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.
Refine1 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 3 |
| 1858 | 13 |
| 1859 | 27 |
| 1860 | 6 |
| 1861 | 6 |
| 1863 | 5 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 11 |
| 1877 | 11 |
| 1878 | 12 |
| 1879 | 5 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 56 |
| 1884 | 25 |
| 1885 | 43 |
| 1886 | 26 |
| 1887 | 70 |
| 1888 | 34 |
| 1889 | 76 |
| 1890 | 6 |
| 1891 | 48 |
| 1892 | 267 |
| 1893 | 263 |
| 1894 | 243 |
| 1895 | 182 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 7 |
| 1899 | 30 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 64 |
| 1904 | 848 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1907 | 7 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 758 |
| 1910 | 5 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 3 |
| 1916 | 9 |
| 1917 | 5 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 2 |
| 1924 | 4 |
| 1925 | 1 |
3,195 stories
- The Third Time's the Charm: Tacoma Court Begins Murder Trial of Mortgage Foreclosure Killer
William M. White faces his third trial for the fatal shooting of James McMillan over a farm dispute in the Puyallup Valley, a case that has dragged on since 1886.
- The Tragedy of a Backyard Stream
A toddler’s unsupervised play ends in a heartbreaking drowning in a narrow irrigation ditch, highlighting the perils of a growing city.
- The True Cost of a 'Terminus'
In 1889, Tacoma residents began to realize that the price of hosting the Northern Pacific Railroad’s Pacific terminal was the surrender of their civic independence.
- The Ship That Smuggled Opium: How a Legal Loophole Freed a Vessel and $13,000 in Penalties
Judge Hanford rules that the steamer *Walla Walla* is not liable for contraband found in its cargo because the master lacked knowledge of the smuggling, setting a precedent for common carriers.
- Assault in Old Town
An Italian peddler attempts to assault two young girls, sparking a neighborhood manhunt.
- The Tragedy at Meeker’s Cabin
A quiet day in the woods turns fatal when an open door and a gust of wind ignite a powder horn, destroying a home and claiming lives.
- Puyallup People Wait on Delayed Land Patents
A century-old battle for property rights reveals how corporate interests and federal delays threatened to dispossess the Puyallup people of their ancestral home.
- The Chamber of Commerce Pleads for the Railroads
Tacoma’s business elite pen a desperate memorial to the Northern Pacific, crying 'perfidy' as the terminal war heats up.
- The Street Improvement Fiasco
Workers left penniless and street projects stalled as city contractors vanish without pay.
- A Fatal Fall for a Tacoma Fireman
A member of Native Hose Company No. 1 dies after falling from a wet, slick roof while responding to a call.
- The Smallpox Mayor of Old Tacoma
When an outbreak of smallpox threatened the young town of New Tacoma in 1881, its first mayor took drastic, solitary action to save the community.
- The Boarding-House Ransom
When a sailor fell deathly ill in Tacoma, his boarding-house proprietor held him hostage, hoping to claim the dying man's life savings as an exorbitant medical bill.
- The Informant of Tacoma’s Underworld
After testifying against the city’s corrupt police chief, a key witness finds himself in the crosshairs of a retaliatory robbery charge.
- The Struggle for Sovereignty at Puyallup
As Congress debates the future of reservation lands, the Puyallup people mount a final, unified stand to retain control of their home.
- The Horror in the Shanty on Thirty-first Street
Three brothers in Tacoma are arrested for the repeated abuse of their six-year-old niece, exposing a grim cycle of neglect and violence.
- Tragic Drowning En Route to Wedding
A young rancher loses his life while attempting to ford the flooded Nisqually River to secure his marriage license.
- The Lumber Price-Fixing Scandal
A Tacoma lumber mill combine has been caught artificially inflating the price of city contracts.
- Pushing for the Puyallup Reservation Bill
Seattle property owners pressure U.S. Senators to open the Puyallup reservation for development.
- Tacoma City Council in Total Chaos
Local taxpayers move to overthrow the entire city government following a series of corruption charges and aggressive infighting between the council and the board of public works.
- A Young Hero of the Sound
While canoeing near Tacoma, a young boy risks his life to rescue his brother and a friend from drowning in the icy waters of the Sound.
- The Senatorial Candidate Who Claimed 8,000 Votes
A railroad tycoon attempts to treat his employees' votes as corporate property, drawing sharp condemnation from local editors.
- The Chaos of a Contested Election
Pierce County election officials struggle with poorly administered ballots, leaving dozens of precincts disqualified and the fate of legislative seats in limbo.
- Inside the Western Washington Asylum
A biennial report reveals the harsh realities and overcrowding at the state facility for the insane in Steilacoom.
- Suspicion of graft in Tacoma's water plant purchase
Detectives are tailing city council members amid allegations that the municipal purchase of a water and light plant is a massive overpayment benefiting insiders.
- The Tacoma Water Plant Scandal
A suspected $500,000 kickback scheme involving the city's purchase of a private utility plant ignites a public outcry in Tacoma.