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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 56 |
| 1884 | 25 |
| 1885 | 43 |
| 1886 | 26 |
| 1887 | 70 |
223 stories
- The Sudden Collapse of the Tacoma Savings Bank
A run on a local bank reveals the fragile economy of 1885 Tacoma as depositors rush to pull their funds before the doors shutter for good.
- The Scandinavian Baptist Mission of Tacoma
A clergyman finds his calling, converts his congregation, and establishes a new church after a spiritual crisis leads him away from his former denomination.
- The Struggle for a Green River Road
Settlers in the isolated Green River valley are fighting for a direct road to Seattle, claiming the Northern Pacific Railroad is trying to isolate them to siphon their trade to other towns.
- The Midnight Church Feud of Tacoma
A power struggle in a local Baptist church turns into a bizarre, locked-door standoff where the pastor eventually resorted to extinguishing the lights to force dissenters out.
- The Price of a Drunken Brawl
Two men were fined and held for trial after a violent, alcohol-fueled assault on a passerby outside Seattle.
- The Tragedy at the Waterfront
A young Seattle woman's late-night walk leads to a fatal plunge into the bay, leaving behind a grieving husband and a city searching for answers.
- The Price of a Badly Written Charter
Tacoma’s new municipal charter proves to be a legal disaster that costs the town thousands in needless fees and litigation.
- The Clue in the Rubber Boots
A fire in a barn on White River leads to an arrest after a trail of distinct boot prints is discovered.
- Longshoremen Walk Off Jobs in Tacoma
Workers refuse to handle cargo until wages are raised from $3 to $4 a day.
- A Night Spent in the Steam Vents of Mount Rainier
An early mountaineer recounts a harrowing, freezing night spent huddled inside a steam-carved cavern near the summit.
- The Crumbling Walls of Steilacoom
A group of builders and taxpayers exposes shoddy construction at the new Territorial Asylum.
- The Mystery of the Vanished Prospectors
A trio of woodsmen, including a local favorite nicknamed 'Navy Jack,' set sail into the treacherous waters north of Seattle and have not been seen in eleven weeks.
- The Peril of the Company Town
An 1887 editorial warns that Tacoma’s prosperity is built on a dangerous, fragile foundation: the sole favor of a single corporation.
- The Tragedy of a Carbonado Miner
After relocating his family to Carbonado for work, Charles J. Hanson perishes in a coal mine accident, leaving his wife and three children in a destitute state.
- The Printer and the Preacher: A Life Between Worlds
Rev. Peter C. Stanup, a Puyallup tribal member, reflects on his journey from the reservation school to the pulpit and the printing press.
- The Great Baptist Church Lockout
When an internal church feud in 1887 led to gas being turned off, keys being withheld, and a locksmith called to secure the pulpit against the congregation's dissenters.
- Firefighters, assemble! A Puyallup Valley inferno threatens the bridge
Citizens and volunteers rush to save a critical bridge in the Puyallup valley as wildfires ravage timberlands.
- The Unlucky Stable in the Middle of the Street
A railroad land agent inadvertently builds a brand-new, modern stable smack in the middle of a planned Tacoma thoroughfare.
- A Heated Clash at City Hall
A contractor and a former mayor trade sharp words before the Tacoma City Council over stalled infrastructure payments.
- The Street Contractor’s Gamble
When the city of Tacoma failed to pay up on street improvements, a contractor was left holding the bag—and a pocket full of worthless paper.
- The Unpaid Streets of Tacoma
A bitter legal battle reveals the messy, unpaved reality of infrastructure development in late 19th-century Tacoma, pitting laborers against local developers.
- The Unseen Labor of a Household
A spicy letter from a 'Little Worker' challenges a farm editor’s complaints about the difficulty of finding domestic help.
- Tragedy at the Farm: A Young Life Lost to Gunfire
A tragic accident near Tacoma claims the life of a young man, sparking a solemn reminder of firearm safety in the rural landscape of the 1880s.
- The Fight for the Ballot at the Tacoma Courthouse
In 1887, two suffragists took to the streets to demand the restoration of voting rights for women in Washington Territory.
- The Perilous Trip of the Rowboat Runaways
Two young women, undeterred by the dark waters of Tacoma's bay, defied the night to row across the sound, sparking a local search and a breathless newspaper account.