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1. The Russian War Scare Hits the Port of Tacoma

   Fearful of Russian warships patrolling the coast, San Francisco merchants turn to Tacoma to route their urgent Japanese trade.

   Sep 17, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust

2. The Tacoma Theater's Electric Sign Crumbles

   A fierce windstorm tears down the landmark illuminated sign on St. Helens Avenue.

   Jan 5, 1909The Tacoma TimesSt. Helens Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce CountyGone Forever

3. Tacoma’s Public Market Finds Its Feet

   City report confirms that the municipal public market is paying down its initial debt and thriving with a diverse range of local vendors.

   Jan 7, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

4. The Dream of the $250 Car

   A 1909 prediction of the automobile's future imagines a world where the middle class owns the road.

   Jan 11, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

5. Beat Cop Suspended After Being Beaten by Coasting Teens

   A Tacoma patrolman was disciplined after rowdy youths he caught sledding in a restricted area rolled him in the snow and beat him.

   Jan 13, 1909The Tacoma Times21st Street Hill, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall · Strange But True

6. The Confederate Counterfeiters

   A local drifter finds himself behind bars after attempting to pass a reassembled Confederate bank note at a city saloon.

   Jan 15, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

7. The Morning Brawl at City Hall

   A deputy city controller’s public intoxication and volatile temper lead to a physical altercation and his immediate arrest.

   Jan 16, 1909The Tacoma TimesCity Hall, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

8. Tacoma’s Great White Way: Tungsten Streetlights Arrive

   A new electrical experiment on Pacific Avenue aims to slash power consumption while brightening the path to the city docks.

   Jan 16, 1909The Tacoma TimesPacific Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

9. The Loophole in Mount Tacoma National Park

   A mill hand arrested for poaching in the national reserve might walk free because the law governing the park lacks a penalty clause.

   Jan 18, 1909The Tacoma TimesMount Rainier National Park, Ashford, Pierce CountyFollow the Money · Strange But True

10. City Rejects Wright Park Museum Proposal

    Tacoma's park board unanimously denies historical society's bid for a new building.

    Jan 21, 1909The Tacoma TimesWright Park, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

11. Tacoma Shut Out in Regional Wrestling Championship

    Local wrestlers struggle against Seattle, Everett, and Vancouver at the YMCA tournament.

    Jan 23, 1909The Tacoma TimesYMCA, Tacoma, Pierce County

12. The Jailhouse Mimic

    A soft-hearted jailer is driven to madness by what he assumes is a distressed feline, only to find a prankster in a cell.

    Jan 30, 1909The Tacoma TimesCounty Prison, Tacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

13. The Pharmacy Trap

    A late-night misadventure outside an Eagle Pharmacy store leads to an unexpected reunion.

    Jan 30, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

14. City Lights Up the Dark Corners of Tacoma

    New electrical transformers finally arrive, powering up dozens of new arc lamps in the Indian Addition and across the city—just in time for the council elections.

    Feb 8, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

15. The Rising Tide of Progressivism

    A look at the historic shift toward primary elections as a means to break the grip of corporate interests in the U.S. Senate.

    Feb 18, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

16. The Sudden Assault in the Carpenter's Shop

    A South Tacoma teamster reports a mysterious and violent attack while visiting a friend's workspace.

    Feb 19, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

17. Daring Hotel Burglar Bound Over for Trial

    After being caught in the act at the Lansing Hotel, a young suspect who made a brazen escape from police is headed to court.

    Feb 25, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

18. The Proprietress and the Acid Threat

    A family dispute at a Tacoma apartment house lands the owner in court after a heated altercation with her niece.

    Feb 25, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyScandal

19. A Sudden Fortune for a Tacoma Nurse

    A local nurse living on South Warner Street inherits a $110,000 fortune from a long-lost uncle in California.

    Mar 3, 1909The Tacoma Times6015 South Warner Street, Tacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

20. City Hall Turns Landlord on the Tideflats

    Tacoma assumes control of former Northern Pacific Railway properties and begins collecting rent.

    Mar 4, 1909The Tacoma TimesDock Street, Tacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money

21. The High Price of Ninety Cents

    A jury finds a man guilty of stealing less than a dollar from an intoxicated victim, recommending leniency to the judge.

    Mar 10, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce County

22. The Lawyer's Stranglehold on Governance

    A scathing editorial arguing that the legal profession’s devotion to precedent over progress is choking American democracy.

    Mar 10, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

23. The Real Story of the Slums

    A young playwright captures the grim reality of life in city tenements, challenging the comfortable assumptions of the press.

    Mar 22, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyHousing & Rent

24. John L. Sullivan’s Gift of Gratitude

    A famous prize-fighter leaves a $25 gold penknife for the Tacoma theater manager who returned his lost $135 check.

    Mar 22, 1909The Tacoma TimesPantages Theater, Tacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

25. McNeil Island Residents to Get New Ferry Float

    County commissioners force construction after government restricts access to the penitentiary's private ferry service.

    Apr 2, 1909The Tacoma TimesMcNeil Island, Steilacoom, Pierce CountyCity Hall

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