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 |
|---|---|
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 5 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 4 |
| 1888 | 3 |
| 1889 | 11 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 24 |
| 1893 | 12 |
| 1894 | 24 |
| 1895 | 28 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1899 | 5 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 12 |
| 1904 | 3 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 13 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1911 | 5 |
| 1914 | 3 |
| 1916 | 6 |
| 1917 | 2 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 2 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1928 | 2 |
198 stories matching meant
- The War Egg of Monroe
An ambitious local hen lays an egg that causes a stir and is interpreted as a wartime omen.
- Should Seattle Have a Filipino Labor Commissioner?
A 1923 community-paper debate pits a call for Filipino labor representation against a columnist who says the workers should simply go home.
- Farmers vs. the Railroads: The $3-a-Ton Fight in Olympia
At a legislative hearing, Washington's grain growers demand a cap on wheat freight rates — while Northern Pacific warns the bill will come straight out of its working men's wages.
- A Flag, a Revolver, and a Red-Headed Man: Newport's Strange Tuesday Manhunt
A woman under morphine delusions armed herself with an American flag and a loaded .38, then walked Washington Avenue looking for a red-headed man she meant to kill.
- The Surprise Nomination of a Seattle Banker
John H. McGraw reluctantly accepts the Republican nomination for governor after King County delegates refuse to let him withdraw—selling a self-made banker as the antidote to ward politics.
- Seattle's Schools Stay Open While Two Boards Square Off Over Scarlet Fever
When the Board of Health ordered South and Rainier schools closed during a scarlet fever scare, the school board filed the order and refused to shut the doors.
- The Governor Vetoes Debt Relief, and the Paper Cheers
A bill meant to soften deficiency judgments after foreclosure is killed — on the theory that frightened capital would simply stop lending, hurting the very debtors it was meant to save.
- The Spoils System Must Go
In an 1880 letter of acceptance, a presidential candidate lays out a radical vision to dismantle political patronage and return to a government based on merit rather than party service.
- The Day the Kingston Died: A Steamship Collision and the Pilot’s Tale
Pilot Gatter recounts the terrifying moments when the steamer Glenogle collided with the passenger liner Kingston in Puget Sound, sending hundreds of feet of steel into the water.
- The Day the Supreme Court Barred Seattle Women from the Ballot Box
In a pivotal 1888 ruling, the Washington Territorial Supreme Court officially disenfranchised women, setting the stage for a decades-long fight for political agency.
- The Asylum Ward’s Unseen Hunger
A patient describes the grueling conditions inside a Seattle insane asylum, where the sick are fed wormy prunes and bread meant for the refuse pile, while robust workers with influence dine on fresh milk.
- The Price of Falsehood in the Anti-Chinese Movement
As tensions boiled over in 1886, a Seattle newspaper called out local rabble-rousers for using blatant lies to incite hostility against Chinese residents.
- Republican Deadlock Finally Broken in Olympia
After intense lobbying and political maneuvering, John B. Allen secures the support needed to likely become the next U.S. Senator.
- The Wooden Revolver That Freed Ten Prisoners
Thomas Blanck held a jailer hostage with a carved fake gun, emptied the King County jail, and vanished into Seattle's streets.
- The Widow, the Prisoner, and a Near-Miss on Yesler Hill
Mrs. Harry L. Fraser demanded to face Paul Page, the man accused of killing her husband in a Northern Hotel barroom—while Page was being arraigned a few blocks away.
- The Grand Arrival of Henry Villard
A spectacular, Homeric welcome for the railroad builder that transformed the streets of Seattle into a forest-themed parade route.
- The Battle for the Ballot
Despite false rumors meant to discourage participation, women in Seattle are registering to vote in record numbers ahead of the municipal election.
- The Murder Foretold: Three Japanese Laborers Held Without Bail
A witness testifies that one suspect predicted the killing hours in advance, and a bloody butcher knife is found in a kitchen wall. Three Japanese men are ordered held without bail for the murder of a Japanese boss near Christopher.
- A Dead Unmarried Worker Was Worth Nothing—Until This Law
Washington's legislature finally let dependent parents and siblings sue when a provider was killed on the job, ending a rule that made unmarried workers cheaper to kill than to maim.
- The Indian Scare That Wasn't
A rumor that Little Spokane Indians planned to burn out settlers sent twenty-two armed Spokane men rushing to Four Mile Prairie—where they found frightened neighbors and a land dispute, not an attack.
- The Bold Plan to Build the Lake Washington Canal
Facing gridlock in Congress, Seattle’s Chamber of Commerce pushed a local bill to authorize the county to construct the canal itself, aiming to transform the city into the 'first city on the Pacific coast.'
- The People’s Franchise: Seattle Votes Down Municipal Ownership of Streetcars
In a pivotal moment for the city's infrastructure, voters reject the Navin resolution to take control of street railways, cementing private corporate dominance over public transit.
- The Unceremonious Ousting of Seattle's Police Chief
After refusing to answer for rampant gambling and open corruption, Chief J.C. Mitchell is fired by the city council as the city pivots toward long-overdue municipal reform.
- The Great Land Grab: 1886 Democracy vs. The Northern Pacific
At the 1886 Democratic Territorial Convention in Tacoma, delegates launched a blistering critique against the Northern Pacific Railroad for failing its promises and seizing public lands meant for settlers.
- The First Votes: When Seattle Women Went to the Polls in 1886
On a chilly, foggy November day, Seattle's women braved election-day crowds to cast their ballots, marking a pivotal, short-lived moment in Washington's struggle for suffrage.
Also about this, in other words
- A Father’s Hardship and the Telegram That Changed Everything
An overworked, weary business man contemplates his supposed failures until a birthday message from his daughter provides a new perspective on success.
- The 'A Co.' Misunderstanding
A linguistic confusion at a Seattle restaurant leads to a partnership change and a new sign.
- The Anatomy of a Murder (Misunderstood)
A courtroom blunder in 1876 highlights how a simple misunderstanding can derail the pursuit of justice.
- The Goddess of Slang: A Poetic Flirtation in the Territory
A whimsical verse from the late 19th century captures the playful, rhyming courtship rituals of Snohomish Territory, offering a glimpse into the lighthearted side of pioneer life.
- The Unkindest Cut
A young boy's poignant question about inclusion and dignity sheds light on the treatment of people with disabilities in our community.
- A Final Insult for a Fallen Engineer
After an Everett railroad engineer died in a tragic mountain fall, his employers refused to pay for his transport, offering only a boxcar for the journey home.
- A Frontier Promise Kept
In an era of rugged isolation, an anonymous immigrant couple reflects on twenty years of marriage, the silence of their home, and the sudden joy of a child arriving on Christmas Day.
- A Shaming Serenade Gone Wrong
A citizen writes to the editor to defend a newly married couple from a violent, unwanted 'charivari' performance.