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Newspapers of Washington State

Online Indexes

Washington State University 

Kimble Northwest History Database

Wallis (1968 CEA) and Marilyn (1964 CLA) Kimble of Kingston, WA, made a gift in 2001, as seed money to establish a specialized digitizing project in the Libraries at Washington State University. 18,500 of the 30,000+ articles from the Pacific NW Newspaper Clippings file were scanned, with indexing and description terms entered to make them searchable. These newspaper articles were collected and organized in the 1930s and 1940s by dedicated historians working for the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Kimble Northwest History Database - Obituary Collection

A subset of the Kimble Northwest History Database containing obituaries.


Seattle Public Library

Northwest Subject Index Collection

The Northwest Subject Index Collection is hosted by the Seattle Public Library. It contains citations for selected subjects from the Seattle Room's Northwest Subject Index and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Index. The Northwest Subject Index was librarian-created and includes citations from newspaper and magazine articles along with books and archival collections. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer Index is a selective index created by the newspaper's journalists.


University of Washington

Pacific Northwest Regional Newspapers and Periodical Index

University of Washington Libraries' Pacific Northwest Regional Newspaper and Periodical Index (Regional Index) is an electronic database containing citations from newspaper and periodical articles dealing with the Pacific Northwest. The Regional Index online contains citations for articles dealing with the Pacific Northwest published since January 1, 1997, in the Seattle Weekly, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and The Daily of the University of Washington.


Washington State Library

Index to the Olympian and Historical Clippings

Produced by the Washington State Library, this index contains citations to articles in The Olympian (Olympia, Washington) and other Washington state newspapers. Dates covered are from 1993-2009.

Pacific Northwest Card File Search

The Pacific Northwest Card File appears to have been started in the early 1950s as a finding aid for biographical and historical information in the Washington State Library. Information was indexed from newspapers across the state as well as many published local histories, creating a unique point of access.


Oregon State Library

Oregon Index

The web-accessible Oregon Index is a selective index to Oregon newspapers and to Oregon items in other select publications. The index is a voluntary operation, maintained by indexers at the Oregon State Library and other libraries across Oregon. 


Tacoma Public Library

Tacoma-Pierce County Obituary Index

The Tacoma & Pierce County Obituary Index contains thousands of records of obituaries and death notices published in local Tacoma newspapers.

Print Indexes & Abstracts Available in the Library

Central Region

 

Historical Source Materials of North Central Washington [microform]

NW MICRO 071.9759 MITCHEL 1963

Wenatchee Daily World files, prepared by Bruce Mitchell. Consists of 2 volumes. Volume 1: 1905-1950; Volume 2: 1951-1959.

 

An Index to the Populist Newspapers of Ellensburg

GEN 979.757 SCHMITH 1894-1914

 

Newspaper Index of Northwest...Wenatchee World Division [microform]

NW MICRO 071.9759 NEWSPAP 1941

Prepared by the Works Project Administration (WPA) Index Project #2212. Covers the period between 1909-1916.

 

Records of Yakima County, Washington, 1869-1907, and Benton County, Washington, 1905-1907. Volume 5.

GEN 979.755 RECORDS 1975

Volume 5: Newspaper Abstracts, 1884-1907

 

Subject Index to the Wenatchee Republic, 1903-1911 [microform]

NW MICRO 071.9759 SUBJECT 1985

 

Subject Index to the Wenatchee World, 1905-1983 [microfiche]

NW MICRO 071.9759 SUBJECT 1985b

A republication and cumulation of indexes compiled by Bruce Mitchell of the Wenatchee World, with major changes. It cumulates v.1-13 and adds a separate publication, persons, places and picture index covering 1905-1980. The index consists of 47 microfiches with 1 guide.

 

Wenatchee World Index of Local and Regional News Stories

GEN OVERSIZ 979.759 WENATCH

Covers 1984-1989.


Eastern Region

 

Collection of Clippings from Inland Empire Newspapers [microform]

NW MICRO 929.3797 COLLECT 1982

Vital records, pioneer's histories, and historical items. There are three volumes on 1 microfilm reel. Volume 1: Lewiston Tribune and Pullman Herald, December 1965-February 1966; Volume 2: Lewiston Tribune and Pullman Herald, March 1966-May 1966; Volume 3: Union-Bulletin, Walla Walla, Washington, 1935-1951, Spokane clippings 1910-1959. The order of the volumes on the reel are volume 2, volume 1, volume 3.

 

Columbia County Washington Newspaper Abstracts

GEN 979.746 MCNEILL

There are 13 volumes, covering 1882-1909.

