Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 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 |
|---|---|
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 5 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1878 | 5 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1884 | 6 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 6 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 6 |
| 1892 | 4 |
| 1893 | 12 |
| 1894 | 11 |
| 1895 | 13 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1908 | 4 |
| 1909 | 1 |
| 1916 | 2 |
94 stories matching perpetu
- A Railroad Wants Newport's Streets Forever — and One Lawyer Says the Constitution Forbids It
Alva S. Sherlock warns that the Idaho & Washington Northern is asking the town council for a perpetual, irrevocable franchise over 400 feet of Newport's streets — a grant that would outlive the corporation itself, and the state constitution's ban on irrevocable privilege.
- The Perpetual Motion Inventor's Wild Night
Dr. Hannibal Mills, a local crank obsessed with his 'perpetual motion' machine, shoots a saloon keeper after a drunken argument.
- The Perpetual Motion Man's New Scheme
After an ill-fated career as an inventor and a brush with the law, Dr. Able Leo Van Mills is hawking a new 'medicated atmosphere' and spiritual healing in the Diller Hotel.
- The Battle Over Public Water Power
A political critique of proposed federal legislation warns that speculators are maneuvering to seize control of vital water power sites.
- Judge Hanford Lets Railroad Cross Puyallup Reservation
A federal judge rules in favor of a railroad contractor over U.S. Army soldiers stationed on Indigenous lands.
- The Perpetual-Motion Man Came Downtown Armed
Before Dr. Hannibal Mills shot a man in the Occidental saloon, he told a restaurant waiter he would not live until morning and announced, “I'm God, the devil and himself.”
- The Perpetual Motion Man is Back in Custody
Dr. Hannibal Mills, a local eccentric and inventor, has been apprehended in Portland after fleeing a bail-jumping charge related to a saloon shooting in Seattle.
- The Mutinous Voyage of the Bark McNear
A crew alleges their captain was perpetually intoxicated, abusive, and endangered the ship while failing to provide decent food.
- Seattle’s Final Resting Place
How a fraternal order secured a new burial ground for the city's future.
- The Grading Debt That Never Was
A judge rules that Seattle property owners don't have to pay for street improvements that the city never actually finished.
- The Great Courthouse Location Battle
Prominent citizens join a protest against building the new county courthouse on a high hill that is inaccessible and inconvenient.
- The Conservation Debate: To Hunt or Protect?
Local sportsmen argue that keeping quail populations 'tame' and unhunted actually prevents them from multiplying, sparking a debate over wildlife management.
- The Drys Won Newport. Then They Built a Machine to Keep It.
A new Municipal League aims to protect the local-option victory—and the city hires counsel as opponents challenge the election in court.
- The Territorial University’s Fragile Future
A university president argues that education is the bedrock of statehood, but notes that Washington’s investment in the school remains woefully inadequate.
- The Ladd Estate Fights to Keep the Tide-Land Mapmakers Off Its Riverfront
A South Seattle landowner sues state appraisers over new plats along the Duwamish, warning that the survey would cloud titles to reclaimed riverfront acres.
- The City Council’s Perpetual Muddle
A failed attempt to sort out the city's chaotic tax records leaves property owners carrying the burden for their delinquent neighbors.
- The City’s Blueprint: Codifying Seattle’s 1886 Charter
A comprehensive look at the new municipal laws defining everything from fire prevention to drainage, setting the legal foundation for a growing city.
- The Price of Rail Dominance
A clash over mileage rates and interest terms strains the relationship between the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company and the Northern Pacific.
- The Fight for City Hall Reform
A committee clash over charter reform and the initiative process reveals deep divisions in Seattle's civic governance.
- The Newspaper Boycott of 1884
A Seattle newspaper fights back after liquor interests threaten an advertising boycott over municipal election coverage.
- The Brutal Doctrine of 'Root Hog or Die'
A Seattle newspaper editorial argues for the forced assimilation and dispossession of Indigenous people, mirroring the era's harshest colonial policies.
- Railroad Monopoly Challenged in Court
Chief Justice Greene rules against Northern Pacific's attempts to block competitors from their lines.
- The Fight Over Seattle’s Streetcar Franchises
The Seattle City Council debates whether 50-year streetcar monopolies should be extended without public bidding, raising questions about corporate influence and municipal control.
- The Price of a Non-Compete
A Seattle restaurateur is legally banned from the restaurant business after selling his previous establishment.
- The Real Estate Boom of Salmon Bay
Promotional copy for a 1888 Seattle subdivision promise rapid riches, mirroring the city's perpetual hunger for land development.