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Narrow 22,457 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 5 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 4 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 5 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 2 |
| 1899 | 2 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 5 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 5 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1916 | 4 |
| 1917 | 2 |
61 stories matching spell
- The Great Spelling Bee of 1873
Before high-speed internet and digital debates, Seattle’s social life centered on the grand Spelling Match, a community competition held at Yesler’s Hall.
- The First Teachers’ Institute: A Battle for Seattle’s Soul
In September 1872, the Territory’s top educators gathered in Seattle to debate everything from corporal punishment to the role of women in teaching, laying the groundwork for public education in Washington.
- The Parents Said Tacoma's Schools Were Failing. The Typesetter Who Set Their Letter Answered Back.
A frustrated parent writes in to say the city schools teach paper-folding instead of arithmetic; a linotype operator at the same paper — and a Tacoma graduate himself — replies that the trouble may lie closer to home.
- The Dry Spell on Eureka Flat
Farmers are stalling wheat planting as a rare November drought threatens the upcoming harvest.
- The Storm That Snarled the Wires: Seattle's First Snow of 1895
Three inches of snow fall on the city in a single evening, telegraph lines between Portland and Tacoma go dead, and the streetcar companies send out their plows to keep the tracks clear.
- A Case of Misspelling
Dr. Royal A. Gove files suit against the Sunset Telephone Company for losing him business after they misspelled his name in the directory.
- A Fifteen-Million-Dollar Gamble on the Horse Heaven Hills
Voters prepare for a high-stakes bond election to fund the irrigation of 50,000 acres, warning that defeat spells doom for the district.
- The Treasurer Who Vanished, Then Wrote Home From Puget Sound
An Iowa county official disappeared in the 1870s. After his death, his family gathered at the Olympia Hotel to settle an estate—and letters revealed a hidden life, a bank failure, and a real-estate boom he hoped would make restitution possible.
- The Tragic End of a Seattle Logger
After years of success followed by a swift decline in fortune, a once-prosperous logger faces the ruin of his livelihood and his mental health.
- The First Wedding in Seattle, Celebrated Forty-Two Years Later
David and Louisa Denny gather four generations of pioneers at their Temperance Street home, where relics of the 1850s—and the certificate from Seattle’s first marriage—turn an anniversary into a founding story.
- The Man Who Thought He Was Being Hunted: A Walla Walla Tragedy
A prosperous farmer’s descent into religious mania ends with his confinement at Medical Lake, revealing the era's fragile understanding of mental health.
- The Double-Voting Scandal at the School Board
A Seattle man is convicted for voting twice in a single school election, sparking a tense courtroom drama involving local political heavyweights.
- The Great Jailbreak of 1878
Five inmates, including a man held for attempted murder, escaped a Seattle jail using a key hand-crafted over six weeks.
- The Unprecedented Heatwave of 1887
As temperatures soared to over 100 degrees, Seattle grappled with a record-breaking heat spell that left dozens dead and the city in a state of exhaustion.
- Pacific Northwest Lumber Barons Push for Price Fixing
A secret meeting in San Francisco may spell the end of independent competition in the region's most vital industry.
- The Balloon Girl of Seattle
A three-year-old child tethered to toy balloons is carried away by the wind, leading to a frantic maritime rescue six miles out at sea.
- Drought Grips the Yakima Valley
A mild, snowless winter leaves ranchers facing a disastrous crop failure and calls for immediate expansion of irrigation canals.
- The Great Freeze of 1872
When an arctic blast paralyzed Puget Sound, turning the Columbia River to ice and testing the grit of Seattle's early pioneers.
- The Boy Who Swallowed a Peanut: A Two-Month Ordeal
A Seattle teenager’s life hangs in the balance after a gust of wind forces a nut into his lung, leading to a dramatic surgical rescue.
- The Witch of Avenue A: A Violent Superstition
A Seattle family’s belief in sorcery leads to a brutal attack on their former governess.
- The Logging Logjam: A Close Call on the Seattle Waterfront
When a chain of logs broke loose on the Seattle waterfront, a sudden collision nearly spelled disaster for a steamship navigating the dark bay.
- Military Commander Dies Suddenly at Camp Murray
The sudden passing of Colonel F. E. Trotter, instructor of the Washington National Guard, leaves the militia camp in mourning and suspends all training exercises.
- A Mother’s Tragic Descent
A young woman’s mental health crisis in the Harvard House leads to a desperate, late-night intervention.
- The Cultist Behind Bars
Joshua Klein, held in the county jail, claims to be receiving telepathic messages from his followers in Vienna while parents demand their daughters return home.
- The Fight for a 'Sober' Waterfront
Seattle City Council members battle over whether to permit saloons near city parks, clashing over the character of public space.
Also about this, in other words
- The Deaf Dodge
A local drunkard tries to outsmart a judge by faking deafness, only to be tripped up by the prospect of a free drink.
- Shingle-Weaver Collapses After Mistaking Poison for Breath Fresheners
An amateur theatrical rehearsal in Tacoma turns into a medical emergency when a man swallows the wrong bottle.
- 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 Desperate Act of a Waitress
A young worker's suicide attempt at the Seattle block leaves questions and a mystery about the men in her room.
- The Typographer's Lament: A Plea for Better Penmanship
A frustrated newspaper printer turns to verse to protest the illegible handwriting of contributors, whose scribbles make the typesetter’s life a living hell.
- The Shoemaker's Windfall
When a simple shop sign is caught by the wind, it leads to an unexpected—and quite public—domestic confession.
- The Fiddle or the Fortune
A young woman’s struggle for artistic independence against the suffocating expectations of Gilded Age Seattle.
- A Deadly Mistake at the Livery Stable
A local stableman survives a poisoning after accidentally consuming carbolic acid instead of whisky.