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.
Refine2 on
Show the numbers
| 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
- A Desperate End on the Waterfront
After allegedly being robbed of fifty dollars in Tacoma, a laborer was found nearly dead from a morphine overdose.
- The Social Siege of Miss Alioa Burns
A young Seattle resident is expelled from a Tacoma club dance, sparking a standoff and a threat of legal retribution.
- The Street Swindler's Bad Day
A carnival-style street hawker is mobbed and arrested after selling worthless watch chains to an angry Tacoma crowd.
- The War on Stray Dogs at Wright Park
Park commissioners order police to shoot all canines found loose in the city's green space.
- The Man Who Demanded Ten Thousand Dollars from the Law
A local man convinced an electrical machine was ordering him to collect a massive payday from the county deputy.
- The Sluggers of Pacific Avenue
A saloon’s security force takes street justice into their own hands after a customer tries to cheat a slot machine with lead slugs.
- A Ghastly Industrial Hazard
A horse is destroyed after a horrific accident at a railroad switch.
- A Troubled Night at Ninth and Tacoma
A woman experiencing a mental health crisis caused a public spectacle at a city horse trough, prompting police to intervene.
- Car Crashes Into Saloon Window
A high-speed collision near Puyallup Avenue results in a vehicle embedded inside a local tavern.
- The Strange Case of the 'Boy Burglar' and His Well-Connected Father
A young man charged with several local burglaries is released after his father, a Chicago official, settles all claims and promises to take him home.
- A Gambler's Estate Turns Ugly
A bitter legal battle over the estate of a Tacoma gambling house proprietor spills over into public accusations of fraud and pauperism.
- Setting the Record Straight on Local Labor Troubles
The manager of the Lakeview rolling mills clarifies that an assault took place on a public road, not within the company's property, amid rumors of internal company conflict.
- Massive Waterfront Real Estate Transfer
Nearly 650 acres of land, including parts of the tide flats and Brown's Point, are transferred to private hands.
- Theft at the Bostwick Hotel
A young woman pleads guilty to stealing a wardrobe from a guest at one of Tacoma's premier downtown hotels.
- The Great Land Sell-Off
The Northern Pacific Railroad begins dumping vast swaths of Washington Territory land onto actual settlers for $2.60 an acre.
- The Pressure Cooker of Tacoma Policing
Chief Zwickey steps down after juggling competing demands from saloon owners and moral reformers
- The Forgotten Fortune in the Chapin Mine
A Tacoma man claims he was cut out of a million-dollar mineral discovery that sparked a heated legal battle in the Washington Territory.
- The Ballot-Box Stuffing of '92
When Tacoma's young reformers clashed with the political establishment, the result was a chaotic primary election featuring disappearing ballots, saloon-gang repeaters, and a hole in the ballot box.
- The Bitter Rivalry Between Tacoma and Seattle
A powerful committee of Tacoma businessmen lobbies state leadership to ensure no support is given to Seattle or local Republican candidates aligned with the city.
- A Father’s Scandal in Tacoma
A house painter is jailed after accusations of incest involving his teenaged daughter.
- Tacoma's $750,000 Railroad Bait—and the Utility Deal That Fell Apart
A hastily passed water-and-light purchase ordinance is dead on arrival, while C. B. Wright dangles another railroad in front of Tacoma taxpayers.
- The Battle Over Tacoma's Waterworks
As citizens gather to protest a municipal bond election for the private water company's plant, accusations of political bribery and corporate control boil over.
- A Young Bride's Escape to the City
After marrying a rancher, a 15-year-old runaway leaves the isolation of her forest home for the bright lights of Tacoma.
- Mary Stein Feist, 21, Dies by Suicide in Tacoma
A young bride, isolated and grieving for her family in Germany, takes her own life just seven weeks after her wedding in Tacoma.
- Labor Takes a Scalpel to Tacoma's Budget — and Calls Out the Boodlers
As Tacoma's finance committee hunts for cuts, the Trades Council arrives with its own salary schedule, demands depositories for the city's money, and accuses the Chamber of Commerce of encouraging 'unlawful appropriation.'