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 |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1889 | 3 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1918 | 1 |
27 stories matching imperi
- The Imperial Building's Bitter Feud
A development project for an 'Imperial building' fractures as partners accuse one another of backroom sabotage.
- Seattle Paid 90 Cents for Fire Hose Spokane Got for 63, a Councilman Charged
A councilman's tip about a fire-hose price gap turned a routine purchase into a small procurement scandal — and the vendor promptly promised Seattle the lower price.
- German Dignitaries Shocked by Seattle's Sophistication
Members of the German Imperial Commission visiting the World's Fair dismiss European rumors that Seattle is a lawless, wild frontier.
- The Imperial Ambition: Seattle’s Role in a Nicaragua Canal Scheme
Military and political elites weigh the costs and grand strategies of controlling a trans-oceanic canal as the United States shifts toward a global power posture.
- The Unbuilt Imperial Skyscraper
Tacoma business elites rally to fund a grand downtown skyscraper and a massive subway tunnel network that would reshape the city's topography.
- The Morning After the Fire: Spokane Wakes Up in Tents and Vows to Rebuild
A day after the great conflagration swept the city, Spokane's banks reopen, merchants trade under canvas, and outside capital pours in — even as thousands who were prosperous on Sunday night are left homeless.
- The Fight Over the Hawaiian Islands
As Washington politicians and chambers of commerce clamor for annexation, locals weigh in on the imperial ambitions of the United States.
- Seattle Rallies for the Delegate to Washington
Citizens and veterans bid a fervent farewell to William H. White as he leaves to challenge the Northern Pacific Railroad’s control of public land.
- The Great Baking Powder Confidence Game
A charismatic stranger swindled Spokane canvassers out of their commissions, leaving them with piles of product and no pay.
- A Wartime Plea for Tolerance in Kennewick
As anti-German sentiment spikes during World War I, a local resident uses a visiting lecturer’s book to argue against hate, while drawing a sharp line at those who support the Kaiser.
- Tragedy at the Powder Works
Corporate negligence leads to the deaths of nine young girls in Chehalis, fueling calls for labor accountability.
- The Unfortunate Travels of an 'Imperial' Grifter
A self-proclaimed Russian noble finds that Seattle hospitality—and the local church choir—has its limits when his 'aristocratic' habits turn out to be nothing more than petty fraud.
- City Council Blocks Proposed Subway Project
Promoter's plans for an ambitious subterranean build met with skepticism and obstruction from city leadership.
- A Japanese Diplomat Comes to Seattle, and Likes What He Sees
Chancellor M. Odagiri toured Puget Sound to choose a consulate site, praised Seattle's buildings and Lake Washington, and predicted Japan would beat China in the war then under way.
- The Winnifred Burns: A Lake Washington Steamer Lost at the Dock
An early-morning fire at Leech's Dock destroyed the Newcastle-run steamer Winnifred, a wharf and a boardinghouse, exposing how much of Seattle still depended on borrowed hose and luck.
- The Unawakened Giant: Why Washington Territory Is the Next California
A sweeping editorial in the *Diligent Intelligencer* argues that railroads are about to unlock the 'inland basin' of Eastern Washington, transforming it from a feared desert into an agricultural empire rivaling the Golden State.
- Bismarck’s Bluff: Germany Claims Samoa While Washington Watches
As the German Chancellor declares no treaty prevents his nation from seizing control of the Pacific islands, U.S. officials in Washington struggle to respond to a diplomatic crisis that threatens American interests across the ocean.
- The Midnight Church Feud of Tacoma
A power struggle in a local Baptist church turns into a bizarre, locked-door standoff where the pastor eventually resorted to extinguishing the lights to force dissenters out.
- Vast Coal Seams Found Beneath South Tacoma
Drilling for water reveals a significant, potentially commercial coal deposit within city limits.
- The 'Second Gibraltar': Britain’s Plan to Fortify Puget Sound
Tensions mount on the Pacific border as the British Admiralty, spooked by U.S. sealing regulations, orders immediate military improvements to the entrance of the Puget Sound.
- The Brewery Worker Who Dreamed of Marrying Bismarck’s Daughter
Known only as “Bismarck,” a Bay View brewery employee was found drowned at the mouth of the Duwamish—still chasing a delusion that he was bound for Germany and an imperial marriage.
- The Night Fourth Street Lit Up: Ellis's Furniture Warehouse Burns
A fire breaks out above a frame warehouse after ten o'clock, the east side of the city glows, and firemen haul chairs and mattresses into the street until the heat drives them back.
- The Lumber Barons Are Starving Themselves: Why Puget Sound Should Be Feeding Its Own Cows
A local editorial argues that Washington’s reliance on imported dairy is an economic absurdity, urging farmers to switch from beef to Devon and Jersey cattle to capitalize on our unique climate.
- The Brutal Arena: Is Prizefighting Dying Out?
An editorial reflection on whether America’s growing appetite for athletics is being corrupted by the 'tigerish' violence of professional boxing.
- The Logger’s Dilemma: Why Cheap Labor Is Killing Washington's Future
In a fierce editorial from January 1877, the Puget Sound Dispatch argues that low wages for loggers don't just hurt workers—they stunt the growth of the entire territory, creating a class of 'mental and physical wrecks' instead of future statesmen.