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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 7 |
| 1878 | 5 |
| 1879 | 4 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 37 |
| 1884 | 21 |
| 1885 | 30 |
| 1886 | 16 |
| 1887 | 59 |
| 1888 | 27 |
| 1889 | 60 |
| 1890 | 4 |
| 1891 | 44 |
| 1892 | 220 |
| 1893 | 223 |
| 1894 | 200 |
| 1895 | 154 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 4 |
| 1899 | 26 |
| 1903 | 54 |
| 1904 | 784 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1907 | 7 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 716 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1916 | 7 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1924 | 3 |
2,734 stories
- The Great Tacoma Housing Panic: Hotels Full, Strangers Sleeping on Floors
As the Puget Sound region braces for statehood and a railroad boom, Tacoma is facing a severe shortage of lodging. With every hotel in town crowded and strangers arriving daily, new arrivals are forced to seek shelter in private homes.
- A Tragic End in the Louvre Saloon
A lonely newcomer finds a desperate end in Tacoma, leaving behind only letters from a sister and a failed promise of sobriety.
- Gold Fever Hits the Sound
As residents of Tacoma and Port Townsend scramble to stake claims in city streets, the sudden discovery of gold in urban gravel pits sparks a brief, chaotic rush.
- The Ghost-Maker of Buffalo Gets Busted in Tacoma
A traveling spiritualist promising to summon the dead is exposed as a charlatan after an electric battery—and a hysterical scene at a hotel—reveals her 'spirit' tricks.
- The Political Toboggan: Tacoma's Revolt Against a Carpetbagger Candidate
As the state legislature prepared to convene in 1891, prominent Tacoma Republicans publicly abandoned their own local candidate, labeling him an opportunist from Indiana.
- The 'Three-Dollar' Libel Suit
A Tacoma police captain sues the local newspaper for $10,000, alleging they falsely accused him of gambling, bribery, and corruption.
- A Leap Into the Dark on the Tracks of Tacoma
A desperate local businessman chose a violent end on a moving train in South Tacoma, leaving a grieving family and a community to reckon with his tragic decision.
- Tacoma’s Merry Municipal Mayhem
While Seattle navigates its own growing pains, its 'younger sister' Tacoma finds itself in a state of total civic disorder, from impeached marshals to liquor license wars.
- The Deadly Rivalry at the Bargetown Lake
Two farmers, blinded by their competition for the hand of a local woman, met at daybreak for a fight that ended in blood and arrest.
- The 'Lingerer' and the Moral Purge of Tacoma
A fiery 1885 editorial spat reveals the tension between town boosters and a 'Law and Order' movement intent on policing the morality of the emerging city.
- A Father's Desperate Act in the Tacoma Streets
A Victoria man crossed the border to reclaim his daughter from a fractured home, sparking a public confrontation.
- The Great Tacoma Chicken Heist
A witness in the theft trial of a local gang describes how hundreds of chickens were lured and captured under the cover of darkness.
- The Jailer's Secret Cache
When nine prisoners attempted a daring escape from the Pierce County Jail, they left behind a strange assortment of contraband that revealed their desperate ingenuity.
- The Great Tacoma Smelter Scam
A smooth-talking promoter arrives in the dead of winter, promises a mining fortune, and leaves a town holding the bag.
- The Tragic Disappearance of James Irving
A young sailor, days away from his wedding and the start of a new life in Tacoma, vanishes after a final boat trip across the bay.
- The Broken Promises of the Tide Flats
Tacoma business leaders turn on the Northern Pacific Railroad after years of waiting for promised infrastructure.
- Locked Away for Being a Stranger
A Seattle man traveling to meet his brother in Tacoma finds himself swept up in a case of mistaken identity, thrown into a filthy, unventilated jail cell, and ignored by officials despite his pleas for evidence.
- Northern Pacific Piles Block Commencement Bay Landing
Business owners clash with the Northern Pacific Railroad over the blocking of a vital waterway, forcing a community to fight for their access to the harbor.
- The Struggle for Tacoma Avenue
When the city of Tacoma withheld payment from contractors Cadwell & Vesey, labor tensions boiled over into a stand-off, highlighting the recurring fight to ensure workers get paid for their toil.
- The Great Fourth of July Fireman’s Brawl
A celebratory fire competition in Tacoma turned sour as fire companies from across Washington Territory clashed over disputed rules and near-riotous crowds.
- The Strange Disappearance of Ollie Young’s Reputation
A man from the Puyallup Valley confronts the Chief of Police to clear a young woman's name after scandal-filled letters appear in a Tacoma newspaper.
- The Collapse of a Workingman's Dream
A bold attempt at worker-owned enterprise in Tacoma ends in financial failure and legal recriminations.
- The Betrayal of a 'Friend' in Tacoma
A classic story of a land deal gone wrong, where a trusted drinking buddy pulled the rug out from under an investor’s feet.
- The Lobby Shootout: A Political Brawl in Tacoma
When an ex-mayor and a police chief faced off in a hotel lobby, tensions over local politics and public reputation turned into a chaotic, pistol-waving standoff.
- Tragedy in the Timber: A Pioneer's Fatal Accident
A newlywed husband is widowed in a freak accident when a tree, toppled by the great storm of 1891, crushes his wife in their own backyard.