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 | 2 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 25 |
| 1877 | 11 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1880 | 4 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 12 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 11 |
| 1886 | 4 |
| 1887 | 8 |
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1889 | 13 |
| 1890 | 11 |
| 1891 | 46 |
| 1892 | 46 |
| 1893 | 42 |
| 1894 | 32 |
| 1895 | 67 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1903 | 24 |
| 1904 | 19 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 6 |
| 1909 | 18 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 3 |
| 1916 | 14 |
| 1917 | 8 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1928 | 3 |
475 stories matching decemb
- When Seattle First Flew the Philippine Flag
A six-day Filipino fraternal convention fills Washington Hall, the Eagles Auditorium and the Olympic Hotel—and puts the Philippine flag over Seventh Avenue for the first time in the city’s history.
- The Secret Courthouse Bond Deal Benton County Tried to Ram Through
Commissioners Clements and McNeill authorized $125,000 in bonds for a Prosser courthouse after a closed-door plan their own lawyer admitted was designed to keep taxpayers in the dark. A Kennewick lawsuit put the deal before Judge Grady.
- The Sunday Bond Deal That Split Benton County
Two commissioners secretly arranged a courthouse bond sale, and a courtroom fight over lost premiums exposed how far they went to keep the third commissioner—and the public—in the dark.
- Seattle’s Burglary Panic Didn’t Survive the Record Book
Police Chief Rogers pushed back on calls to expand the force, producing department figures that showed theft reports down by half—and blamed the rest on sneak thieves rather than professionals.
- Drugged and Held at Sea for Seven Weeks, an Engineer Reappears in Tacoma
T. A. Cox, part-owner of an Arizona mining company, says he was drugged with a lemonade in San Francisco and held prisoner aboard an unknown ship before being put ashore at Des Moines — then walked to Tacoma without a cent.
- The Missing Will That Would Have Given Seattle a Library
Henry Yesler's widow and two doctors are arrested, accused of burning a will that left the pioneer's fortune—and his mansion—to the city.
- Six Men Climbed a Smoking Rainier in Midwinter
When Mount Rainier seemed to erupt in 1894, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer sent Maj. E. S. Ingraham and five companions up the Carbon River in deep winter to find out what was really happening.
- The Express War on the Tracks
A legal showdown in Seattle tests whether a major railway can unilaterally terminate its contract with an express service.
- The Doctor and the Gambler's Ledger
A courtroom dispute between two men over unpaid poker debts descends into an itemized accounting of every game played in 1892.
- A Winter Expedition Saw Steam on Rainier—and Asked if the Mountain Was Awake
In December 1895, a Post-Intelligencer party climbed to 9,000 feet, reported smoke and steam from the summit, and left the public demanding proof that Washington's sentinel was an active volcano.
- A Missing Word Nearly Derailed Bellingham's First City Election
Washington's Supreme Court ruled that Whatcom and Fairhaven could hold a combined city election in December 1903, reading past a clerk's drafting error to honor the legislature's intent.
- A Desperate Search for a Missing Brother
A railroad man travels to Seattle to find his brother, a missing locomotive fireman, offering a $200 reward for information.
- The Mill That Rose From Sunday's Ashes
Within days of a devastating fire, Whitehouse-Crimmins set 50 men to clearing debris and laid plans for a brick plant that would be running by December.
- A Missing Section 25: How a Clerk's Slip Could Cost the Collins Heirs $500,000
Grandchildren of John Collins's first wife want a one-sixth share of the Seattle hotel property. The whole case turns on whether a territorial statute took effect on December 2, 1869 — or 42 days too late.
- Mayor Orders Crackdown on Vice
Colfax officials scramble to collect fines from gambling dens and 'the half world' as the city council seeks to boost revenue.
- The Judge, the Stenographer, and the $2,000 Bill the County Refused to Pay
A Yakima County water-rights trial dragged on for weeks. When the judge tried to stick taxpayers with the stenographer's tab, the state Supreme Court stepped in and said no.
- A Divorce Court Airs Nights Out, Bad Language and a Vanished Household
Elias Westlake sues Emma M. Westlake for divorce, alleging drinking, insults to his business partner, and a December departure for Portland with the furniture.
- The Ballard Council Seat That Turned on Two Votes
A recount in superior court puts J. H. Blake ahead in a contested Ballard election, with one ballot box opened and a handful of votes still to count.
- The Foreclosure Auction: Snohomish’s Housing Crisis in 1876
As the Territory of Washington grapples with economic instability, three separate Sheriff's sales are scheduled for January 1877, putting local homes and land on the block for unpaid debts.
- The Forgotten Wife of Seattle: Dr. Maynard’s Double Life
A landmark land dispute in 1872 reveals how the territorial government attempted to erase the existence of Dr. David S. Maynard's first wife, Lydia, to secure a donation claim for his second family.
- The Canal Fight That Would Reshape Seattle
Senator Allen's enemies are attacking him over his support for the Lake Washington ship canal — but the 1889 legislative memorial shows one of his loudest critics once voted for it.
- The Trial of 'Old Man' Robinson
A jury acquits a man accused of orchestrating a brutal ambush murder, leaving a partner to face the gallows alone.
- The 'Hell-Trap' Murderer Sentenced to Ten Years
A man who built a lethal spring-gun trap in a remote cabin is sentenced for the death of a laborer who simply sought shelter from the cold.
- Seattle Offers a Bluff to Win the Army's Guns
Gen. Otis wants a garrison on Magnolia Bluff to guard Puget Sound — but the land the government thought it already owned has been quietly claimed out from under it, and Fort Townsend is running dry.
- State Court Rules Against Land Grabs in Ballard
The Washington Supreme Court finds that the Land Commissioner acted unlawfully when canceling private leases to clear way for the Lake Washington canal.