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 |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 3 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 3 |
| 1862 | 4 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 8 |
| 1876 | 35 |
| 1877 | 17 |
| 1878 | 53 |
| 1879 | 5 |
| 1880 | 5 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 14 |
| 1884 | 6 |
| 1885 | 22 |
| 1886 | 12 |
| 1887 | 7 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 25 |
| 1890 | 8 |
| 1891 | 45 |
| 1892 | 82 |
| 1893 | 63 |
| 1894 | 58 |
| 1895 | 74 |
| 1897 | 5 |
| 1898 | 4 |
| 1899 | 9 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 34 |
| 1904 | 15 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1907 | 4 |
| 1908 | 4 |
| 1909 | 18 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1914 | 9 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 5 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 1 |
688 stories matching debt
- Wife Stopped at Wharf in Debt Dispute
Constable intercepts a woman fleeing to join her husband, seizing property to cover outstanding debts.
- Inheriting a Debt-Ridden City
Mayor Phelps takes office in Seattle, facing a dire financial situation and crumbling infrastructure after years of 'misgovernment.'
- Seattle's Schools on the Brink: The 1895 Debt Vote That Could Have Cut the School Year to Six Months
With floating warrants piling up and the tax base shrinking, School District No. 1 asked voters to ratify about $387,000 in debt and refinance it before the school term was cut from ten months to six.
- Seattle’s Schools Ask Voters to Make the Ledger Balance
With teachers discounting their own salary warrants, the school board calls a special election to validate a $37,000 floating debt and put the district on a cash basis.
- Husband's Public Notice Denies Responsibility for Wife's Debts
In a formal newspaper notice, a disgruntled Seattle man attempts to absolve himself of his wife's debts after she leaves their home.
- The Great 1892 Debt Cleanup: How Seattle Tried to Bail Itself Out
Facing a mountain of unpaid municipal warrants and a legal crisis, Seattle's city council rushed a desperate bond measure to the ballot to keep the city's lights on and workers paid.
- The Fight for Seattle’s Infrastructure Debt Limit
A delegation from Seattle appeared before the Washington constitutional convention to lobby for the city's power to borrow money to pay for critical infrastructure, including public water and street improvements.
- A Failed Seattle Bank’s Frozen Fortune
Receiver C. M. Sheafe told the court that the Washington Savings Bank’s notes and bonds might eventually pay, but its real estate was unsellable in the hard times of 1894.
- The City’s IOUs: Seattle's Great 1892 Debt Reckoning
Facing a mountain of unpaid warrants and legal liabilities, the city council asks voters to decide if Seattle will settle its debts with bonds or face financial collapse.
- Walla Walla Council Defends Debt to Build City Hall
A finance committee report from 1883 reveals the staggering debt and tax burden required to build Walla Walla’s civic infrastructure.
- Jailed for a Five Dollar Debt
A Spokane barber finds himself behind bars after a landlady uses criminal law to settle a civil board bill.
- Aberdeen’s Municipal Debt Gamble
City council seeks to exceed debt limits to fund municipal operations and bridge purchases.
- Haven Church Opens Debt-Free
A young M.E. congregation celebrates the dedication of its new building on the corner of Howard and First Streets.
- Seattle's School System in Financial Crisis
Board member Thomas Prosch reveals a staggering debt that has school warrants trading at a discount.
- The Episcopal Debt Scandal in Colfax
A creditor, failing to collect a debt from a church congregation in Pullman, seized the rival building in Colfax, triggering a local legal battle.
- The City’s Fiscal Turnaround
Seattle’s rapid debt reduction and infrastructure growth are hailed as a success story for low-tax policy.
- Seattle Voters Weigh Debt Bonds and Sewer Tunnel
Seattle voters head to the polls to decide whether to refinance the city's floating debt and complete the critical Lake Union sewer tunnel.
- The Sunset of a Snohomish Partnership
A local mercantile firm dissolves, leaving behind a trail of outstanding debts and a stern deadline for settlement.
- The Supreme Court Rules on City Debt
A landmark decision clarifies that Seattle is not liable for 'grade scrip' debts, protecting the city treasury but leaving contractors in a precarious position.
- Ballard Votes to Pay the Piper
A special election in the young city of Ballard clears the three-fifths bar to fund debts that ran about $3,000 past the legal limit.
- The Debts a Country Owes Its Farmers — and Its Farmers' Wives
An 1898 farm-column editorial tallies what rural Washington neglects: untrained road supervisors, school directors so illiterate the legislature had to bar them, and farm women who never see a newspaper or a neighbor.
- The Price of Education in Early Seattle
A concerned citizen calls out the School Board for slashing teacher wages to settle district debts, highlighting a lopsided austerity that spared no professional pocketbook.
- The Battle Over the Public Purse
A legal challenge threatens county infrastructure funding, exposing a rift over how the town calculates its own wealth and debt.
- The Deserted Husband's Public Ultimatum
In a 1876 notice, Thomas Lilly takes to the press to publicly disavow his wife's debts after she leaves their home.
- The 'Not Responsible' Notice of 1876
In an era of restrictive domestic law, one Seattle man publicly disavows his wife's debts to protect his own assets.
Also about this, in other words
- The $242 Debt That Haunted the Frontier
A legal summons from 1878 reminds us that even in the budding town of Snohomish, debt was a serious, court-ordered business.
- The Governor's 1895 Warning: Washington Is Spending Itself Into Debt
A message to the legislature tallies a looming deficit, runaway appropriations and a public-land system under pressure — while urging lawmakers to lease harbor areas cheaply and defend taxpayers.
- The Constitutional Debt Fight
As the constitutional convention debates municipal debt limits, local editors fear Oregon-style fiscal conservatism will hinder growth.
- The Struggle Over City Debt
Business interests push for city bonds to replace high-interest warrants, while political factions threaten to obstruct.
- The City’s Endless Debt Cycle
Tacoma’s casual approach to borrowing is mortgaging the future.
- A City on the Brink: Olympia’s 1891 Debt Crisis and the Fight Over Jobs
Facing a constitutional debt limit, Olympia’s city council considers firing the deputy clerk, assistant city attorney, and city engineer—while a motion to revoke the street railway franchise fails by a tie.
- 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 City Hall Bond Gamble
Aberdeen is rushing to saddle the city with an $80,000 debt—but do the taxpayers understand the fine print?