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 | 4 |
| 1859 | 2 |
| 1861 | 5 |
| 1862 | 10 |
| 1863 | 6 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1872 | 8 |
| 1876 | 31 |
| 1877 | 19 |
| 1878 | 13 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1882 | 4 |
| 1883 | 27 |
| 1884 | 8 |
| 1885 | 20 |
| 1886 | 7 |
| 1887 | 13 |
| 1888 | 11 |
| 1889 | 47 |
| 1890 | 13 |
| 1891 | 62 |
| 1892 | 158 |
| 1893 | 143 |
| 1894 | 142 |
| 1895 | 126 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 5 |
| 1899 | 25 |
| 1900 | 5 |
| 1903 | 82 |
| 1904 | 42 |
| 1905 | 4 |
| 1908 | 9 |
| 1909 | 64 |
| 1910 | 16 |
| 1911 | 10 |
| 1912 | 5 |
| 1914 | 27 |
| 1915 | 19 |
| 1916 | 39 |
| 1917 | 23 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 12 |
| 1924 | 6 |
| 1925 | 5 |
| 1929 | 1 |
1,287 stories matching fund
- Olympia's New Council Hands 'Boss' Sickels the Purse Strings
The new city council takes office, gives Boss Sickels the powerful ways-and-means chair, and confronts a railroad-blocked sewer, a fire department asking for more hydrants and alarm boxes, and a thin city treasury.
- The Ledger of Grief After Franklin
Roslyn miners pledged their September pay while Franklin’s relief committee set monthly sums for widows and orphans—and the veteran mine superintendent broke down.
- Seattle's Money for the Roslyn Widows and Orphans
A citizens' committee reports nearly $3,000 raised for families of the Roslyn mine explosion, places five Catholic children in the House of the Good Shepherd, and sends the final check to Roslyn.
- Seattle Rallies for the Franklin Mine's Widows and Orphans
A newspaper fund drive, a Madison Park benefit and Black community organizers push relief past $275 for the families of miners killed in the Franklin disaster.
- A City on the Brink: Olympia’s 1891 Debt Crisis and the Fight Over Jobs
Facing a constitutional debt limit, Olympia’s city council considers firing the deputy clerk, assistant city attorney, and city engineer—while a motion to revoke the street railway franchise fails by a tie.
- A Seattle Utopia Sold in One-Cent Shares
A society of unemployed men pools its wages and plots a Bellamy-style commonwealth of railroads, coal mines and common tables — starting from $5 of capital and 500 one-cent shares.
- The Franklin Mine Dead Were Buried. Then the Miners Went Back Down.
A relief fund swells with donations from Eddyville millmen and Seattle readers as surviving miners reopen the levels that did not burn.
- The Great Welcome: Seattle Plans a 'Rousing' Ovation for Returning War Heroes
Mayor Humes and city officials rally behind a public subscription to fund fireworks, banquets, and even a mock battle at Lake Washington to greet the Washington Volunteers returning from Manila.
- King County Auditor Accused of Padding His Salary with Extra Jobs
A letter to the editor details how Auditor Frank Twichell drew extra pay as purchasing agent, building-fund agent, and legislative lobbyist—all while collecting his regular salary.
- A $15,000 Bond Issue to Keep Newport's Schools Ahead of Its Growth
Directors call an April 17 election on $15,000 in bonds to retire high-interest warrants, with a new school building already pressing on a district of 300 pupils.
- 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 $11,000,000 Hole in Washington's School Fund
A legislative investigating committee charges that land cruisers and timber buyers colluded for decades to strip the state's school trust — and that the loss to Washington's schoolchildren may already be beyond recovery.
- A City Rallies for Its Miners: The Franklin Disaster Relief Fund
Seattle workers, unions, and businesses dig deep for families of miners killed in the Franklin mine explosion, pushing the relief fund past $1,000.
