Research the archive
Narrow 22,457 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 |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1876 | 5 |
| 1877 | 4 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1887 | 3 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 6 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 10 |
| 1894 | 14 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 4 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1909 | 8 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1916 | 2 |
| 1917 | 1 |
87 stories matching hint
- The Trial of Ursula Juanita Unfug
A sensational murder trial in Seattle has become a lightning rod for social scandal, with rumors of political corruption and witness tampering swirling around the case.
- A Governor's Board Takes On a Militia Commander—and a Bribery Charge
A state investigation will examine Gen. Curry's reinstatement of a Spokane company and a sergeant's claim that he paid Adj. Gen. O'Brien for a camp-store monopoly.
- The Supper That Nearly Killed J. R. Schnebley
A Garfield County farmer came close to dying before he took the hint. Now his wife and a neighbor are in the Pomeroy jail, charged with feeding him strychnine.
- The Battle for the Homecoming: Tacoma vs. Seattle Over the First Washington
As Secretary of War Alger hints that troops may bypass Seattle to land in Tacoma, a civic war erupts over who gets to welcome the returning volunteers from Manila.
- Vigilante Justice in Okanogan County
A young indigenous man held in the Conconully jail is abducted and lynched by a masked mob, leaving behind a chilling report of frontier lawlessness.
- The Vigilante Committee: Tacoma's Desperate War on Crime
In March 1902, Tacoma’s elite formed a secret society sworn to kill without mercy after police failed to stop a wave of robberies and murders.
- The Rifle War: Knights of Labor vs. Mine Owners in Newcastle
A bitter feud between rival labor unions in King County erupts into armed conflict, with rifles smuggled from Seattle to support striking miners.
- Ex-Fire Chief James Murphy Shoots Saloon Owner Phil Dawe
A former Seattle fire official guns down a saloon owner in a cold-blooded dispute over free drinks, sparking outrage in the city’s lower wards.
- Puyallup Leader Peter Stanup Reported Missing in Tacoma
The Puyallup leader vanished after a night of drinking and tension over reservation land, leaving his community in mourning and suspicion.
- The Sister Superior Arrested for Concealing Smallpox
A Snohomish convent leader is captured in Seattle after fleeing authorities who sought her for hiding two sick patients during a smallpox outbreak.
- The Land Grab That Stalled Seattle’s Growth
A local editorial warns that the Northern Pacific Railroad’s hoarding of millions of acres is strangling settlement and development in Washington Territory.
- The Railroad That Stole Our Land: How Seattle’s Interests Blocked Snohomish’s Future
A furious letter to the editor exposes how political maneuvering in Washington D.C. and Seattle kept vital federal lands locked up, denying homesteaders their rightful homes while railroad tycoons played games with territory.
- The Oil Men’s Last Stand: Seattle’s Battle Over Fire Safety and Corporate Power
In March 1889, a proposed ordinance to ban oil storage within city limits sparked a fierce standoff between the Board of Trade and powerful petroleum interests. While the city pushed for safety, the oil dealers argued the rules were discriminatory and economically impossible, setting the stage for a legal battle that would define Seattle’s industrial future.
- The Northern Pacific Railroad's Shadowy Claim on Puyallup Land
A railroad attorney hints at a complex legal scheme to extract funds from the Puyallup reservation, sparking local debates over land ownership.
- A Coal Company's Strikebreaker Gambit in Roslyn
A Northern Pacific manager admits the company is importing Black miners from the East to break the Roslyn coal strike—and hints the miners' refusal of a pay cut left him no choice.
- The Body in the Box: A Political Murder Haunts Spokane County
Charles F. Gloystein crossed the Freeman's Protective Silver Federation and disappeared. Now his neighbors are offering a $1,000 reward—not for a killer, but for the body.
- A Territorial Governor’s Controversial Advice
Governor William A. Newell's 1883 message to the Territorial Legislature advocates for the forced assimilation of Indigenous people and a rigid, unadorned approach to public institutions.
- The Unsolved Disappearance of Norma Hoyt
A sixteen-year-old girl vanishes while returning from summer camp, leaving her family and the Tacoma police searching for clues.
- Mayor Accused of Silencing Health Official Over Water Safety
Physicians in Pierce County call a meeting at the Tacoma Hotel, suspecting the Mayor fired the bacteriologist to hide pollution data.
- The People’s Ticket: Olympia’s 1891 Caucus Revolt
A printed slate handed out at the door, a mayor booed as 'defeated,' and a second-ward protest meeting: the fight over who would control Olympia's city nominations.
- A Gasser, a Picnic, and a Promise: Kennewick Bets on Oil and Gas
Drillers pause to case off 400 feet of water, 85 people picnic at the well, and a Yakima promoter promises a franchise — and maybe oil — by summer.
- The Railroad King's Secret: Kahn Reveals the 'Scoop' Behind Seattle's Next Big Line
In a rare interview on his birthday, Democratic committee member Joe Kahn spills the beans on the Northern Pacific’s expansion plans and hints at a massive political scandal involving President Harrison.
- Suspicion After a Politician's Sudden Death
A state representative dies in an asylum, and his father suspects poisoning by atropine.
- The President's Visit: Roosevelt, the 'Mysterious Syndicate,' and the Fight for Pasco’s Soil
In May 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt toured Walla Walla, drawing massive crowds and sparking local fears of land speculators. While his speech at Whitman College praised pioneer virtues, a parallel editorial warned that a 'Seattle Syndicate' was hoarding arid land near Pasco, betting on federal irrigation projects to inflate prices for settlers.
- The Ex-Chief's Last Stand
After his firing, Seattle’s police chief J.C. Mitchell fired back against Mayor Moran and the City Council, exposing a city hall scandal involving alleged gambling kickbacks and corrupt 'star chamber' politics.
Also about this, in other words
- The Oldest Trick in the Book
A grifter in Seattle's city jail has a penchant for a classic pocketknife switch that leaves tourists penniless.
- One Comma Turned a Lost Boy’s Police Bulletin Into a Station-House Joke
A five-year-old lost and found at the Seattle police station became a lesson in punctuation when a missing comma made his uncle sound like a man named John Chestnut.
- The Secret Under the Floorboards
A detective story unfolds in a Seattle household as a hidden diary and a loose floorboard reveal the chilling truth behind a murder.
- The Clue in the Rubber Boots
A fire in a barn on White River leads to an arrest after a trail of distinct boot prints is discovered.
- Pearl Buttons and a Will Deepen Lake Washington Mystery
A missing woman’s will is discovered, while two travelers stumble upon evidence at Lake Washington that deepens the mystery.
- Workers Surprise Their Tunnel Superintendent
A crew of men working on the Lake Union sewer tunnel show their appreciation with a gold-tipped ebony walking stick.
- The Clerk’s Odd Sales Pitch
A farmer learns a strange and aggressive new way to test if his wife is 'sound' while shopping in 1877 Seattle.
- The Cloroform Clue in the Felling Murder
A specific bottle shape found at a murder scene leads investigators to a Tacoma drug store, renewing interest in a local killing.