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 |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 6 |
| 1909 | 1 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1912 | 1 |
32 stories matching sovereign
- The Sovereign Grand Commander Comes to Port Townsend
General Albert Pike arrives by steamer to inspect the local lodges, lectures to the brethren, and is feted with a banquet and a Scow Bay clambake.
- Fraternity Stiffed by City and Chamber
Local Odd Fellows lodges footed the entire bill for entertaining the visiting Sovereign Grand Lodge after the city and Chamber of Commerce reneged on their promises to split the costs.
- The Great Statehood Jubilee: Washington Takes Its Seat at the Table
As President Cleveland signs the admission bill on Lincoln’s birthday, Seattle celebrates the end of the territorial era and the dawn of sovereign self-governance.
- The Republican Machine Sweeps Seattle
Byron Phelps wins the mayoral race in a landslide as the city undergoes a political shift.
- The Great Bed-Sheet Debate
Legislators in Olympia waste the public's time by bickering over the legal length of hotel linens.
- The Fight for Territorial Voice
Washington Territory Democrats push for a seat at the national table, arguing that 1.5 million people in the territories deserve a say in choosing the next President.
- The Political Cost of War
A wounded veteran discovers that his war stories are ironically costing him votes in his run for Congress.
- Everett Socialists Rally for Lawrence Strikers
Local unionists and radicals pack Liberty Hall to protest the brutal treatment of striking textile workers in the East and send a formal message to the President.
- Federal Court Settles Tide Land Battles
A landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling confirms that state sovereignty over tide lands overrides private claims, dealing a major blow to littoral landholders in Seattle.
- The “Dude” Candidate and the Murder Acquittals
A San Juan newspaper attacks aspiring governor “Dude” Lewis over two Whatcom County murder acquittals, warning that his sympathy for defendants could empty the state’s prisons.
- The Fading Majesty of the British Crown
A 1885 editorial reflects on the diminishing power of the British monarchy, suggesting the institution may soon become a mere formality that the public outgrows.
- Tensions Rise on the Puyallup Reservation
While U.S. regulars and the Puyallup people clashed on the ground, a high-stakes legal battle was simultaneously waged in the courts over land rights.
- The 'Million Dollar' Legislature
A scathing critique of Washington's early state legislative sessions highlights the 'million-dollar' waste and the reputation for incompetence plaguing the new state government.
- The Sunday Saloon War: When Seattle’s Business Elite Fought for the Right to Rest
In January 1885, a heated civic battle erupted over the enforcement of Sunday closing laws, pitting the city’s liquor trade against a coalition of reformers and weary laborers.
- The 'Dago' Question in Harbor Harbor Work
A fiery exchange between the Aberdeen Herald and an Italian resident sparks a local debate over whether immigrant labor or 'American citizens' should build the city's infrastructure.
- The Supreme Court Defies Its Own Constitution
A legal dispute over Walla Walla land reveals how Washington State wrestled with the transition from federal territory to sovereign statehood.
- The Unstoppable March Toward Women’s Suffrage
A labor newspaper reflects on the sophisticated campaign for the women's vote, arguing that if the home is a woman's sphere, then her voice in government is essential.
- The Great Seattle Audit: When the Mayor Defended the Ledger
Facing down accusations of corruption and fiscal recklessness, Seattle’s outgoing mayor releases a meticulous—and defensive—account of his administration's massive infrastructure push.
- The Mother of Discontent: Abigail Scott Duniway’s Rally for Rights
In an impassioned 1878 address to the Territorial Convention, activist Abigail Scott Duniway demanded Washington women be granted the vote, framing the domestic 'insurrection' of disenfranchised wives as a parallel to the American Revolution.
- The Ghostly Wailing of Lake Washington
A lonely homesteader’s terrifying nocturnal encounter leads to a discovery that reveals the ‘supernatural’ horror was nothing more than a discarded medical bottle.
- The Herald's Scathing Feud with the P.-I.
When North Yakima was scolded by Seattle’s 'royal' newspaper for suggesting a statehood convention, the new local paper hit back with a venomous letter and a call for better manners.
- The Price of a Title: A Satirical Pitch for Yakima Bachelors
After a socialite’s marriage bargain with a French nobleman falls through, a local editor makes a cheeky, patriotic offer to find her a better—and cheaper—husband in North Yakima.
- The Boom That Built Seattle: A City on the Verge of Explosion
As the new year dawns, Seattle’s leaders are boasting of unprecedented growth—new schools, hotels, and blocks rising from the mud, fueled by lumber wealth and a population that refuses to stay small.
- Fraternity on the Diamond: The Odd Fellows' Grand Celebration
When Seattle’s Odd Fellows hosted a massive multi-day anniversary celebration in 1892, they turned the local baseball park into a scene of chaotic amateur athletics, friendly rivalries, and unbridled civic enthusiasm.
- A Mother Taken From a Spree: Seattle's Temperance Crusade Fixes on One Family
A well-dressed mother of three is found drunk and taken to the city station to recover — and the Post-Intelligencer turns her private ruin into a sermon on marriage, appetite and the duty of the state.