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 |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 6 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1887 | 3 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 4 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 8 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 6 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1909 | 5 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 2 |
| 1924 | 3 |
68 stories matching elig
- The Collapse of the Priest Rapids Irrigation Mutiny
A grassroots effort to dissolve the local irrigation district fails as land owners abandon the petition, fearing the cost of independence.
- The Fresh Water Fortress: Why Seattle Was Built to Save Ships from the Sea
Captain U.H. Hall returns from Washington D.C. with a bold proposal for a Navy Yard in Lake Washington, arguing that fresh water is the only defense against the 'Teredo' worm and foreign invasion.
- Creating Housing for a Growing City
Local capitalists organize to develop land and build affordable cottages to address Seattle's severe housing shortage.
- The Shingle Men Try to Tame the Market
Manufacturers meet in Seattle to cap production, set 1894 prices, and bind every mill to the plan—with forfeits for anyone who breaks ranks.
- The Federal Jobs That Came With Life Tenure
A new civil-service order gives Puget Sound customs officers—from deputies to private secretaries—protection that even a change of administration may not break.
- The Postmaster’s Patronage Problem: Civil Service Warns Port Townsend
Postmaster McNamara threatened to replace Port Townsend’s post office staff with loyal Democrats. The Civil Service Commission warned that patronage could cost him personally—and cited a Pennsylvania postmaster who paid $600 out of pocket.
- 1915 Election Asked Kennewick to Form a Port District
Citizens to vote on the formal establishment of a Port District, setting the boundaries for future commerce along the Columbia River.
- The Discriminatory Zoning of the 1880s
A local paper decries Chinese residents purchasing property, advocating for forced segregation to maintain white property values.
- The Pioneer Developer’s Gamble
When Seattle was a young, growing town, Henry Yesler looked for an unconventional way to fund critical mountain infrastructure: raffling off his massive timber empire.
- The City That Couldn't Pay Its Bills: Seattle’s Fiscal Crisis and the Fight for Expansion
Mayor Moran and Councilman Dane plead with citizens to understand why street paving is stalled and sewer plans are shelved—not from laziness, but because state law caps the city's debt just as the population doubles.
- The 1909 City Hall Power Grab That Tacoma Voters Were Told to Stop
A fiery Times editorial urged citizens to pack the council chamber against charter amendments it said would gut civil service, raise council pay, and hand city jobs to political loyalists.
- The Fire Chief’s Citizenship Crisis
A political showdown at the Fire Board reveals deep divisions over the city's control of the department.
- Tacoma's 1909 Fight to Own Its Power
On the eve of a city election, advocates urged voters to approve a $2 million municipal light and power plant—and warned the private power trust would lie to stop them.
- Bribery Allegations Rock the Fire Commission
A city fire commissioner reveals he was offered a $300 bribe to influence a lucrative hose contract, as rival companies trade accusations of fraud.
- Chaos at City Hall: A Dispute Over Who Is Mayor
A heated council meeting descends into procedural gridlock as members argue over the legitimacy of the city's leadership.
- A Seattle-Born Son Could Own Property. His Chinese Father Could Not.
At the port in Tacoma, immigration officials examined 32 Chinese passengers—and the case of one Seattle family laid bare the era's racial limits on citizenship and land ownership.
- The Primary Teacher’s Plea: Why Seattle’s Schools Are Failing Our Children
Miss C.I.T. Parsons delivers a scathing indictment of the King County Teachers' Institute, arguing that cheap buildings and unqualified instructors are robbing Seattle’s youth of their potential.
- The Unseen Color Line: A Soldier’s Rejection at Fort Townsend
A Black enlistee, accepted into the service and stationed in Washington Territory, finds himself turned away by a commanding officer who refused to honor his commission based on race.
- The Day the 'Bulldog' Came to Tacoma
A high-stakes, controversy-filled football match between Portland and Tacoma ends in a lopsided defeat and an injured player, all under the watchful gaze of a brindle mascot.
- The Fight for a Son’s Birthright in Pioneer Seattle
A prominent Chinese merchant takes the extraordinary step of filing court petitions to prove his son is an American citizen and thus eligible to own property.
- A.A. Denny Challenges Ambiguous Indigenous Voting Law
A territorial legislator objected to unclear rules for Indigenous enfranchisement, warning that local election judges would decide voter eligibility inconsistently.
- The Yellow Church the Neighbors Want Gone
A Renton Addition resident airs a neighborhood feud over a 'mission church' on Hyde and Filbert streets that blocks the view, lowers property values — and that its owner refuses to move, even at the neighbors' expense.
- The $100,000 Mill: Seattle’s Legalized Lottery for a Fortune
In 1876, the Washington Territory authorized a massive public lottery to fund a road across the Cascades. The grand prize? A fully operational steam sawmill and prime real estate in downtown Seattle.
- A Woman Claims the School Office — and the County Lets Her Keep It
Miss Ella Guptill takes the superintendent's records while the state Supreme Court decides whether a woman may hold office in Washington.
- The Railroad Lobby's Secret Campaign in Eastern Washington
Critics expose a scheme to install a puppet candidate in the governor’s office to prevent the creation of a railroad commission.
Also about this, in other words
- A Prisoner’s Descent Into Delusion in Everett
A man awaiting extradition for murder in the Everett jail claims to be under a 'divine' sentence, prompting local officials to question his sanity.
- Tragedy at the Cosmopolis Wharf
An epileptic fit claims the life of a local man when he falls into the Chehalis River.
- An Eccentric Prisoner's Optimistic Dance
A man awaiting sentencing in a local court baffles reporters by dancing a jig and promising a champagne celebration upon his release.
- A Night at the Labor Temple
Everett teamsters hosted a night of boxing, wrestling, and brotherhood for their counterparts from Seattle and Bellingham.