Tacoma Chamber of Commerce
Named in 34 stories. Back to all names
- Jan 1, 1885The Industrial Bounty of 1884A wide-ranging survey of Pierce County’s coal mines, timber mills, and the early aspirations of a burgeoning Seattle and Tacoma.Tacoma, WA
- Mar 23, 1887The Peril of the Company TownAn 1887 editorial warns that Tacoma’s prosperity is built on a dangerous, fragile foundation: the sole favor of a single corporation.Tacoma, WA
- Jun 5, 1888The Great Road War: How Kitsap County Bribed Its Way to Steal Seattle’s TradeWhile Seattle merchants sneer at their neighbors, a secret fund has been raised in Olympia to build a direct road from Olalla to the Sound, bypassing Tacoma and threatening Seattle's commercial dominance.Olalla, WA
- Jul 5, 1888The Day Seattle Stood Still: A Century of Celebration on the FrontierOn July 4, 1897, Governor John H. Temple welcomed thousands of visitors to a parade so massive it stretched half a mile long, featuring floats from local industries and veterans of the Spanish-American War.Seattle, WA
- Apr 3, 1890The Street-Grading GraftA shocking report from Tacoma reveals that city street foremen were shaking down laborers for job security.Tacoma, WA
- Jan 7, 1891The Rent Crisis of 1891: Tacoma Merchants at a Breaking PointAs local business owners faced a contracting economy and 'money stringency,' the Chamber of Commerce debated whether high commercial rents and utility costs were driving them toward insolvency.Tacoma, WA
- Feb 28, 1892The Puyallup Land Dispute: A Forgotten Fight for City GrowthIn 1892, Representative John L. Wilson proposed liquidating the Puyallup Indian Reservation to spur the growth of Tacoma, highlighting the long-standing tension between tribal sovereignty and urban expansion.Puyallup Indian Reservation, Tacoma, WA
- Feb 1, 1893The Fight Over the Hawaiian IslandsAs Washington politicians and chambers of commerce clamor for annexation, locals weigh in on the imperial ambitions of the United States.Seattle, WA
- May 14, 1893The Fight Against 'Indecent' PrintTacoma authorities move to criminalize the sale of 'indecent' newspapers and tabloids.Tacoma, WA
- Dec 25, 1893The General Who Laid Out TacomaMaj. Gen. John W. Sprague—Northern Pacific superintendent, Tacoma's first mayor and a founder of its bank and chamber—died at 74, leaving a city he helped place on the map.Tacoma, WA
- Jan 5, 1894The Chamber of Commerce vs. The City HallTacoma's business establishment pushes for aggressive municipal spending cuts, sparking a petty war with the city council.Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA
- Jan 6, 1894The Water Works BetrayalTacoma citizens feel duped after voting for a massive bond issue to purchase a water plant under the false promise of a new railroad to Mount Rainier.Tacoma, WA
- Jan 12, 1894Tacoma’s Budget MeltdownFacing a financial crisis, city officials argue over whether to cut police or raise the salary of a single elevator operator.Tacoma, WA
- Apr 18, 1894The Typo That Made Seattle the Most Taxed City in AmericaA comptroller's misplaced decimal turned a $1.36 tax rate into $12.60 in the World Almanac. By the time the Chamber of Commerce ran it down, Congress was quoting it — and Tacoma was begging the newspapers to stop trashing both cities.Seattle, WA
- Apr 30, 1894Tacoma’s Wealthy Elite Demand End to Public SchoolsA committee from the Chamber of Commerce, led by industrialist Nelson Bennett, argues that public education is a wasteful burden on taxpayers and poor citizens.Bryant School, Tacoma, WA
- Jul 8, 1894The Pullman Strike Shuts Down Washington's RailsFederal troops and the U.S. Army move to break the nationwide rail strike, with tensions running high in Seattle, Tacoma, and Snohomish.Marion Street, Seattle, WA
- Sep 12, 1894Seattle's Chamber Tries to Get Tacoma on Board for a Ship CanalIn 1894, Seattle's business leaders asked their Tacoma counterparts to endorse a Lake Washington-to-Puget Sound waterway and petition Congress for the project.Lake Washington Ship Canal, Seattle, WA
