonkeeper takes his own life following rumors of his involvement in an arson case.
- The Logging Technicality
A man caught cutting timber on government land walks free after a dispute over his Northern Pacific contract.
- The Bizarre Legal Battle for the Benton County Courthouse
A sprawling court fight over the construction contract has pulled in an army of attorneys, stalling the project and complicating the county's civic future.
- A Close Call at the Buffalo Shingle Mill
A mill worker is lucky to keep his arm after a terrifying accident with a shingle saw.
- Remembering Hazelwood
A promising young student passes away at 21, leaving a community to mourn a bright future cut short.
- Union Clash at the Everett Smelter
Management threatens to shutter the newly constructed smelter indefinitely if organized labor interferes with non-union hiring.
- Criminal Malpractice Charges in Roy
Dr. E. W. Ratliffe is arrested on charges regarding the medical treatment of a young woman.
- The Mystery of the Man Called Buckskin
A local homestead is mired in scandal as neighbors allege the owner is an impostor hiding a dark past.
- The Fugitive Missionary
A Chinese Episcopal missionary is arrested in Chicago on federal charges linked to immigration fraud.
- A Mine Fire That Might Never Be Put Out
Black Diamond Mine No. 12 faced possible permanent abandonment after a fire underground, with flooding and spontaneous combustion complicating recovery.
- A Spokane Craftsman's Twelve-Year Masterpiece in Human Hair
Charles Streib spent over a decade creating portraits of Generals Washington and Sherman from thousands of strands of human hair—a feat of patience and artistry that astonished the city.
- Federal Control Tightens Over Indian Land Income
A new government order mandates that lease money from Indigenous lands be held in restricted accounts, limiting how landowners can access their own funds.
- The Shadow Over Section Five
A contested land parcel near the city has become the center of a legal standoff, as heirs of the late J. M. Hopkins complicate the Northern Pacific Railroad's claims.
- A Community Mourns a Young Mother
Mrs. J. I. Windust passes away at the Walla Walla hospital, leaving behind a husband and five young children.
- The Open Secret of Puget Sound Smuggling
A Treasury agent investigating the border dismisses reports of Chinese smuggling as 'exaggerated,' revealing the complicity of local lumbermen who view the law as a joke.
- Washington’s Constitutional Convention Gridlock
Delegates in Olympia struggle to write the state's governing document while balancing partisan interests and local industrial needs.
- The End of the Snoqualmie Toll
After years of litigation, King County settled a dispute with a private wagon road company, finally opening the Snoqualmie Pass route to the public for free.
- Prominent Pioneer Olive Delaney Dies After Surgery
A life spanning the cross-country emigrant trails to the settlement of the Walla Walla valley ends following complications from an operation.
- Visions for Tacoma's Industrial Growth
Local business leaders and Congressman Cushman debate federal funding for harbor dredging and the city's potential as a Pacific coastal powerhouse.
- The Miracle of the 'Traction Luck'
After the Great Seattle Fire, one man’s singular misfortune becomes a bizarre local legend of resilience.
- The Check Passers: Seattle Sheriff Breaks Up a Coastwide Confidence Ring
Four alleged ringleaders—including a man known to police in three cities and a woman wanted in Everett for a jail break—are arrested in Seattle.
- Stockholder Blocks Seattle-Lake Shore Rail Payments
A Minnesota stockholder successfully secured an injunction against the Northern Pacific, complicating the finances of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern railroad.
- The Tacoma Murder-Suicide
A father kills his daughter and himself, leaving behind a trail of letters and a dark, complicated history in the Pacific Northwest.
- The Price of a Live Wire
A local man faces a life-threatening complication after a horrific electrical accident.
- The Anatomy of a 'Drunk' in 1883
A local observer breaks down the social mechanics of the saloon-crawl, from the first casual invitation to the inevitable collapse on the floor.