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| 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
- Tacoma’s Water Works Scandal
A grand jury struggles to uncover the truth behind allegations of bribery and corruption in Tacoma's municipal water system purchase.
- The Tacoma Typographical Union Declares War
Local printers launch a total and rigorous boycott against the Tacoma Ledger, accusing it of undermining labor and importing 'scab' and contract labor.
- Tacoma's Treasurer Kept City Cash in a Bank That Now Owes $60,000
A 'note-sharing and warrant-buying' institution fails, and the public money inside it has not yet been handed over.
- The Messenger Burned at Tacoma—and It Was No Accident
A pioneer Puget Sound steamer was destroyed by a suspected arson fire; its engineer nearly chose a razor over burning alive.
- Tacoma’s City Hall in Chaos
A standoff over missing treasury funds, salary cuts, and a power struggle at the Board of Public Works defines a week of municipal turmoil in Tacoma.
- Tacoma's $700,000 Water Deal Springs a Leak — and the Taxpayers Ask Who Pays
The city bought a water and light plant that delivers a fraction of what it promised. Now a suit is threatened, a superintendent's job looks 'cut and dried,' and a ratepayer on the outskirts wants to know why he must pay for water he cannot get.
- The Tacoma Strike, Undone and Redone in a Single Day
Northern Pacific tries to declare victory, but firemen, switchmen and engineers vote to stay out—while Debs wires that the fight is still solid.
- When the Pullman Strike Reached Washington
Tacoma bricklayers are jailed for contempt and Spokane men face federal charges as the railroad boycott’s aftershocks hit the Northwest.
- The Death at Steilacoom They Would Not Let Be Explained Away
After an asylum superintendent told the public that a grieving family had accepted the official account, the parents of A. Shadle wrote to the Post-Intelligencer to say they believed their son was poisoned — and that nothing had changed.
- The Mayor's Purge: Tacoma's Public Works Scandal Erupts Into Impeachment
A sewer-pipe kickback, secret electric-light favors and a board loyal to the old machine: Mayor Orr moves to oust President Demorest.
- Blacklisted on the Waterfront: Northern Pacific Punishes Strike Leaders
After the 1894 railroad strike, a Northern Pacific superintendent admits the company will not rehire “strike leaders or agitators” — and one ex-switchman says the boycott follows him even to a steamship wharf.
- The $2 Million School-Land Grab
A federal land inspector was accused of rushing a hearing to help speculators claim Tacoma's School Section 16—land the state said was worth $2 million.
- The Union Veteran Who Sued the Railroad for a Million-Dollar Tacoma
Anthony P. Carr says Northern Pacific agents helped a claim-jumper steal his homestead. More than a thousand Tacoma lots—and the people living on them—depend on what the Supreme Court decides.
- Inside the Territorial Asylum
A rare firsthand look at the conditions, characters, and daily routines of patients at the Washington Territorial Insane Asylum.
- Northern Pacific Unearned Lands Spark Public Domain Push
Citizens launch a movement to reclaim Northern Pacific land grants for the people.
- The Customs Collector and the Straw Men of Puget Sound
A Tacoma official accuses Collector J. C. Saunders of padding the customs payroll with political workers—including a no-show inspector—for work never done at the Interstate Fair.
- The Governor’s Violin Fell Silent at the Bohemian Club
Charles B. Laughton—former acting governor, lawyer, and celebrated fiddler—died mid-sentence in Tacoma after a legislative session, leaving behind a career tangled in vetoes and a school-book scandal.
- Tacoma Councilmen Accused of Extorting Bank Loans in City Funds Scandal
An explosive card from two finance committee members denying kickbacks backfires as the Tacoma Ledger calls for a grand jury to investigate allegations of extortion involving city deposits.
- A City Council, a Bank, and a $15,000 Blackmail Charge
Tacoma's council demanded that the Ledger prove its bribery allegations in person. The paper refused, calling the council unfit to investigate itself—while the Tacoma News denied that a local bank had been shaken down for $15,000.
- The Newspaper Called Tacoma’s Council Corrupt. Then It Refused to Show Up.
When the Tacoma Ledger accused city officials of incompetence and dishonesty, the council demanded proof. The paper stayed home; the council denounced it and asked for a grand jury anyway.
- The Railroad Land Agent Who Chose Death Over Ruin
Paul Schulze, the Northern Pacific’s former land agent and a promoter of Tacoma streetcars and Yakima irrigation, shot himself as receivers took over his enterprises.
- The Railroad Land Agent Who Embezzled for Ten Years and Chose Suicide
A Northern Pacific land agent's decade-long scheme to skim payments on timber and farm contracts unravels into a $350,000 shortage — and a bullet.
- Tragedy at the Western Mill
A 17-year-old worker is crushed by a falling log while loading a rail car in Tacoma.
- The End of the Territory's First Hotel
The historic Eight House in Steilacoom, which once hosted Grant and Sheridan, has been destroyed by fire.
- Pierce County Voters Reject Debt Validation
A tight election in Tacoma leaves the county's financial future in limbo after voters narrowly defeat a measure to ratify outstanding debt.