Search Help

Several searches are available to help you find information in the Digital Archives.
Each search is suited for different needs.

People Search

• People Search allows researchers to search ALL records in our collection that have index fields that are name based
• Or researchers can select a particular record series from the drop down list to narrow the search to one type of record (marriage, census, etc)

Tip: if you are uncertain of the first name, enter the first letter or leave it blank.

Example: To search on any records for James White, enter James (or J) for the first name and White for the Last Name, click search. If you are looking specifically for census records, select Census from the drop down list first and click search.

Keyword Search

• Keyword Search allows researchers to search on all other records in our collection that are NOT name based records. The keyword field allows the researcher to enter one or more terms to locate records which contain those words
• Or researchers can select one of the records series from the drop down to limit the search. Executive Orders allows for full text searching on all Executive Orders. Frontier Justice allows researchers to search on Ships or Corporations from the Frontier Justice database.

Example: If you are looking for any Photographs pertaining to Spokane's Expo 74, select Photographs from the dropdown list, enter expo as the keyword and click search.

Example: If you are researching case files where Northern Pacific was either plaintiff or defendant, Select Frontier Justice from the dropdown, enter Northern Pacific in the keyword and click search.

Detailed Search

• Detailed Search allows researchers to select one records series and search on additional fields that are pertinent only to that records series (such as bride and groom for marriage records)

Tip: Researchers can also limit their searches to counties or time frames to obtain specific records.

Example: To search for Birth Records from Spokane County during the year 1900 using detailed search, Select Birth Records from the Records Series dropdown (Notice the Search Options section updates with fields specific to Birth Records), Select Spokane from the county drop down, enter 1900 in the year from and enter 1900 in the year to and click search.