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 |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 10 |
| 1891 | 8 |
| 1892 | 15 |
| 1893 | 15 |
| 1894 | 10 |
| 1895 | 18 |
| 1898 | 4 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 3 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 3 |
| 1909 | 19 |
| 1910 | 7 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 3 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1928 | 1 |
154 stories matching wipe
- Clayton Burned: A Brick-Plant Town Loses Its Whole Business Block
A Tuesday afternoon blaze took Clayton's entire business section on the Spokane Falls & Northern, including the Washington Brick & Lime Co. plant — a $100,000 loss, and another Inland Empire town left to rebuild.
- Springdale Burned. The Reformer Didn’t Miss an Issue.
A fire swept away Springdale’s entire business district and wiped out its newspaper office. Editor Burrows still published an account of the blaze and promised a new press.
- The Senate Decapitates the Guard
A move to single out Adjutant General O'Brien backfires in Olympia, wiping out every commissioned officer in Washington's National Guard.
- Kerosene and a Wind: Bossburg's Business Block Burned to the Ground
An arsonist's midnight fire wiped out nearly the whole business section of Bossburg, leaving only a hardware store and one small shop across the tracks — some $60,000 lost.
- The Great Fire of 1889: Resilience in the Ashes
A traveler recounts their journey across the continent to find a city 'wiped out' but miraculously still standing, thriving in tents and determined to rebuild.
- A Frontier Town Wiped Out by Fire
A supply hub in Stevens County is reduced to ash after a midnight blaze in a general store.
- The Rag, the Belt and the Flywheel: A Laundry Hand's Bad Monday
Ray Strong was wiping an engine belt he had no business touching when the cloth whipped him into a spinning flywheel. He was alive, unconscious at times, and the whole town was counting on his 'strong vitality.'
- The Unintended Comedy of a Seattle Home-Grown Play
A young Seattle playwright attempts a 'powerful' American drama, only to accidentally create a farcical scene involving nightshirts, chin-wiping, and a very confused father-in-law.
- Yelm’s Business District Destroyed in Double Blaze
A catastrophic fire destroyed twenty buildings, leaving the local economy in ruins with losses exceeding $100,000.
- The Tragedy of the Wood Shed
A miner's attempt to hunt a weasel in Northport leads to a catastrophic explosion that leveled his cabin.
- The Soda Fountain Swap
A regular customer at a local Seattle soda fountain finds himself unexpectedly toasted by a new clerk who can't distinguish between pineapple syrup and brandy.
- Seattle's 1889 Fire Destroys Entire Business District
A devastating blaze wipes out the city's entire business district.
- The Sudden Loss of Kiona
A devastating fire in the nearby town of Kiona leaves a general store, hotel, and post office in ruins.
- Fire Ravages Miller Farmstead
A devastating blaze wipes out essential equipment and stores at the Miller residence, narrowly averted from total loss by neighborly aid.
- The Map That Erased a Business on the Seattle Waterfront
Property owners revolt as tide-land appraisers redraw the shore and wipe an upland business house off the map.
- A Suspected Arson Fire Wiped Out a Farm's Machinery North of Prescott
The Grote brothers saved only a wagon and some header boxes after $4,000 in equipment burned on the Preston farm.
- A Painful Pipe-Lighting Mishap
A local man suffers severe burns after gasoline residue on his hands ignites.
- The Fight Against Tacoma's Rubbish
Health officials and the Pure Food Council declare war on 'old shacks' and vacant-lot dumping ahead of a summer influx of tourists.
- The Purging of 'Whitechapel'
The Seattle City Council and local newspapers clash over the city’s attempt to erase a notorious downtown red-light district from the map.
- After the Fire, a County Helps Springdale Rebuild Its Main Street Crossing
Stevens County commissioners put $1,000 toward an earthen fill over Sheep Creek, replacing a bridge lost when fire took the town's business district.
- Bank Failure Leaves Local Families Penniless
Seattle bank collapse hits White Bluffs residents, wiping out savings of local depositors.
- Everett Voters Sent Back to the Polls
A legal hiccup forces a city-wide redo on incorporation, wiping out weeks of political campaigning.
- Twin Towns Devastated by Blazes
Fire-ravaged business districts in Fairfield and Winlock lead to over $60,000 in total losses in a single day.
- Spokane Falls Wiped Out by Catastrophic Blaze
A massive fire destroys the heart of Spokane, leveling banks and landmarks while the city's future hangs in the balance.
- Judge Irwin Wipes Out $224,000 in County Road Bonds
Chehalis County's entire 1891 road-bond program is ruled illegal for blowing past the constitutional debt limit — and the taxpayers' paper calls it a deliverance.