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 |
|---|---|
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 13 |
| 1877 | 13 |
| 1878 | 7 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 17 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 11 |
| 1886 | 12 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 13 |
| 1889 | 40 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 18 |
| 1892 | 42 |
| 1893 | 36 |
| 1894 | 24 |
| 1895 | 12 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 21 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 10 |
| 1904 | 26 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 20 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1917 | 2 |
367 stories matching downtown
- The Battle Over Seattle's Ten-Acre University Landmark
A spirited defense of the board’s refusal to sell the original university grounds in downtown Seattle for a 'trifle.'
- A Seattle Streetcar Killing Sparks Calls for Lynching
A labor dispute turns violent in the streets of Seattle, nearly triggering a riot outside a trolley line's offices.
- Seattle Rebuilds After the Great Fire
One week after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, the city pivots from emergency relief to a massive, coordinated reconstruction of the downtown core.
- The Forgotten Wife at the Center of Seattle
Dr. David Maynard’s 1852 donation land claim, which comprises much of downtown Seattle, is tied up in a legal crisis over the validity of his divorce and the arrival of his first wife, Lydia A. Maynard.
- Police Purge Streets of Sandberg District Women
City police launch a targeted campaign to round up and banish marginalized women from Tacoma's downtown.
- A Nighttime Stabbing in Downtown Seattle
A witness reports a violent, unexplained knife attack at a downtown intersection, yet the victim vanished before help could arrive.
- The Mayor's Controversial Return to 'Regulating' Vice
Mayor George Wright announces a plan to re-establish police control over prostitution, arguing that recent reform efforts have only worsened conditions in the city's downtown.
- Condemned Shacks Near Downtown Face Demolition
Building inspector condemns wooden structures at a prime downtown intersection, forcing a transition to modern brick development.
- The Right to Peddle in Spokane
A local ordinance banning street vendors from the downtown fire district is struck down by the courts.
- The Fire That Killed a Hotel
A disastrous downtown blaze consumed the Star Theater, inadvertently scuttling a major quarter-million-dollar property deal.
- Chamber of Commerce Fights to Keep its Restaurant
Seattle's business elite debates the merits of maintaining a members-only dining room while scouting for a new headquarters in the rapidly shifting downtown core.
- The State Secures the Land for the University of Washington
A public auction on the shores of Lake Washington clears the path for the university's move from downtown to its current campus.
- The Scandal of Kate Claxton: A Star’s Divorce and the Rumors That Rocked Seattle
In April 1873, celebrated actress Kate Claxton filed for divorce from her husband, a downtown broker, amidst rumors of an affair with a fellow actor. The case highlights the intense public scrutiny faced by women in the theater world during Seattle's early territorial days.
- The Jailer Lost the Key
A murder trial in Kitsap County is stalled after a clumsy jailer heads downtown with the only key to the prisoner's cell.
- Two Revolvers, One Patrolman, and a $25 Thank-You
A Tacoma streetcar robbery ends in a downtown saloon gunfight — and the motorman's employer rewards the officer who walked into it.
- Streetcar Strikes Schoolgirl on Sixth Avenue
A pedestrian is injured after being hit by a speeding trolley, sparking local frustration over transit safety.
- Trolley Collision at Fourth and Jackson
A freight car and a passenger cable car collide in downtown Seattle, but fortunately leave no passengers injured.
- Runaway Truck Terrifies Downtown Seattle
A team of horses pulling a heavy truck bolted onto the sidewalk, narrowly missing a mother and her child in a crowded downtown street.
- The School Parade That Stopped Seattle
When the Territorial University students marched through downtown in 1889, it was a display of civic pride and collegiate spirit that briefly halted the city's bustling commerce.
- The Sad Case of Fred Bokien
A father is arrested for taking his two young daughters on a late-night drinking spree through downtown saloons.
- The Day Seattle Decided Its Own Elevation
A forgotten 1877 municipal ordinance reveals the precise moment the city set its literal foundation, anchoring the downtown grid to a granite step on Commercial Street.
- Seattle’s Fourth of July: A City Adorned in Light and Iron
As the nation celebrates its birthday, Seattle’s business leaders have transformed downtown into a spectacle of gas jets, electric lamps, and iron arches, proving that the young city is ready for its moment on the national stage.
- The Seattle Iron Works Tragedy
A devastating structural collapse and fire at a downtown factory leaves dozens of workers dead or critically injured in a haunting industrial disaster.
- Mob Violence Against Federal Officers on Seattle Streets
A correspondent defends the Seattle police for their inaction while deputy marshals were hunted through the downtown district by angry crowds.
- Seattle's 1889 Fire Destroys 64 Acres of Downtown
A glue pot disaster in a paint shop levels sixty-four acres of Seattle’s business district, triggering a massive regional relief effort.
Also about this, in other words
- The Downtown Seattle Lot That Could Have Been Yours
A 1876 real estate advertisement offers a sprawling 160x120 foot residential parcel in the heart of what is now the metropolitan core.
- Free Shacks for the Taking
A condemned row of buildings in the downtown core is offered to anyone willing to haul them away.
- New $100,000 Commercial Building Approved for Downtown Seattle
A five-story brick and stone structure is set for the corner of Main and Second streets, intended for wholesale tenants.
- The Pioneer Developer Building the Future of Downtown Seattle
As Seattle grapples with rapid growth and a critical shortage of hotels for visiting businessmen, pioneer Dexter Horton announces a major new business block on Cherry Street.
- The Price of Early Seattle
A real estate notice from 1876 advertises a prime plot of land between Seneca and University—a neighborhood that would eventually become the heartbeat of downtown Seattle.
- The Pioneer Dream at 2nd and Seneca
A straightforward listing from 1876 that marks the humble origins of a city lot in downtown Seattle.
- The Fight to Fireproof Downtown
A Seattle neighborhood, built entirely of wood, fears a catastrophic blaze and petitions the city for a stone mandate.
- The Transformation of Front Street
As property values soar in 1887, Seattle’s downtown business district begins a rapid transition from wood to brick, signaling a new era of permanence.