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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 34 |
| 1889 | 65 |
| 1891 | 31 |
| 1892 | 246 |
| 1893 | 259 |
| 1894 | 239 |
| 1895 | 182 |
1,056 stories
- The Copper Wire Bandits
Two ex-linemen were arrested in Tacoma for stealing 5,000 pounds of copper wire from dead poles and selling it.
- The Collapse of the Orting Bank
A small-town financial institution fails after a dubious draft and questionable loans, leaving local depositors to face the consequences of 'loose management.'
- Tacoma’s Engineers Crossed the Picket Line
As the Pullman boycott convulsed the nation, nearly all Northern Pacific engineers in Tacoma returned to work under guard—prompting American Railway Union men to vow a fight to the finish.
- Tacoma Railway Men Refuse to Call Off the Strike
At a packed American Railway Union meeting, speakers from Seattle and Fern Hill insist the Pullman boycott is still on—and Debs wires that the men must be reinstated first.
- The Homesteader Who Beat the Railroad and the Land Company
A Tacoma land dispute turns on a settler's 1883 claim, a canceled filing, and the Northern Pacific's grant.
- A Thousand Men Apply to Replace 400 Striking Railroad Machinists
After the American Railway Union ordered Northern Pacific carshop workers out at Edison, the company found a long line of replacements—while the old hands looked toward the Lakeview rolling mill.
- The Gold That Wasn't There: How Speculators Tried to Mine Their Way Into a Public School Section
A Tacoma hardware merchant swore a state school tract was rich placer ground. The state bored over a thousand feet of shafting, found less than a cent of gold per yard, and still had to fight to keep its own land.
- The Railroad Land Agent Who Pocketed the Payments
A Northern Pacific receiver says a dead Tacoma land agent kept buyers' installments for years, leaving them with receipts but no deeds — and a loss that could reach $250,000.
- Tacoma's Mayor Throws Every Appointment Back in the Council's Face
Mayor Ed S. Orr withdraws all nominees in a patronage war over the city attorney and police chief — then the council cuts salaries across the board.
- A Tacoma Murder Case Opens Again—With a Fight Over the Prosecutor’s Opening
W. T. Taylor stands accused of killing E. R. Capron on Christmas Eve. As the second hearing begins, lawyers clash over how much of the state’s story the jury should hear before any witness takes the stand.
- Tacoma Quarantined Its Neighbours, and the State Health Board Said Enough
A Congregational minister refuses the vaccine and argues with the health officer on the depot platform, while the state board warns Tacoma it will 'exert its authority' over a quarantine drawn against Olympia and the Sound.
- Tacoma Takes the Railroad Strike Into Federal Court
A grand jury indicts a former Northern Pacific wiper for beating strike-breakers, while a judge weighs whether union leader Charles A. Barnes's words were contempt or free speech.
- Tacoma’s $2 Million Water Fight
Businessmen told the Post-Intelligencer they opposed a city purchase of water and electric plants, while dangling a railroad deal from W. Wright.
- Tacoma's Richest Taxpayer Warns the Boodlers Are Eating the City
W. H. Fife, the city's largest taxpayer, says boodle government is eating his property alive—and warns Tacoma will fall behind Seattle if the machine is not driven out.
- No Cars, No Shingles: Washington's Mills Faced a Statewide Shutdown
With floods and a strike choking the transcontinental lines, shingle men warned that every mill in Washington would close within two weeks.
- A Canal, 51,000 Acres, and a Bond Deal Gone Wrong
A federal court in Tacoma appoints receivers for the Yakima Investment Company after an English syndicate backs out of a $700,000 bond issue.
- Tacoma's Million-Dollar Water Deal Was Built on Bribery, Suit Alleges
A city lawsuit over the purchase of a light and water plant charged that officials and the company colluded to hide the property's true value before taxpayers bought it.
- The Great Rainier Climbing Debate
A classic Pacific Northwest squabble over who actually reached the summit of Mount Rainier first.
- Brawl in the U.S. Land Office
A legal dispute over a homestead claim near Avondale erupts into a violent physical confrontation between rival attorneys in a federal courtroom.
- The 99-Year Wait: An 88-Year-Old Tacoma Woman's Multimillion-Dollar Gamble
A three-time widow arrives at a Tacoma clerk’s office with a 99-year-old lease and a meticulously remembered family tree, seeking a slice of Philadelphia.
- The Lawyer Who Beat Up the Editor
A violent brawl erupts in downtown Tacoma between a prominent attorney and a newspaper publisher, leaving both men bloodied and the city’s press freedom in question.
- The Tacoma Check-Kite Who Vanished Into Thin Air
A mysterious stranger from San Francisco duped local merchants out of hundreds of dollars with worthless drafts before disappearing, leaving a trail of broken trust in the heart of downtown Tacoma.
- The Shingle Mill Fires of Buckley
A wave of suspicious midnight blazes targets the vital lumber infrastructure of Pierce County, leaving mill owners and workers on edge.
- The Tax Reformer of Tacoma
A scathing 1888 editorial argues that tax exemptions for the wealthy create a 'system of injustice' that the state must dismantle for the sake of the common good.
- The Great Tacoma Tailor Shop Fire
A late-night inferno destroys a popular tailor shop and nearby boarding house, highlighting the volatile fire risks in the booming city.