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 |
| 1859 | 4 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 9 |
| 1877 | 8 |
| 1878 | 20 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 7 |
| 1892 | 16 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 17 |
| 1895 | 22 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1903 | 4 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1908 | 3 |
| 1909 | 5 |
| 1914 | 6 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1917 | 2 |
164 stories matching thereof
- City Council Targets 'Disorderly' Tenements
A new ordinance aims to clear out homes deemed a public nuisance based on the 'customs and habits' of residents.
- Washington Moves to Ban Picketing
A legislative act aims to criminalize labor picketing, targeting those who stand near businesses during strikes or disputes.
- The Fire Ordinance of 1892
New city laws mandate fireproof construction materials in North Yakima's central business district to protect against catastrophic loss.
- The State Tries to Soften the Panic for Delinquent Taxpayers
The Senate passes a bill remitting penalties and interest on delinquent 1893–94 taxes, citing “great financial stringency” and declaring an emergency.
- The City Can Tear It Down: The Supreme Court Backs Seattle's Fire Limits
Daniel K. Baxter put up a twenty-foot shell of wooden posts wrapped in corrugated iron inside Seattle's fire limits. The state Supreme Court said the city could knock it down without ever going to court — and municipal building codes came out of it stronger than before.
- The Great Moss Panic of 1878
Seattle's early city council once declared war on rooftop greenery to prevent the city from burning down.
- The Foreclosure Auction: Luke Walsh Loses His Farm to Louis Rottmann
A Benton County sheriff’s sale is set for May 2, 1914, as a judgment of over $1,200 forces the transfer of land from one local farmer to another.
- Laborers Sue for Wages in Commercial Garden Dispute
Ten Italian immigrant gardeners have moved to seize a truck and produce from their employer, claiming they were never paid for their labor.
- Debating the Tide Lands
A committee weighs how the state will hold, lease, and sell shore lands in the new constitutional framework.
- City Hall Debates Municipal Power
A joint committee is appointed to investigate the feasibility of Seattle owning its own electric light plant.
- The Heirs of a Ghost: A Legal Battle for Seattle’s Empty Land
In the early days of Washington Territory, three women stepped forward to claim an inheritance in a town that barely existed, warning off any buyers from purchasing land they believed was theirs.
- Uncle Sam Sells a Fort: Fort Townsend Is Set Adrift as Seattle Angles for the Garrison
President Cleveland approves transferring the old military reservation to the Interior Department for sale, clearing the way for a new post at Magnolia Bluff.
- The Invisible Citizens of North Yakima
A local editor complains that federal census rules are failing to count the transient, hardworking men who keep the city growing.
- The Town's New Stance on Concealed Weapons
A 1905 ordinance criminalizes the carrying of concealed weapons, requiring special permission from the Mayor for exceptions.
- The Price of Admission
When a new federal war tax on admissions threatens cinema prices, the local Princess theater owner decides to absorb the cost rather than pass it to patrons.
- Fatal Shootout at the Nevada Saloon
A wage dispute between a laborer and an investment manager turned deadly in Leavenworth.
- 1914 Bid to Let Noncitizens Own City Land
Voters prepare to decide if resident aliens should be allowed to own property within city limits.
- The Foreclosure Auction: When the Bank Takes Your Land
A Benton County sheriff prepares to sell a farmer's property at the Prosser courthouse for over $1,300 in 1914, highlighting the precarious nature of land ownership during the early days of Washington's agricultural boom.
- Walla Walla School Board Admits to Illegal Spending
After building a high school without public vote, the school board confesses to issuing over $63,000 in unauthorized warrants.
- A Majority of 108 from Seventy Voters
The territorial election returns smelled of the ballot box: Whatcom County, with barely eighty voters, reported a majority of 108 for Stevens.
- The 1914 Ballot: Restricting Alien Land Ownership
Voters face a pivotal constitutional amendment determining if non-citizens can own property within municipal borders.
- The Madison Street Assessment Battle
A property owner challenges the legality of street improvement assessments in Seattle, setting the stage for litigation.
- The 1854 Territorial Criminal Code
A comprehensive look at the foundational laws of Washington Territory, detailing everything from murder and manslaughter to the prohibition of kidnapping and coerced servitude.
- Divorcing the 'Unsuitable': Seattle Legal Notices from 1872
Public legal notices reveal the stark reality of marital dissolution in early Seattle, where 'incompatibility' and 'neglect' served as grounds for separation in the King County District Court.
- Seattle Labor Unions Boycott Local Papers
The Knights of Labor organize against the 'importation of reading matter' intended to displace local printers.
Also about this, in other words
- The Reverend and the Editor Spar Over Grammar
A local minister demands public corrections for his column, leading to a feisty rebuttal from the newspaper's editorial staff.