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.
Refine1 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 5 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 4 |
| 1878 | 6 |
| 1880 | 4 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 11 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1885 | 15 |
| 1886 | 6 |
| 1887 | 13 |
| 1888 | 8 |
| 1889 | 19 |
| 1891 | 8 |
| 1892 | 31 |
| 1893 | 52 |
| 1894 | 59 |
| 1895 | 74 |
| 1899 | 9 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1910 | 1 |
345 stories matching explain
- The Almshouse Grand Jury Faces a Conflict of Interest
Jurors with business ties to the contractor under investigation are allowed to remain on the case after an unusual courtroom scene.
- A Candidate's Reckoning at the Armory
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Henry J. Snively attempts to clear his name before 1,500 people, explaining away his business failures and allegations of financial misconduct.
- The 'A Co.' Misunderstanding
A linguistic confusion at a Seattle restaurant leads to a partnership change and a new sign.
- The City Hall Gambling Den
When police raided the local underworld, the city’s courtroom was transformed into an impromptu warehouse for illicit gaming gear.
- Puget Sound Pilots Consult Weather Maps
Masters and pilots embrace modern weather science to predict storms, with real estate agents also tracking data for property viewings.
- The Town Meeting Catechism
Taxpayers pack Denny Hall to grill the school board over building costs and teacher salaries during the 'hard times' of 1894.
- The Trial of the Man Who Named Himself 'Defendant'
A former newspaper man takes the witness stand in Seattle to explain his eccentric public preachings, his 'divine' inspirations, and his rejection of the name Jones.
- The Boycott Handbills
After anonymous anti-Chinese handbills appear in Seattle, local laborers write to the Post-Intelligencer to clarify their role—and distance themselves from the movement.
- The Night Watchman Who Traded His Lantern for a Crab Net
After trading the damp misery of night-shift railroad duty for the docks, a Seattle man explains how he makes a living pulling crab from the bay—and why the job comes with its own set of neighborhood troubles.
- The Wheels of Justice on the White River
Seven Indigenous petitioners take to the Seattle probate court to settle an estate, finding themselves navigating the complex and often impenetrable bureaucracy of settler law.
- The Barter of Spirits
A saloon owner in Whitechapel is caught paying his laborers in liquor, leading to a quick legal resolution.
- The Mysterious Vanishing of $490
A cash shipment intended for Arlington disappears from the Northern Pacific Express Company's transit pipeline, leaving staff scrambling.
- The Mysterious Bomb at the Postoffice
A suspicious package resembling a bomb creates a localized stir at the Seattle post office.
- A Fight for the Right to a Shave in Pioneer Square
H. R. Cayton, editor of a Black Republican weekly, is thrown out of a barber shop after the proprietor demands an old debt, sparking a scuffle and a smashed window.
- Ballard Mill Worker Maimed in Belt Accident
A sawmill worker is in the hospital with a crushed arm after a plank snagged on machinery.
- A Woman’s Solitary Spiral at the Winsor Hotel
After days of isolation, heavy drinking, and cigarette smoking, a guest from Port Angeles was found raving in her room.
- Rescued from the Tide Flats
A man found clinging to a pile on the tide flats with no memory of how he arrived there suggests a dark night in the city's underbelly.
- Railroad Standoff at the Coal Bunkers
A high-stakes blockade at the Puget Sound waterfront reveals the tense territorial battles between the Great Northern and Northern Pacific lines.
- Annie Besant and the Science of the Astral
A prominent Theosophist lecturer brings mystical discourse to the Seattle Theater, claiming that science confirms the existence of the 'astral body.'
- City Council Denies Police Expansion Amidst Infrastructure Debates
Aldermen reject a bid for fifteen additional officers while debating the undergrounding of electric wires.
- The Human Cost of the Exclusion Act
A Chinese crew member is jailed in Seattle immediately upon arrival, highlighting the harsh enforcement of exclusionary laws.
- The Shadow in Pioneer Square
A young woman takes a stand against her husband’s gambling habit on the streets of late-19th-century Seattle.
- The Injuries He Wouldn’t Explain
John Turner died at Seattle’s Pacific Hospital after refusing to say how he was hurt. A coroner’s inquest may be the only way to find out.
- The Unlucky Commute to Ballard
A streetcar motorman's decision to maintain speed leads to an aromatic disaster on the Ballard line.
- The Clergyman's Dilemma
Two officiants arrived to marry a couple; the governor yielded to 'give tone,' and the clergyman wed them.