 

Index of Colville Examiner, 1908-1920 [microform]

NW MICRO 071.9723 INDEX O 1940

The index was compiled by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Indexing Project Number 2212, Washington. The index is alphabetically arranged by subject and chronologically by date under subject.

 

Index of Spokesman-Review, 1887-1900 [microform]

NW MICRO 071.9737 IXDEX 1938

The index was compiled by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Indexing Project Number WP-2212, Washington. The index consists of 5 reels covering the newspaper titles Spokesman-Review, Spokane Review, Spokane Falls Review, and the Morning Review.

 

Index to the Newport Miner

GEN OVERSIZ 979.721 INDEX T
January - April 1988

 

Index to the Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington

GEN 979.737 INDEX T
1999

 

Newspaper Index of Northwest, 1901-1920, Spokane Spokesman-Review Division [microform]

NW MICRO 071.9737 NEWSPAP 1941

The index was compiled by the Works Projects Administration (WPA) Indexing Project # WP-2212, Washington. This index consists of 13 reels.

 

Northwest Tribune and Spokesman-Review Guide, 1880-1900, Inclusive

GEN OVERSIZ 979.737 NORTHWE 1880-1890

The index was compiled by the Works Projects Administration (WPA) Indexing Project # 2212, Washington. List of main subject headings and cross references used in Northwest Tribune and Spokesman-Review, 1880-1900 indexes.

 

Northwest Tribune and Spokesman-Review Guide, 1880-1900 [microform]

NW MICRO 071.9737 NORTHWE 1938

The index was compiled by the Works Projects Administration (WPA) Indexing Project # 2212, Washington. List of main subject headings and cross references used in Northwest Tribune and Spokesman-Review, 1880-1900 indexes.

 

Spokane, Northwest-Tribune, 1887-1895 [microform]

NW MICRO 071.9737 SPOKANE 1938

The index was compiled by the Works Projects Administration (WPA). The index is arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically by date under subject.

 

Whitman County, Washington Families: An Every-Name Index to the Newspaper and Resource Collection of Dorothy Sevier Matson

GEN 979.739 WHITMAN 1987

The index was compiled by the Whitman County Genealogical Society. The index is 3 volumes.


Northwest Region

 

A Collection of Poems, Historical Newspaper Clippings, and Obituaries 1882 [microform]

NW MICRO 979.773 MILHOLL 1882

 

Subject Index to the Bellingham Herald with Obituaries

GEN 979.773 SUBJECT 1988
GEN 979.773 SUBJECT 1989 v.1
GEN 979.773 SUBJECT 1989 v.2

Puget Sound Region

 

Kent Area Obituaries Extracted From Early Kent, Washington Newspapers

GEN 979.777 KENT AR 1893-1910 v.1
GEN 979.777 KENT AR 1911-1920 v.2
GEN 979.777 KENT AR 1921-1931 v.3
GEN 979.777 KENT AR 1932-1934 v.4

 

Index to the Sun (Bremerton)

GEN OVERSIZ 979.776 INDEX T 1988
GEN OVERSIZ 979.776 INDEX T 1989
GEN OVERSIZ 979.776 INDEX T 1990
GEN OVERSIZ 979.776 INDEX T 1991
GEN OVERSIZ 979.776 INDEX T 1992
GEN OVERSIZ 979.776 INDEX T 1993
GEN OVERSIZ 979.776 INDEX T 1994

 

Obituaries Extracted from Renton (WA) Record Chronicle Newspaper

GEN 979.777 OBITUAR 1927-1932

 

Obituaries of University of Washington Presidents, 1861-1958

GEN 979.7772 OBITUAR 1861-1958

 

News Tribune Library Index File [microfiche]

NW MICRO 071.9778 TACOMA 1982-1983
NW MICRO 071.9778 TACOMA 1983 JAN.-SEP.
NW MICRO 071.9778 TACOMA 1984 JAN.-JUL.
NW MICRO 071.9778 TACOMA 1984 JUL.-DEC.

 

T.N.T. Index [microfiche]

NW MICRO 071.9778 TACOMA 1975-1980

Tacoma News Tribune

 

The Territorial Newspaper Index [microform]

NW MICRO 071.97 TERRITO 1965?

Chiefly a detailed subject guide to articles and news reports published in Olympia, Tacoma, and Seattle newspapers prior to 1889, but there are also some items indexed in papers of these cities published up to about 1900. The newspapers indexed are: Daily Pacific TribunePioneer and DemocratSeattle Daily PressSeattle Gazette, and Washington Standard. Card catalog originally compiled as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project and maintained by the Special Collections Division, University of Washington Libraries. Reel 1: A.A. - Dannelly; Reel 2: Danskin - Hines, H.K.; Reel 3: Hines, Harvey - Maskrey; Reel 4: Mason - Oz; Reel 5: P - Seaton, F.A.; Reel 6: Seattle - Walla Walla Union; Reel 7: Walla Walla Valley - ZZ.


