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 |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1892 | 2 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 5 |
| 1895 | 4 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1917 | 1 |
27 stories matching unexplain
- Richland Ferry Sinks in River Accident
The local crossing between Richland and Pasco is out of commission after an unexplained mid-week sinking.
- A Port Townsend Lawyer Vanishes Without a Trace
Capt. George H. Jones, a constitutional convention delegate and Republican county leader, had been missing for days when his family's Puget Sound search came up empty.
- The Unexplained Ending at Snoqualmie
A local saloon keeper was found dead with a bullet through his heart, leaving behind a revolver six feet away and a town full of questions.
- A Nighttime Stabbing in Downtown Seattle
A witness reports a violent, unexplained knife attack at a downtown intersection, yet the victim vanished before help could arrive.
- Colfax Bank Cashier Vanishes with $11,000
A small-town banker has absconded, leaving his depositors with a massive, unexplained hole in the books.
- The Mystery of the Non-Propagating Oysters
The federal government sends an expert to solve why Eastern oysters refuse to reproduce in the waters of Willapa Bay.
- An Unexplained Blaze in Ballard
A house belonging to a shingle weaver is destroyed by a suspicious fire in Ballard, potentially linked to labor unrest.
- Five Hundred Sheep, One Embankment, and a $2,000 Loss
A herd already sold at $3.40 a head was wiped out near Kiona when the animals piled atop one another in a freak accident.
- The Mystery of the Altered State Tax Law
A suspicious, unexplained edit to an enrolled bill threatens to protect railroads from paying their fair share of taxes.
- The Tragic Accident That Stopped a Clock: The Death of Mr. H. Kelly
A promising builder and father of four dies in a freak hunting accident on the banks of the Snohomish River, leaving his grieving widow to raise their children alone.
- The Unexplained Death of a Millman
A healthy man collapses in a Seattle office building, but two autopsies fail to reveal why.
- The Unexplained Departure of Mrs. Frite
A husband’s public notice of his wife’s desertion sparks confusion in Port Townsend, as he vows to never take her back.
- A Nighttime Intruder Grazed by a Bullet
A man found in a stranger's house at night narrowly avoids death, leaving the homeowner in a state of nervous collapse.
- 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.
- The Unexplained Death of Fred Round
A mother finds her son dead in his East D Street bedroom with a revolver between his knees, but the angle of the wound sparks doubts about the suicide theory.
- Tragic Drowning of School Janitor
A search for health ends in death for a respected member of multiple fraternal orders.
- The Banker Who Vanished
Cashier J.W. Bixby returns to Seattle after a three-week unexplained disappearance, citing exhaustion and the weight of failing business interests.
- The Mesmerist’s Web: How Two Wives Defied Police to Free a Seattle Scandal
Charles Woodruff, the city's most notorious mesmerist and alleged bigamist, remains behind bars not because of lack of evidence, but because his former wives refuse to testify against him.
- A Club in Chaos: Near-Fight and Political Maneuvers in Seattle's Scandinavian Community
A meeting of the Scandinavian Independent Club descended into uproar, with a near personal confrontation, while the executive committee endorsed a legislative candidate.
- The Mystery of the Cedar River Monsters
A fishing expedition into the wilderness turns into a strange, unexplained struggle against an unseen force in the depths of the river.
- The Anatomy of a 'Drunk' in 1883
A local observer breaks down the social mechanics of the saloon-crawl, from the first casual invitation to the inevitable collapse on the floor.
- The Court House Frame-Up: Farmers Cry Foul Over a $30,000 Bond Deal
Benton County taxpayers say commissioners tried to sell courthouse bonds without advertising for bids — and that the prosecuting attorney helped fight the very people he was elected to represent.
- Katie Hackworth Vanished From School. Her Parents Say a Procuress Took Her.
A habeas corpus petition accuses Mrs. Ollie Ryther of luring 14-year-old Katie from the Pacific school with presents and money and holding her for 'purposes of vice.'
- The Quartermaster’s Arithmetic: Scrip, Pork, and Profiteering in Washington Territory
A detailed audit of Quartermaster General W. W. Miller’s books exposed inflated prices, unexplained payments, and scrip issued for vouchers the commissioners had already disallowed.
- The Meller Murder Trial: A Widower’s Sobs and a Defendant’s Blank Stare
George Craemer goes on trial for the murder of Mrs. Meller, as her husband and two young daughters watch the jury chosen and the prosecutor promises to tie a hammer to the defendant.