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 |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1892 | 2 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 2 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1909 | 2 |
23 stories matching couch
- The Ghostly Fire on Mount Rainier
A mountain party finds their camp transformed into an eerie, glowing scene during an alpine electrical storm.
- The Midnight Bells of Olympia
When two Northern Pacific agents arrived at midnight to announce the rail terminus, the town of Olympia erupted in a celebration that would define its future.
- The Mass Departure of Chinese Laborers
After the completion of the Cedar River extension, the Oregon Improvement Company arranged for the mass transport of 1,700 Chinese workers out of Seattle.
- The Forgotten Souls of the County Poor Farm
A rare, unflinching account of the grim conditions inside Seattle’s makeshift county asylum, where the elderly and infirm were left to languish on hard wooden planks.
- Razors in the Aisles: A Seattle Democratic Convention Turns Violent
When an attempt to integrate the local Democratic party erupted in a brawl, the chair was sent flying and the local police were called to restore order to a chaotic political meeting.
- Tragedy on the Lummi Reservation
An elderly Lummi man is found dead in his cabin, with suspicion turning toward his young wife and her rumored lover.
- A Brother's Bullet: Deputy Marshal Dies, and the Accused Killer Asks Only for a Match
Shot by his own brother at Pioneer Place and James Street, Deputy U.S. Marshal Edward Minsch lingers a day and dies at Providence Hospital — while Frank Minsch, cool and indifferent in the city jail, shows no grief and admits only that he is 'subject to epileptic fits.'
- The Chambermaid’s Lock: A Seattle Hotel Guest’s Brutal Mistake
When a wealthy Chicago businessman accidentally locked himself in his hotel room and then roughed up the maid who tried to help him, he found himself facing a $10,000 lawsuit for assault.
- Billy Fife: Self-Taught Caricaturist of Frontier Seattle
A biography of Billy Fife, a sailor and self-taught caricaturist whose sharp wit and rare artistic skill captured Seattle's frontier life.
- The Political Price of Panama
When Democratic senators tried to expose the secrets behind the Panama Canal, they inadvertently revealed a web of European intrigue that bolstered the case for American intervention.
- Deadlock in Olympia: A Governor Says No and the Senate Seat Stays Empty
Governor McGraw refuses a U.S. Senate seat, George Turner is pushed forward, and Ankeny's backers dig in as Populists threaten to break the deadlock.
- The Lumbermen Who Worshipped a Black Cat
Seattle initiates into the Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo, a new fraternal society for lumbermen, complete with black robes, mock titles and a banquet.
- The Centennial Call: Snohomish Citizens Urged to Claim Their History
As the nation prepares for the 1876 Independence Day celebration, local leaders in Snohomish argue that the county must stop waiting for Seattle or other larger towns to represent them. Instead, they propose a unified county-wide gathering to preserve the region's unique settlement history.
- A Sealed Letter and a Fired Public Works Commissioner
Tacoma's mayor wants H. B. Mullen on the board of public works. The Populists want a week. And a hidden letter accuses the city attorney of mixing politics with a water-plant contract.
- Midnight Elopement: Judge Canned Saves the Day for King County Lovers
When Mary Hayes' father forbade her union with Gilbert McKinley, the couple didn't run away to Canada—they ran to Justice of the Peace Cannon at midnight. A local romance that proves love conquers all, even paternal disapproval.
- The Fight to Save Tacoma’s U.S. Engineer Office
Tacoma boosters scramble to keep the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers branch office from moving to Seattle.
- Sunday Controversy at the Fruit Fair
A local clergyman denounces the management of the Walla Walla fruit fair for permitting the sale of soft drinks and confections on a Sunday.
- The Tin-Can Alarm Clock Prank That Sent a Spokane Sleeper Racing Downtown at 1:30 A.M.
A prominent citizen rigged a string-and-tin-can wake-up call with the night watchman. Local pranksters pulled the string first—and he dressed and ran for a train that wasn't leaving.
- The Horse That Stayed Out All Night: A Spokane Humane Case
Farmer C.G. Windsor claims his horse was neglected after being left at the Arlington Stables and driven to a club, but the law sees it differently.
- The Deadly Consequences of 'Just for Fun'
A sobering editorial on how boys' thoughtless pranks—like stretching ropes across sidewalks or lighting dogs on fire—result in lifelong tragedy.
- Tensions Ease in Conflict with Chile
Diplomatic friction between the United States and Chile resolves with an official apology following the attack on Baltimore marines.
- Tragedy in the Mount St. Helens Backcountry
A toddler is maimed after an accident with a hatchet in a remote squatter camp.
- The Ghost of a Local Satirist
An Aberdeen newspaper contributor imagines his own funeral, complete with local officials crying and a telegram from the Governor of Oregon.
Also about this, in other words
- The 10-Cent Alternative to the Saloon
A local leader proposes a 'reading room and coffee house' to offer Seattle's young men a moral, affordable sanctuary away from the city's liquor dens.
- The 'Saddle-Rock' Chop House: Seattle's 24/7 Energy
In 1876, the Saddle-Rock Chop House promised hungry Seattle laborers and travelers a meal at any hour of the day or night.
- The Piano, the Pool Table and the Bar: A Roadhouse Wife's Last Hand
Julia Lillis says her husband has gambled and drunk away the takings at the Hyde Park House, the resort he keeps by the South Seattle race track, and now means to sell the furniture out from under her. A judge froze it first.
- The 'Inner Man' Restored: A 19th-Century Call to Dining
A classic 1876 appeal to the hungry travelers of Seattle, promising that even the 'weak' could find relief at Mill Street.
- A Wife, a 25-Cent Bed, and a Husband's Public Complaint
Mandy Heinegabubler left her husband for the Missouri Chop House in Old Town Newport—and Alec's notice disavows her debts before admitting he hates sleeping alone.
- The Sermon on the Coffee House
Rev. Nutting of Plymouth Church argues that Seattle's saloons won't go out of business until the city provides better alternatives for working men, like public reading rooms and coffee houses.
- Spokane City Council Cracks Down on 'Box' Saloons
In a move against the private partitioned rooms often associated with vice, the city council refuses to renew liquor licenses for establishments keeping doors on their booths.
- The Empathetic Pup of Idol Hill
A local carpenter finds comfort in a loyal companion who mirrors his own physical struggle.