Research the archive
Narrow 25,688 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 3 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 8 |
| 1892 | 9 |
| 1893 | 12 |
| 1894 | 4 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 5 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
74 stories matching tough
- Vigilante Justice Looms in Skykomish
An assistant engineer reports that a gang of gamblers and outlaws has taken control of the Great Northern Railroad laborers' camp.
- The Vigilante Committee: Tacoma's Desperate War on Crime
In March 1902, Tacoma’s elite formed a secret society sworn to kill without mercy after police failed to stop a wave of robberies and murders.
- The Secret Lunch of the Frugal Merchant
A chance encounter in a 'tough' neighborhood restaurant reveals the hidden economic anxieties of Seattle's business class during a local recession.
- The Sound’s Secret: How Deep Waters and Giant Trees Built a City
A reprinted editorial from New York reveals why Puget Sound is the 'Mediterranean of the West,' detailing its impossible depth, massive timber resources, and the strange phenomenon of forests with only small and giant trees.
- Vigilante Sentiment Grows After Sunday Violence
A wave of fights and assaults by 'tramps and toughs' on Harris Street leaves the town calling for better policing.
- A Stranger's Bullet Leaves Fraser Dying—and Page Asking Seattle for a Fair Shake
Shot and dying, Fraser made his will and gave a statement to prosecutors while the accused gunman, held in the county jail, denied being a gambler or a tough and pleaded for a square hearing.
- The Boy Too Tough for the Reform School
A teenage burglar escapes Chehalis, stumps the trustees, and triggers a constitutional standoff over who must deal with an incorrigible child.
- The Yale Football Legend Who Tamed a Frontier Town
When lawlessness gripped the construction camp of Skykomish, a former Yale athlete used his brute strength and leadership to face down a local gang leader.
- Fisticuffs at the Ballpark
The competition for the Kitsap County championship descends into a chaotic brawl.
- The Boy Who Stole a Coat: Seattle’s Teenage Burglars and Their 'Ingenious' Defense
Two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, were caught red-handed stealing overcoats on King Street. Their attempt to blame a mysterious third party failed, but their defiant attitude offers a rare glimpse into the juvenile justice system of early Seattle.
- Street Chase and Arrest of a Known Tough
A jeweler's clerk helps police apprehend a suspect following a daring daytime robbery on Front Street.
- The $3 Million Strike: How the Great Northern Railway Bet on Breaking Workers
In the winter of 1893, the railroad’s board calculated that paying workers less was cheaper than losing millions to a strike. They were right—and Seattle paid the price.
- The Wooden Revolver That Freed Ten Prisoners
Thomas Blanck held a jailer hostage with a carved fake gun, emptied the King County jail, and vanished into Seattle's streets.
- Knockout Drops at the Standard Saloon
A Tacoma man swears he was drugged, fleeced of $210, and knocked toothless—then asks the city to revoke the saloon's license.
- A Dollar for Three Children: Newport Officers Rescue the Zink Children
After their mother’s death, Maggie, Ruth and Clarence Zink were found underfed and living among loggers; a Spokane children’s home and a Christmas box intervened.
- The Day the 'Mercury' Office Became a Shambles
After an article called his theater a 'branch of hell,' a local theater manager stormed the newspaper office, triggering a violent brawl and a shooting.
- The Midnight Hold-Up That Turned Deadly
A trio of armed men terrorized downtown saloons until a victim fought back with a shotgun, leaving one assailant near death.
- Court Ruling Limits Liability for Railway Accidents
The Supreme Court clears a railroad company of liability in a 'staking' injury, signaling a tough path for injured laborers seeking damages.
- Drunken Brawl in Walla Walla
When a rowdy group of cattle herders spent their gold with 'prodigal hand' at local saloons, they turned the street into a chaotic scene that tested the resolve of city officials.
- The Lynching of Aldy Neal: A Mob’s Midnight Justice in Rockford
After escaping custody for horse theft and returning to his hometown under the guise of visiting his sister, a young man named Aldy Neal was intercepted by an armed mob north of Rockford and hanged from a tree limb.
- The Sheriff’s Swift Justice at Commencement Bay
After a horse was stolen from Georgetown, the sheriff tracked the thieves to a camp near the Indian reservation and recovered the animal in less than 24 hours.
- The Great Butter Robbery of West Street
A bold waterfront heist ends with an unlikely intervention by an old gentleman, a flight across the city, and a classic retort from a local thief.
- The City Council Seized Our Engine: A Firehouse Rebellion
When the city government stripped Seattle Engine Company No. 2 of their apparatus to give it to a new company, the firefighters organized a defiant public meeting to protest the 'unwarranted usurpation of authority.'
- The Brutal Work of Boring Stampede Tunnel
Deep in the Cascades, a reporter documents the grueling labor conditions of the men carving the Northern Pacific’s Stampede Tunnel through the mountain’s gut.
- A Walla Walla Pastor Defends the Prison's Sunday 'Boxing Bouts'
Rector W. Law writes to defend Warden Coblenz and the penitentiary's Sunday programs, insisting the glove contests that scandalized critics were gentler than a schoolyard game.
Also about this, in other words
- The Price of a Violent Temper
A town roughneck learns the limits of his reach after an unprovoked assault on a farmer in downtown Colfax.
- A 'Native Son' for the Toughest Town
While fleeing to California to escape the mountain snows, a stranded couple makes history in the rough-and-tumble railway camp of Skykomish.
- The 'Hard Times' Social in Black Diamond
Coal miners and their families in Black Diamond held a 'Hard Times' social, where the most bedraggled costumes were awarded prizes, offering a brief moment of levity during a period of economic strain.
- The Hardscrabble Frontier of the Stillaguamish
A detailed 1879 survey of the Stillaguamish River valley reveals a diverse community of pioneers, Prussian soldiers, and dreamers attempting to tame the wilderness of the upper valley.
- The Pugilist’s Surprise
A strongman looking for a wrestling match in early Seattle learns that a quiet demeanor doesn’t always mean a lack of spirit.
- A Convict’s Violent Outburst in Whatcom Court
A notorious criminal threatens a judge with violence before being transported to the state penitentiary in Walla Walla.
- The Heavy Hand of the Svea Saloon
A violent enforcement of 'house rules' leaves two patrons severely beaten by local hired thugs.
- A Brutal Robbery in Whatcom
After pleading guilty to a violent assault and robbery, a 26-year-old drifter is sentenced to two decades of hard labor.