- A County Asks to Refinance Its Credit Card
Pend Oreille County carries $183,000 in 8-per-cent warrants it cannot pay, plus $18,000 in accrued interest. On September 7 voters are asked to swap the whole pile for $200,000 in 4-per-cent bonds — a second time, because the first election was voided on a technicality.
- The $40,000-a-Year Makeover of Seattle's Books — and the Treasurer Who Wouldn't Sign
Seattle's new city treasurer says paying off the city's high-interest warrants will save $40,000 a year — while the city prepares to sue his predecessor over money that never made it into the till.
- The War for Pullman’s Purse
A public dispute erupts over the allocation of state funds for agricultural versus academic architecture and forestry programs.
- Fairhaven's Civic Wish List: Taxes, Salmon, and $100,000 in Debt
Fairhaven's Commercial Club asked the legislature for semiannual taxes, state-run salmon propagation, and an end to county salary funds—while a commissioner explained $100,000 in floating debt.
- Seattle Rallies for the Franklin Mine’s Widows and Orphans
A relief fund grows by small donations, Black Seattleites organize their own drive, and officials seal the burning mine to starve the fire.
- Thirty-Seven Dead at Franklin: Seattle Rallies for the Widows of a Mine Disaster
A day after an explosion killed thirty-seven coal miners in the Franklin pit, the Post-Intelligencer opens a relief fund for the widows and orphans left behind — pleading with readers that the miners' own generosity cannot stretch far enough.
- Tax Delay Threatens Seattle's First Great Paving Program
A new revenue law lets property owners postpone half their taxes until November, and the road fund is so short that the city may stop accepting new street-improvement petitions.
- The City Treasurer’s Emergency Salvage Plan
Following the absconding of Treasurer Krug, the city rushes to secure the public treasury and prevent a collapse of municipal funds.
- Seattle Rallies for the Families of the Franklin Mine Dead
As donations begin arriving at the Post-Intelligencer, Seattle’s Black community organizes its own relief committee for the families of miners killed in the Franklin disaster.
- A Judge Tells Seattle's School Board It Can't Raid the Building Fund to Pay Old Debts
Judge Langley rules that the $35,000 levied for new schools must build new schools — and Queen Anne parents, whose children sit in an 'open, barn-like' schoolhouse, suddenly see a six-room building within reach.
- State Commission Accused of Squandering Funds on Political Jobs
Legislative critics claim the Public Service Commission burned through an $80,000 budget without completing crucial utility valuation work.
- The Struggle for Relief Funds in Roslyn
Seattle and Tacoma citizens organize aid for the Roslyn mine explosion survivors, only to find the local committee prefers direct distribution.
Also about this, in other words
- Tacoma Bets $300,000 of Its Own Credit on a Municipal Power Plant
With the engineer due Monday for the Nisqually plant, the sinking fund commission puts the bonds on the market — and invites anyone, including the state school fund, to bid.
- Seattle Sends Money and Flour to the Widows of Franklin's Dead Miners
After a coal-mine disaster left families in Franklin without breadwinners, the Post-Intelligencer's relief fund and an Olympic Athletic Club benefit kept cash and flour moving to widows and orphans.
- City Finances Near Total Collapse
Tacoma’s Controller warns that general expense funds will run dry within six months as expenditures dwarf tax collections.
- A Newspaper Opens a Fund So Poor Men Can Afford the Keeley Cure
The Tribune sets a contribution box at Main and Fourth for Olympia residents too poor to pay for the Keeley Institute's addiction treatment, seeding the fund with $5 and naming a committee to vet applicants.
- City Leaders Accused of Financial Mismanagement
A critical report on how city funds are being held in 'favored banks' while the city pays interest on its own debt.
- The Teachers' Fight for School Funds
Tacoma chosen to host state educators as they launch a legal battle to reclaim diverted school funds.
- The McNamara Defense Fund Ball
Everett’s labor community gathers at a boisterous benefit dance to raise funds for the legal defense of the McNamara brothers.
- A Debt Paid in Full
A Kennewick church celebrates financial independence by burning their mortgage document in a ceremonial act.