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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 34 |
| 1889 | 65 |
| 1891 | 31 |
| 1892 | 246 |
| 1893 | 259 |
| 1894 | 239 |
| 1895 | 182 |
1,056 stories
- The Killing of Baker Jim
A prominent farmer and chief is shot dead in an Okanogan saloon after the proprietor refuses him service.
- Plumbers’ Union Strikes Against Non-Union Apprentices
A standoff between Tacoma union workers and shop owners over hiring practices threatens to trigger a city-wide labor walkout.
- The Battle for Tacoma's Water
A complex struggle unfolds as private interests and the city council clash over a million-dollar water contract.
- Tragedy at the Humboldt House
A young immigrant worker loses her life in a horrific lamp explosion, highlighting the everyday dangers of domestic life in 1890s Tacoma.
- Tragedy at the Central Theater
A young man shoots a local actress before taking his own life in a violent act of obsession.
- A Grand Jury's Reluctance
Tacoma officials allege that a grand jury investigation into the 'water works steal' is a sham designed to protect corrupt councilmen.
- The Hotel Opium Haul
A mysterious guest leaves behind two massive trunks at a Tacoma hotel, only for customs officials to raid the room and uncover hundreds of pounds of contraband.
- Forced Removal to Steilacoom Asylum
A young mother of five is ordered to the state hospital after suffering a mental health crisis involving her family.
- A Tragic End on the Tracks
A miner from Burnett, intoxicated and exhausted, falls asleep on the railroad tracks and pays the ultimate price.
- Tragedy of a Tacoma Mother
Impoverished and struggling with health, a young Tacoma woman takes her own life, leaving behind three children.
- Tacoma’s Mayor Calls the Public Works Board a Political Machine
At a council investigation into the suspended light and water superintendent, Mayor Orr accused the public works president of running the department as a patronage operation—and talk turned to impeachment.
- Tacoma Opium Trial: An Accomplice’s Testimony Threatens W. H. Horr
Federal prosecutors in Tacoma rely on a confessed smuggler to convict W. H. Horr, a Portland opium dealer, in a case that exposes the Pacific Coast opium trade.
- Tacoma's Suspicious Fires—and a Fire Department That Couldn't Get Water
A wave of blazes on E Street and beyond leaves homes in ashes, a hose driver suspended, an alarm delayed, and the fire chief convinced tramps set the occupied houses alight.
- Tacoma Fights the Railroad for Its Own Waterfront
At a state land commission hearing, city officials and citizens demand a wider public harbor line to keep the Northern Pacific and Tacoma Land Company from controlling the waterway.
- The Tillicums' Trick: How a Political Machine Fooled Tacoma's Democrats
A secretive faction called the Tillicums manipulates primaries, places decoy tickets, and doles out patronage jobs to tighten its grip on Pierce County politics.
- Who Drew Tacoma's Harbor Lines? A New Affidavit Deepens the Tide-Land Fight
As Tacoma and the Northern Pacific fought over the waterfront, a witness swore he saw a Tacoma Land Company representative preparing the very maps the state used to fix the harbor line.
- Three Orphans and a Grave for Two: The Bratton Tragedy in Tacoma
Isaac H. Bratton killed his wife and then himself; within days a court appointed an administrator and a family friend sought guardianship of the couple's three children.
- The Last Stand of the David Haley: Wreckers Burn a Tacoma Landmark for Scrap
Seattle wreckers traveled to Puget Sound to strip the iron and copper from the historic shipwreck of the David Haley, destroying a local landmark in the process.
- The City-Line Land Grab
A real estate developer attempts to use municipal law to exclude his own property from city taxes while reaping the benefits of inclusion.
- The Opium Barrel That Shook Tacoma
A mislabeled shipment of 'sour krout' hides a fortune in smuggled drug, marking the largest seizure in the port's history.
- The Drunkard’s Fortune: Tacoma Bank Takes Over $1,100 from an Inebriate
In a stark display of 19th-century temperance law, Officer Frank Cavanagh has declared wealthy Tacoma man Michael Murphy legally incompetent due to alcoholism, depositing his cash into the bank for 'safekeeping.'
- The Tacoma Contractor Who Vanished With the Cash
A prominent builder disappears, leaving behind a trail of debt, rumors of an elopement, and a city looking for answers.
- The Rowdy Landlords of Ninth and Elph
A morning disturbance at a Tacoma boarding house reveals a volatile scene when a constable attempts to serve an arrest warrant.
- Coal Fall Paralyzes Wilkeson Mine Loader Thomas Smith
A coal mine loader suffers a devastating, life-altering injury on the job, highlighting the brutal risks faced by labor in late 19th-century Washington.
- Tragedy at Artondale: A Worker Maimed by Dynamite
A laborer near Tacoma is left sightless and near death after a stump-clearing accident goes wrong.