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.
Refine2 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1903 | 19 |
| 1904 | 845 |
| 1907 | 7 |
| 1909 | 747 |
1,618 stories
- The Thief Who Leaped from the Heights
A notorious international criminal is finally cornered in Tacoma after a dramatic chase involving a 200-foot plunge down an embankment.
- Battle for the Soul of Tacoma’s City Hall
Republican and Democratic mayoral candidates trade sharp accusations of corruption, ring rule, and financial mismanagement in final campaign rallies.
- The Desperate Plea of a Starving Squatter
A man living in an abandoned log house on the Puyallup reservation describes the violent standoff that led to his arrest and the shooting of a local sheriff.
- The Price of Being a 'Wide Open' Town
Tacoma’s city officials are formalizing a system of monthly 'bail' payments for gambling house owners, effectively legalizing the industry through a protection racket.
- Tacoma’s Water Crisis: Livestock and Ducks Contaminating the City's Supply
While citizens face water shortages and lawn sprinkling bans, city officials grapple with a public health dilemma where contaminated surface water is routinely mixed with pure well water.
- A Desperate Corral Rescue
A husband is gored by a bull near his home, leading to a harrowing, multi-generational effort to save his life.
- The Crumbling Span Over the Gulch
South Tacoma residents demand immediate action as a critical bridge over a ravine shows dangerous signs of structural failure.
- A Fourteen-Year-Old’s Ordeal Highlights Urban Dangers
After Bessie Cook leaves home, she tells a harrowing account to police that leads to the arrest of a Tacoma bartender.
- The Shadowy Rail Deal Behind Tacoma’s Tide Flats
A quiet war of railroad giants leaves a smaller line in a chokehold, as local business interests scramble for answers regarding the city’s industrial future.
- Japanese Laborers Defy Armed Extortion at Ashford
Contracted workers at the Tacoma Eastern rail site force a confrontation over predatory wage deductions and fees.
- The Shadowy Slot Machine King of Tacoma
A brutal divorce filing exposes the secret owner of Tacoma's pervasive slot machine operations.
- Tragedy on the Tacoma Waterfront
A newborn child found dead on Dock Street stirs dark memories of an earlier unsolved discovery in the same industrial zone.
- Fireworks Committee Blamed for Panic at Wright Park
Careless handling of explosives during Tacoma's Fourth of July celebration left spectators injured and fleeing for their lives.
- The Rockets Turned Around: Tacoma's Fourth of July Went Up in a Sheet of Flame
A spark touched off the entire $500 pyrotechnic stock at Wright Park, driving rockets and bombs into a crowd of thousands and leaving women and children burned, trampled and briefly lost in the smoke.
- Late-Night Stabbing on Pacific Avenue
A laborer is found dead in a pool of blood after a night of drinking, leading police to arrest a local porter on suspicion.
- A Spilled Bowl of Soup, a Fatal Shot at Camp Murray
A mess-tent quarrel between two young soldiers ended with Private Thomas Vandiver shot through the body and Private Frederick Stubbs in the county jail, claiming self-defense.
- Black Workers Organize for Fair Employment
After facing widespread discrimination from employers and fellow workers, Tacoma’s Black community gathers to demand equal opportunity.
- The Price of a 'Wide Open' Town
A citizen accuses the County Attorney of enabling a graft scheme that granted a single operator a lucrative monopoly on slot machines while allegedly shaking down other business owners.
- Tacoma’s Secret 'Fining' System
Mayor Wright and Chief Malony allegedly operated a shadow tax on gambling and vice, using fake names to funnel illicit profits through the city’s ledgers.
- The Shadow of 1885 Lingers in Tacoma
Twenty years after the forced expulsion of the city's Chinese population, rumors of new arrivals trigger threats of vigilante action.
- The Great Telephone Bribery Scandal
Tacoma councilmen testify before an investigative committee regarding allegations that a telephone franchise promoter offered cash and stock to secure their votes.
- Tacoma's Business Men Draw a Line at Railroad Control
Independent members of the Chamber of Commerce nominate a rival ticket after charging that Northern Pacific and Tacoma Railway & Power proxies packed the nominating committee.
- The Muck in Our Pipes
A two-day investigation reveals that Tacoma’s municipal water supply, sourced from Clover Creek, is contaminated by livestock waste and agricultural runoff.
- The Standard Oil Monopoly Comes to Tacoma
A secret land grab on the tide-flats marks the arrival of a massive industrial alliance between the Standard Oil company and transcontinental railroads.
- Knockout Drops at the Standard Saloon
A Tacoma man swears he was drugged, fleeced of $210, and knocked toothless—then asks the city to revoke the saloon's license.