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 |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 9 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 18 |
| 1885 | 11 |
| 1886 | 10 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 6 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 11 |
| 1894 | 6 |
| 1895 | 7 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1903 | 4 |
| 1904 | 3 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1910 | 1 |
118 stories matching domain
- The Land Grab That Built Seattle: How Indian Reserves Held Back the City
In 1877, local editors railed against federal land policies that reserved vast tracts of fertile Washington Territory for Native American use, arguing these 'monopolies' stifled white settlement and speculation.
- The Fight for the Indemnity Belt
How Washington settlers fought to reclaim land from corporate control, breaking the grip of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- The Great Land Heist
A scathing report reveals how federal officials in the Land Office turned a blind eye for years, allowing railroad corporations to plunder the public domain.
- One Lawsuit Over Jackson Street Stops Every Big Street Project in Washington
The state supreme court voids the 1893 eminent domain law, and Seattle's half-million-dollar regrade — along with the ambitious improvements of every city over 1,500 people — is suddenly unfundable.
- Legal Landmark on Colville Reservation
A federal judge rules that the north half of the Colville Indian Reservation has been restored to the public domain, shifting jurisdiction to Stevens County.
- Northern Pacific Railroad's Columbia River Land Grab
A skeptical look at how the Northern Pacific Railroad is using speculative track-laying to claim 1,000,000 acres of public land.
- The Valley the Kalispel Never Ceded
A federal allotting agent explains how the Kalispel Valley was divided into individual parcels—after much of it had already been treated as public domain and claimed by white homesteaders.
- The President and the Timber Thieves
A political scandal erupted when President Grover Cleveland fired a federal prosecutor who had successfully taken on a powerful railroad monopoly for illegal logging.
- The Battle for the Tide-Flats
A group of enterprising squatters use the cover of darkness to plant cabins on disputed Seattle waterfront land, challenging a prominent businessman's claim.
- The City vs. The Depot: Seattle's 1889 Eminent Domain Fight
When the Oregon Improvement Company tried to blockade South Third Street to protect their rail interests, the city council responded that the public interest was not for sale.
- The Railroad’s Grip on Washington Territory Politics
A fiery open letter from 1885 accuses a party official of selling out the public interest to railroad companies, sparking a scandal over land rights and free travel bribes.
- The Fight to Forfeit the Northern Pacific Land Grants
A fiery congressional minority report slams corporate lobbyists and land speculators while demanding the government reclaim unfinished rail corridors.
- Committee Urges Forfeiting Northern Pacific Railroad Land Grant
A scathing House committee report accuses the Northern Pacific Railroad of failing its contractual obligations while hoarding millions of acres of public domain.
- The President Takes the Side of the Homesteader
In an unprecedented rebuke to a powerful railroad corporation, President Grover Cleveland defends a Washington Territory settler's right to his land.
- The Great Railroad Land Grab
A government commissioner issues a sweeping order to restore millions of acres of Western land to the public domain after decades of railroad control.
- Northern Pacific Unearned Lands Spark Public Domain Push
Citizens launch a movement to reclaim Northern Pacific land grants for the people.
- Walla Walla Weighs Water Rights Against Costly Lawsuits
A legal dispute over riparian rights forces the city to weigh the cost of a new gravity system against the risk of massive damages.
- The Fur Company’s Land Empire Is Declared Public Domain
A letter from Washington City reports that the Hudson’s Bay and Puget Sound Agricultural companies’ territorial claims have been ruled forfeit, opening their Nisqually and Fort Vancouver lands to American survey and settlement.
- Territorial Legislators Eye Rail Monopoly
A new memorial in the Washington Territorial Assembly seeks to return vast tracts of land to the public domain, citing the Northern Pacific Railroad's failure to build mandated lines.
- The Fight to Reclaim Railroad Lands
A lobbyist writes from Washington, D.C., on the progress of a bill to forfeit Northern Pacific land grants and restore them to the public domain.
- The Price of Innocence in a Federal Land Dispute
A Loomis resident finds himself fined by government agents for buying timber that he didn't know was illegally cut.
- The Fight for Eminent Domain and the Rise of Local Improvement Districts
The City Council debates a controversial proposal to empower the city to condemn land for public improvements, sparking fears of 'jobbery and corruption.'
- The City Could Still Take the Land
Judge Humes ruled that Seattle’s constitutional debt limit does not interfere with eminent domain, clearing the way for the Howell Street extension through the Ivey property.
- Tensions Rise on the Puyallup Reservation
While U.S. regulars and the Puyallup people clashed on the ground, a high-stakes legal battle was simultaneously waged in the courts over land rights.
- The Battle for the Tide Lands
A multi-million dollar legal dispute threatens to redefine ownership of Seattle’s valuable shoreline.
Also about this, in other words
- The End of the Black Diamond Dive
King County commissioners shutter a notorious dance house after neighbors provide damaging testimony about the resort's conduct.
- 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.
- A Frontier Real Estate Deal
A classic 1876 listing for a house and lot on 2nd Avenue, revealing the mid-development geography of early Seattle.
- An Estate at Auction on the Riverside
A court-ordered sale reveals the lingering legal threads left behind by a Snohomish pioneer.
- The Hell of Black Diamond
A local clergyman takes a fiery stand against a saloon and dance hall he claims is corrupting the village.
- A Frontier Oasis in Snohomish
A look at the amenities of the premier boarding house in Snohomish, promising first-class board and the finest spirits in the territory.
- The Fight for a 'Sober' Waterfront
Seattle City Council members battle over whether to permit saloons near city parks, clashing over the character of public space.
- The Unsung Heart of Frontier Snohomish
Before the rise of modern hospitality, the local hotel functioned as the town’s living room, trading post, and center of civic life.