- Sep 15, 1894Tacoma Refuses to Play Dog-in-the-Manger on Seattle's Ship CanalWhen Seattle's chamber pushed a Lake Washington ship canal, Tacoma's president said regional gain mattered more than blocking a rival—then hedged.Chamber of Commerce, Tacoma, WA
- Jan 3, 1895The Chamber Wants 500 Letters to Congress for a Nicaragua CanalSeattle's Chamber of Commerce trustees endorse a coast-wide letter-writing campaign aimed at forcing a Senate vote on the Nicaragua canal before the middle of January.Seattle, WA
- Feb 5, 1895The Road That Was Supposed to Build the Puget Sound CountryA canvasser reports that Seattle merchants back a permanent state road to Tacoma, promising winter travel, jobs for working men and a rush of small-holding settlement.Seattle, WA
- Feb 16, 1895Seattle's Fight to Land the Army Post at Magnolia BluffIn 1895, the Chamber of Commerce touted a federal garrison as a monthly windfall—if Tacoma did not steal it first.Seattle, WA
- Feb 21, 1895Tacoma Tries to Halt the State CapitolTacoma's Chamber of Commerce calls Olympia's new capitol a waste in hard times, but lawmakers vote down a bill to stop the work.Washington State Capitol, Olympia, WA
- Feb 24, 1895Tacoma Moves to Halt the New State Capitol—and Seattle CheersA Tacoma Chamber of Commerce petition urged lawmakers to stop work on Washington's capitol until land values were settled. Seattle's chamber had just endorsed the opposite, and the House committee chairman blamed 'a few bankrupt land speculators.'Olympia, WA
- Mar 31, 1895The Mysterious Death of Abe GrossA 28-year-old Tacoma dry-goods partner was found shot through the mouth in his bed. His brother's grief, a coroner's open verdict, and a city's disbelief turned a private tragedy into a public mystery.Tacoma, WA
- Mar 10, 1899The Vigilante Committee: Tacoma's Desperate War on CrimeIn 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.C Street, Tacoma, WA
- May 31, 1899The Battle for the Homecoming: Tacoma vs. Seattle Over the First WashingtonAs Secretary of War Alger hints that troops may bypass Seattle to land in Tacoma, a civic war erupts over who gets to welcome the returning volunteers from Manila.Seattle, WA
- May 24, 1904The Railway 'Bottleneck': Tacoma's Fight Against Northern PacificCitizens and the Chamber of Commerce declare war on the Northern Pacific Railroad for prioritizing Seattle and isolating Tacoma travelers.Tacoma, WA
- Aug 26, 1904Tacoma's Business Men Draw a Line at Railroad ControlIndependent members of the Chamber of Commerce nominate a rival ticket after charging that Northern Pacific and Tacoma Railway & Power proxies packed the nominating committee.Tacoma Hotel, Tacoma, WA
- Sep 3, 1904The Corporate Coup at the ChamberA bitter boardroom battle erupts as independent members challenge the business elite's control over Tacoma's commercial future.Tacoma, WA
- Jan 1, 1909Tacoma's 1909 Fight to Own Its PowerOn the eve of a city election, advocates urged voters to approve a $2 million municipal light and power plant—and warned the private power trust would lie to stop them.Tacoma, WA
- Jan 4, 1909Taming the Puyallup and DuwamishTacoma and Seattle delegates join forces to lobby the state and congress for flood control and navigation improvements.Puyallup River, Tacoma, WA
- Mar 16, 1909The Tacoma Fishing Fleet's Diplomatic WarTacoma’s Chamber of Commerce takes on the British Empire to protect local halibut profits in the Hecate Strait.Tacoma, WA
- Mar 19, 1909Defending Tacoma’s Engineering FootholdThe Chamber of Commerce rallies to stop the federal government from shifting a key engineering office to Seattle.Tacoma, WA
- Apr 14, 1909Chamber of Commerce Bounties for Frace MurderersBusiness leaders offer $500 for the capture of the man who left James A. Frace dead under a fir tree.Tacoma, WA