Southwest Region

 

Lewis County, Washington, Newspaper Abstracts

GEN 979.782 MCNEILL 1884-1886 v.1
GEN 979.782 MCNEILL 1887-1889 v.2
GEN 979.782 MCNEILL 1890-1893 v.3
GEN 979.782 MCNEILL 1894-1896 v.4
GEN 979.782 MCNEILL 1897-1899 v.5

 

Mount St. Helens Newspaper Collection Index, 1980-1981 [microfiche]

NW MICRO 551.2109 MT ST H 1980 INDEX

The index is for the microfilm collection "Mt. St. Helens, the Volcano." The collection consists of newspapers describing the Mt. St. Helens eruption of May 18, 1980, its aftereffects and later eruptions. The collection consists of 12 reels covering 1980-1981.

 

Newspaper Genealogical Abstracts, the Morning/Daily Olympian: Thurston County, Washington, 1891-1907

GEN 979.779 KNOX 1891-1907

During the time period covered by these abstracts the Olympia, Washington daily newspaper changed its name several times. The name change progressions was: Morning Olympian (Mar. 15, 1891-Mar. 4, 1893), Morning Olympian-Tribune (Mar. 5, 1893-Mar. 3, 1894), Morning Olympian (Mar. 4, 1894-Dec. 30, 1894), Daily Olympian (Jan. 1, 1895-Mar. 11, 1898), and Morning Olympian (Mar. 12, 1898-Aug. 20, 1927).

 

Newspaper Index and Guide to Genealogy in Wahkiakum County and Naselle Area of Pacific County

GEN 979.791 MARTIN 1996

 

Newspaper Index, Willapa Harbor Herald: April 1, 1981 through April 13, 1994

GEN 979.792 BAILEY 1981-1994

 

Newspaper Indexes: Skamokawa Eagle, Grays River Builder, Frankfort Chronicle, Columbia River Sun

GEN OVERSIZ 979.791 MARTIN 1984

The newspapers indexed in this collection are the Skamokawa Eagle (1899-1934), Grays River Builder (1936-1944), Frankfort Chronicle (1892), and the Columbia River Sun (1905-1938).

 

North Pacific County Newspaper Index, 1889-1981

GEN 979.792 BAILEY 1889-1981

The index consists of 3 volumes.

 

Obituaries From the Skamania County Pioneer Newspaper, Skamania County, Washington, 1900-1929

GEN 979.784 TOWNSEN 1900-1929

 

Abstracts From the Vancouver Register, Vancouver, Washington Territory, 1865-1869

GEN 979.786 GERMANN 1865-1869

Out-of-State

 

The Anchorage Newspaper Index [microfiche]

NW MICRO 071.9835 ANCHORA 1980

 

The Anchorage Times Obituaries Index, 1915-1965 [microfiche]

NW MICRO 929.3798 ANCHORA 1979

 

The Anchorage Times Obituaries Index, 1966-1980 [microfiche]

NW MICRO 929.3798 ANCHORA 1981

 

Index to the Seward Gateway, a Newspaper, 1904-1910

GEN OVERSIZ 979.83 STALLIN 1904-1910

 

The Klondike Nugget Index [microfiche]

NW MICRO 071.191 EHRLICH 1984

 

Library Association of Portland Newspaper Index [microfiche]

NW MICRO 071.9549 LIBRARY 1980
NW MICRO 071.9549 LIBRARY 1985

Indexes issued 1980, cover state and local news, ca. 1905-1979, from the Oregon Journal, and the Oregonian (includes selected indexing from the Portland Telegram (1919-1931), and the Portland Reporter (1960-1964), and retrospective indexing to 1851, from miscellaneous sources). Indexes issued 1985, cover the OregonianOregon JournalWillamette Week, and Business Journal.

 

Oregon Spectator Index, 1846-1854

GEN 979.541 OREGON 1846-1854

The index was compiled by the Works Projects Administration (WPA) Newspaper Index Project. The index consists of: volume 1 A - J (inclusive); volume 2 K - Z (inclusive).

 

Subject Index of Early Idaho Newspapers [microform]

NW MICRO 071.96 SUBJECT 1958

The index consists of 4 reels. It is a subject index of several important Idaho territorial newspapers, plus some newspapers in Oregon, Washington, and California. 


Miscellaneous

 

Obituaries on File

GEN 920.02 LEVY 1979

Obituaries that appeared in Facts on File from 1940-1978. Volume 1 covers A - R, volume 2 covers S - index.