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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 34 |
| 1889 | 65 |
| 1891 | 31 |
| 1892 | 246 |
| 1893 | 259 |
| 1894 | 239 |
| 1895 | 182 |
1,056 stories
- The Great Tacoma Water Steal
Citizens and council members clash over alleged bribery and misappropriation of funds in the city's purchase of a water system.
- The Great Stuck River Jam: A Battle Over Water and Land
In a tense standoff on the White River, Pierce County cattlemen illegally dammed the waterway to protect their pastures, forcing King County officials to ride out with Winchester rifles to avert a violent conflict.
- The Bridge That Broke: Tacoma's Infrastructure Crisis and the Union Mutiny
As a vital bridge spanning the Puyallup River collapses under its own weight, Tacoma residents face logistical chaos while a separate maritime labor dispute erupts into violence on the docks.
- The Tide Line War: Who Owns the Water?
A judge in Tacoma settles a bitter dispute over waterfront property, ruling that private owners can only claim land up to the high-tide mark—leaving the rest for the state and public use.
- The Fatal Lock: A Mother’s Visit, a Father’s Work, and Two Children Burned Alive
In January 1893, a house fire at the Kinyon mills in Tacoma claimed the lives of two young children left alone inside. The tragedy highlights a grim era where child safety was often secondary to labor demands.
- The Trial That Shook Tacoma: The Scandal of Sadie Brantner and Judge Wickersham
A dramatic courtroom battle in the late 1880s reveals a web of sexual politics, professional ethics, and character assassination involving a prominent probate judge and a young woman accused of immorality.
- The Day the Wharves Froze: Tacoma’s Lumber Workers Strike Over Wage Cuts
In March 1890, dockworkers at Tacoma’s massive timber mills walked off the job when owners slashed their monthly pay from $60 to $45. The resulting gridlock piled lumber so high it brought the entire industry to a halt.
- Tragedy in Tacoma: The Sudden Collapse of a New Building
A newly constructed building on Tacoma Avenue falls, leaving the community reeling and survivors in critical condition.
- The Strange Confession of Henry Lattimore
After the murder of C. Grant in a Tacoma boarding house, a 19-year-old drifter with a 'straightforward' story was captured by rail workers and police.
- The Tragedy at the Drug Store
A quiet night at a Tacoma pharmacy ends in a shocking murder-suicide, leaving the community reeling and a clerk fighting for his life.
- The Governor Who Stood Between Corporations and the Workingman
When railroads threatened to use militia to break a strike in 1873, Governor Elisha Ferry refused to deploy state power until the laborers were paid, carving out a legendary reputation for fairness.
- The Great Squatter Takeover of 1891
A landmark court ruling in Tacoma triggered a chaotic, overnight land grab as hundreds of squatters claimed property near the city's residential core.
- The Human Cost of the Des Moines Boom
A tragic suicide in Tacoma exposes the devastating toll of speculative real estate schemes.
- Who Owns the Reservation Land?
An elder of the Puyallup tribe speaks on the controversy regarding non-tribal descendants claiming reservation land allotments.
- Fatal Brawl Over a Billiard Game in Puyallup
A wealthy Puyallup man is dead after a dispute in a saloon leads to a violent, racially charged assault.
- The Great Tacoma Land Grab
A brazen scheme to seize valuable city land by falsely labeling it a 'gold mine' has finally been defeated in court.
- The Millions Buried in Puyallup Indian Land
A government report reveals the staggering valuation of tribal lands near Tacoma, sparking a 19th-century struggle over ownership, development, and the protection of Indigenous sovereignty against encroaching white expansion.
- The Political 'Linen-Washing' of 1892
In a frantic bid for the labor vote in Tacoma, mayoral candidate Alexander Parker is forced to scrub his reputation of sympathy for the city's persecuted Chinese community.
- Washington Lawmaker Urges Sale of Puyallup Reservation Land
Representative John L. Wilson argues that the Puyallup reservation hinders Tacoma's industrial growth, proposing the removal of restrictions on land sales to clear the way for white development.
- Tales of Torture at McNeil Island Penitentiary
A newly released prisoner brings harrowing allegations of medical neglect, forced labor, and death to the attention of Seattle officials.
- The Land Office Conspiracy
A broken man returns to Tacoma to implicate prominent businessmen in a high-stakes scheme to forge property titles.
- Tacoma Labor Rallies for Homestead Strikers
Hundreds of workers gather to denounce Pinkerton agents and call for protective labor legislation in Washington State.
- Smallpox Quarantine Shuts Down the Sound
Puget Sound cities scramble to seal their borders as a smallpox epidemic spreads from Victoria.
- Smallpox Panic on the Puget Sound
As Tacoma enforces aggressive quarantine measures, fears of contagion drive local authorities to police borders and vaccinate the public.
- Senate Weighs Puyallup Land Rights and Citizenship
Senator Allen argues that citizenship should grant Puyallup tribal members the right to sell their property, challenging federal restrictions on the reservation.