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.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 3 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 22 |
| 1877 | 12 |
| 1878 | 8 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 7 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 24 |
| 1884 | 10 |
| 1885 | 22 |
| 1886 | 12 |
| 1887 | 11 |
| 1888 | 15 |
| 1889 | 39 |
| 1890 | 7 |
| 1891 | 35 |
| 1892 | 71 |
| 1893 | 47 |
| 1894 | 81 |
| 1895 | 119 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 12 |
| 1899 | 15 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 36 |
| 1904 | 17 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 12 |
| 1909 | 29 |
| 1910 | 6 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 4 |
| 1915 | 4 |
| 1916 | 8 |
| 1917 | 7 |
| 1923 | 1 |
720 stories matching owe
- The Widow’s Last Ledger
On her deathbed, a thrifty farm wife attempts one final audit of the neighborhood’s debts, only to find her husband’s memory suddenly failing when it comes to money she owes others.
- The Price of Ownership: 1877 Snohomish Tax Delinquencies
A rare window into the early land-holding patterns of the Snohomish valley, listing the citizens, acres, and pennies owed to the county treasury during the formative years of the settlement.
- The Unlucky Three: A Case of Professional Laziness
Three men in Seattle face a week of hard labor after a judge determines they are unwilling to work for a living.
- The Debts a Country Owes Its Farmers — and Its Farmers' Wives
An 1898 farm-column editorial tallies what rural Washington neglects: untrained road supervisors, school directors so illiterate the legislature had to bar them, and farm women who never see a newspaper or a neighbor.
- Seattle Schools Bursting at the Seams
Superintendent Barnard struggles to accommodate a massive influx of new students while the Board of Education refuses to hire additional teachers.
- The Paper War That Split Thurston County
A rival weekly, a political machine, and a defiant editor: Olympia’s Tribune accuses the Owings-Murphy ring of spending thousands to “down” it.
- The Millionaire in the Asylum: Thomas Keeler's Chinese Indemnity Delusion
A Seattle man convinced the government owed him $1,000,000 was committed to Steilacoom after seeking payment at banks and law offices.
- A Rash of 'Skips' in South Bend
Local business owners face a string of losses as customers flee town without paying their bills.
- A Saloon Fight, a Fine, and a Wage Suit in Old Town
A former musical director at Conquest Saloon sues Jack Furness for back pay, but Furness says he deducted the amount of a fine he paid after the musician's altercation with a customer.
- The Mugwump’s Ledger: How Seattle’s Territorial Secretary Gamed the Law Printing Contract
A fierce editorial exposes Secretary Owings for delaying the publication of territorial laws to favor a cronies’ printing bid, while padding the bill with 40 pages of his own party platform.
- Tacoma's Treasurer Kept City Cash in a Bank That Now Owes $60,000
A 'note-sharing and warrant-buying' institution fails, and the public money inside it has not yet been handed over.
- The Price of Separation: Benton County’s Debts
Newly formed Benton County grapples with the financial burden of its division from Yakima County.
- Budget Cuts Silence Washington's Farmers' Institutes
A Pullman college president tells The Ranch that six or seven faculty posts were cut, leaving no one free to carry agricultural lectures into the countryside in 1903.
- The Cook, the Revolver, and the Divorce Suit
A husband fights a court-ordered alimony payment, claiming his wife's threats and nagging made him lose his job.
- The Mysterious Death on Mercer Island
A secret society lodge mourns the loss of a prominent member killed in an ambush on the shores of Lake Washington.
- The World's Fair Brawl in Washington's Woman's Department
A public feud between the lady managers of the Washington State exhibit erupts into accusations of financial incompetence and territorial invasion.
- Saloon Gunfire Over A Debt
A confrontation in a downtown Seattle saloon ends with a bullet in the wall and a victim who refuses to press charges.
- Shelton Rail Company Faces Receivership
Clashing interests and a frozen lumber industry push the local rail line into court-appointed management.
- The Youthful Defendant's Surprise Courtroom Reveal
A man accused of owing wages reveals a hidden burden of family responsibility to sway the court.
- The Comptroller Was Right: Seattle's Ex-Treasurer Pays Back $4,017
Willis R. Ames spent two years insisting the city's books were wrong. This week his bondsmen wrote the cheque — and the paper trail runs through a second treasurer who later absconded.
- The Struggle for Dignity in Old Age
An editorial reflection on the cruelty of industrial labor and the call for systemic justice for elderly workers.
- The Lawyer's Bill Included Whisky, Sherry and Plasters
Sued for grave irregularities, John P. Dore answers with 157 items for advice—and an account full of whisky, medicine and groceries. He says Mrs. McDonough still owes him $139.70.
- Undertaker Moves to Town
With no doctor in town, the local undertaker decides it is time to set up shop in Oroville.
- The Ghost in the Water Mains
Seattle residents plagued by terrifying subterranean thumping discover the culprit is local utility infrastructure, not a haunting.
- The Canal Fight That Would Reshape Seattle
Senator Allen's enemies are attacking him over his support for the Lake Washington ship canal — but the 1889 legislative memorial shows one of his loudest critics once voted for it.