Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 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.
Refine1 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1889 | 6 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 4 |
| 1895 | 6 |
| 1904 | 1 |
35 stories matching crawl
- The Man Who Slept in a Law Office Window
A destitute former resident of Chimacum is found crawling into a Seattle law office window, claiming he has nowhere else to go.
- A Narrow Escape at the Shilshole Crossing
A switch engine slams into a team on Shilshole Avenue, killing a horse and nearly killing the driver—who crawled out thanks to a broken wagon tongue.
- A Gruesome Case of Ear Trouble
A logger near Ladysmith undergoes a painful ordeal when a fly turns his ear into a nursery.
- The Thief Who Crawled into a Hole
A petty shoplifting chase leads to an absurd standoff underneath a downtown storefront.
- Ten Inmates Crawl Through City Jail Roof
A dozen prisoners rip the roof off the city jail, leading to a night of escapes, returns for more whiskey, and public mockery of the facility.
- The Stowaway with Seventeen Guns
A Victoria burglar thought he’d outsmarted police by hiding between decks on the steamer *Premier*, but a sharp-eyed customs officer at the Seattle dock caught him red-handed—and found his loot.
- The Haunted Theater of Seattle: A Superstition of 1876
A group of locals at the Occidental Hotel exchange tales of theater lore, specifically the peculiar story of a spider that allegedly predicted the success of a New York stage house for ten consecutive seasons.
- The Cabin Feud in West Seattle
Two brothers living in a cramped cabin find themselves in a legal battle over their sleeping arrangements.
- 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.
- A Violent Pursuit of a Divorced Wife
An ex-convict recently released from the Walla Walla penitentiary tracks his former wife to Seattle and shoots her five times.
- The Midnight Prowler of Eighteenth Street
A bold burglar is caught in the act at a private residence, turning an ordinary night into a frantic, weapon-drawn standoff.
- The Vanished Prize
A glass jar filled with cash, intended for a public guessing contest at a downtown shop, was plucked from a storefront window in a clever, late-night heist.
- A Lonely Death in a Seattle Rooming House
A woman living in poverty is found dead in a prayerful posture, leaving behind only a small dog and unpaid rent.
- The City’s Biggest Celebration
Athletic contests and a tense yacht race on the Sound defined Seattle's 1880 Fourth of July.
- The New Year’s Baby Snatcher
A Seattle caller attempts to kidnap a child during a New Year’s visit, marking a disturbing escalation in his annual crime spree.
- The Midnight Hold-Up That Turned Deadly
A trio of armed men terrorized downtown saloons until a victim fought back with a shotgun, leaving one assailant near death.
- The Waterfront Fugitives of Milton
When two men were caught butchering stolen beef, a routine arrest at the water's edge turned into a desperate aquatic brawl.
- The Great Escape: Two Prisoners Vanish from Seattle’s Basement Jail
In a display of audacity and desperation, two men held on smuggling and liquor charges crawled through a torn-off board in a water closet to flee the U.S. Marshal’s improvised prison beneath the Clancy Building.
- The Judge and the 'Toad' in the Bed
A late-night marital misunderstanding at a Seattle residence leaves a judge embarrassed and a pocket watch destroyed.
- The Midnight Brawl at the Plumbing Shop
A Seattle man catches a burglar in the act, leading to a violent struggle that tumbles from a kennel into the alleyway.
- An Entomologist's Dire Warning for Seattle Orchards
A local resident documents a massive infestation of scale and aphid pests, calling for a city-wide inspection to save Seattle’s fruit trees.
- The Jailbreak That Never Was: A Seattle Jail Security Crisis
When guards discovered tunneling and hidden tools in the city jail, the potential for a mass breakout triggered a city-wide security lockdown.
- Inside the 'Hell Hole': Life for the Unemployed in 1893
An anonymous laborer provides a harrowing account of the brutal conditions and daily struggle for survival in Seattle's winter saloons.
- A Steamboat Race on Puget Sound Settles a Year of Bragging
The Clan McDonald chases down the Henry Bailey on the Skagit route, passing her in a cloud of steam and whistle shrieks while passengers cheer.
- Who Was Blowing Up Seattle's New Sewers?
City engineers find more than 200 broken pipe lengths underground and suspect dynamite, labor grudges, or business sabotage.