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 |
|---|---|
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 6 |
| 1895 | 4 |
| 1903 | 3 |
| 1909 | 1 |
33 stories matching summarili
- City Engineer Summarily Fired in 'Partisan' Power Grab
In an unusual late-day meeting of the Board of Public Works, the City Engineer was removed from office, prompting accusations that the municipal government had been turned into a patronage machine.
- Drunk Disturbs Open-Air Church Service
A man named J. L. Cook was arrested after elbowing his way through a crowd to interrupt a sermon at Front and Cherry Streets.
- Student Uprising at Washington State Agricultural College
A campus protest following the removal of a college president erupts into violence against school leadership.
- Police Captain Fired Without Due Process
In a swift, contentious board meeting, a Seattle police captain is removed from duty, prompting a debate over the limits of the board’s authority.
- The Unwelcome Interviewer
A reporter who tried to push his way onto the Villard party’s steamer learns that some doors—and decks—are firmly closed.
- Seattle’s Acting Mayor Ousted in Mystery Resignation
Dr. Sweeney resigns after a sudden, suspicious removal by the board of aldermen, sparking rumors of gambling influence.
- City Hall's Patronage Scandal
Seattle taxpayers express alarm as the Board of Public Works removes the city engineer to replace him with a political loyalist.
- The City's Monthly 'Tax' on Prostitution
A reader questions the 'reform' administration’s police policy of extracting monthly fines from sex workers as a form of state-sanctioned blackmail.
- A Seattle Mob Attacked a Deputy Marshal. The Paper Wanted the Police to Answer for It.
After Deputy Marshal Gagnon was set upon by an excited crowd, critics charged that Seattle officers were too cozy with the lawbreakers — and this editorial demanded that heads roll.
- The Administrator, the Heir, and the Living Dead Man
General R. G. O'Brien faces a court showdown after a legal battle over an inheritance that traveled all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
- Old Soldiers Fight Politically Motivated Firing
A local group of veterans protests the sudden, unexplained removal of a fellow Union soldier from the Board of Examining Surgeons.
- Brutality Uncovered at the Soldiers' Home
Following an investigation, the state board of control fires a hospital steward accused of subjecting elderly, vulnerable veterans to inhuman conditions.
- The Battle for Education Funding
Seattle school officials rally against state legislature 'land-booming' schemes that prioritize local property interests over the needs of students.
- The Senator Who Wanted to Cut Off Every Chinese Man's Queue — and Jail Him
After Chinese cooks boycotted his Tacoma spice business, a state senator proposed fining and jailing any Chinese man who wore a queue, with state agents sent out to shear them.
- The Struggle for Seattle's Police Chief
A power struggle erupts between the city's gambling interests and a Chief of Police who refuses to play their game.
- Under the Provost Marshal: Seattle’s Martial Law
When the city was placed under military rule during the anti-Chinese riots of 1886, residents faced a new, forced reality of curfews, passes, and armed sentries on every corner.
- The Territorial Auditor and the Slander Machine
When the Walla Walla Statesman accused a prominent territorial official of being a fugitive felon, it sparked a local crisis in journalistic ethics and public reputation.
- 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 Politics of Poverty: Seattle’s 1878 Voter Suppression Fight
A century and a half ago, local officials tried to implement a 'poll tax' to restrict voting rights, sparking a fierce debate over whether a citizen’s right to participate in democracy could be tied to their financial status.
- City Engineer Fired Amidst Political Pressure
A storm of public indignation follows the board of public works' decision to remove the city engineer at the behest of shadowy political 'wreckers.'
- The Great 'Lacum Duckum' Campus Cold War
After Whitman College students staged a 'ducking' of classmates for skipping a reception, a retaliatory social boycott by the women of Reynolds Hall has divided the campus.
- The Boom That Busted
Reflecting on the 'mushroom' growth and subsequent economic fallout of 1870s Seattle, a local editor recounts a tale of over-speculation, debt, and the volatile reliance on steamship-driven growth.
- The Forgotten Hero: Major Granville Haller’s Fight Against Military Perjury
After decades of distinguished service in the Mexican-American and Indian Wars, a decorated officer was summarily stripped of his rank based on a peer’s 'dreamed' accusation of disloyalty.
- After the Page Trial, Seattle Asks Why Every Man Carries a Revolver
An editorial demands an end to the city's gun-carrying habit, arguing that petty disputes end in bloodshed because half the town is a walking arsenal.
- The Neah Bay Land Grab
A historic Seattle-area editorial exposes how federal officials and a powerful monopoly manipulated reservation boundaries to seize a lucrative trading post from a local merchant.