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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
- 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.
- The Daily Struggle of the Henderson’s Bay Ferry
A frustrated settler recounts three months of stranded strawberries and broken promises as the unreliable 'Clara Brown' service leaves local farmers in the lurch.
- 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 Hop Harvest: A Seasonal Tug-of-War
As hop growers in the Puyallup and White River valleys race to harvest before the rains, a debate stirs over the reliance on Indigenous and migrant labor versus the desire for white, school-aged workers.
- 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.
- The Day the 'Bulldog' Came to Tacoma
A high-stakes, controversy-filled football match between Portland and Tacoma ends in a lopsided defeat and an injured player, all under the watchful gaze of a brindle mascot.
- The Temperance Preacher and the Heavyweight Champion
When gospel temperance evangelist Francis Murphy visited a Tacoma theater to convert prize fighter John L. Sullivan to sobriety, he found the champion as stubborn as his reputation.
- The Tacoma Pastor Who Challenged the Drums of War
While the nation beat the drums of war against Chile in 1892, a Tacoma minister took to the pulpit to defend the dignity of peace, challenging the government's rush to protect the honor of sailors who had been frequenting brothels.
- The False Priests of Tacoma
Two con artists passing themselves off as Catholic missionaries hoodwinked a congregation in Buckley, performing masses and collecting offerings before being chased down and arrested in Tacoma.
- The Gender Brain Debate of 1892
At a Tacoma church social, four young men took to the stage to debate whether women’s brains were fundamentally superior or inherently inferior to men’s.
- The Cleopatra of Tacoma and the 'Mock Marriage' Scandal
A prominent society man and insurance broker found himself at the center of a public scandal after a fake marriage to a theater 'box rustler' was exposed in Tacoma.
- Street Improvement Disaster in Tacoma
A routine effort to clear stumps for new streets ends in a 250-pound boulder tearing through a family’s roof.
- The Registration Wars of 1892
A political brawl spills into the courts as Tacoma’s city clerk is arrested for refusing to register voters pushed by out-of-town Democratic ward workers.
- The 'Two Per Cent' Shylock of Tacoma
As Tacoma voters head to the polls, bitter memories of the 1885 anti-Chinese expulsion flare up, branding a mayoral candidate with a nickname that still stings.
- The Day the Circus Band Wagon Tore Through Downtown Tacoma
A runaway team of horses pulling a promotional circus wagon turned a mundane Monday into a scene of carnage at the corner of Washington and South Second Street.
- The Tragedy of Martin Johnson
A morning in the Tacoma city jail ends in a desperate act of suicide by a man arrested for public intoxication.
- The 'Ring' Was Busted: Inside Tacoma’s Fiercest Municipal Election
In 1892, Tacoma voters flocked to the polls in a high-stakes showdown that saw Republicans sweep the mayoralty, fueled by intense campaign betting and deep suspicion of local political machines.
- The Tragic End of the Johnson Household
After her husband took his own life in a Tacoma jail, a destitute widow chose to end her own life while dressed in her finest clothes, clutching his photograph.