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.
Refine1 on
Show the numbers
| 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
- A Desperate Corral Rescue
A husband is gored by a bull near his home, leading to a harrowing, multi-generational effort to save his life.
- The Crumbling Span Over the Gulch
South Tacoma residents demand immediate action as a critical bridge over a ravine shows dangerous signs of structural failure.
- A Fourteen-Year-Old’s Ordeal Highlights Urban Dangers
After Bessie Cook leaves home, she tells a harrowing account to police that leads to the arrest of a Tacoma bartender.
- The Shadowy Rail Deal Behind Tacoma’s Tide Flats
A quiet war of railroad giants leaves a smaller line in a chokehold, as local business interests scramble for answers regarding the city’s industrial future.
- Japanese Laborers Defy Armed Extortion at Ashford
Contracted workers at the Tacoma Eastern rail site force a confrontation over predatory wage deductions and fees.
- The Shadowy Slot Machine King of Tacoma
A brutal divorce filing exposes the secret owner of Tacoma's pervasive slot machine operations.
- Tragedy on the Tacoma Waterfront
A newborn child found dead on Dock Street stirs dark memories of an earlier unsolved discovery in the same industrial zone.
- Fireworks Committee Blamed for Panic at Wright Park
Careless handling of explosives during Tacoma's Fourth of July celebration left spectators injured and fleeing for their lives.
- The Rockets Turned Around: Tacoma's Fourth of July Went Up in a Sheet of Flame
A spark touched off the entire $500 pyrotechnic stock at Wright Park, driving rockets and bombs into a crowd of thousands and leaving women and children burned, trampled and briefly lost in the smoke.
- Late-Night Stabbing on Pacific Avenue
A laborer is found dead in a pool of blood after a night of drinking, leading police to arrest a local porter on suspicion.
- A Spilled Bowl of Soup, a Fatal Shot at Camp Murray
A mess-tent quarrel between two young soldiers ended with Private Thomas Vandiver shot through the body and Private Frederick Stubbs in the county jail, claiming self-defense.
- Black Workers Organize for Fair Employment
After facing widespread discrimination from employers and fellow workers, Tacoma’s Black community gathers to demand equal opportunity.
- The Price of a 'Wide Open' Town
A citizen accuses the County Attorney of enabling a graft scheme that granted a single operator a lucrative monopoly on slot machines while allegedly shaking down other business owners.
- Tacoma’s Secret 'Fining' System
Mayor Wright and Chief Malony allegedly operated a shadow tax on gambling and vice, using fake names to funnel illicit profits through the city’s ledgers.
- The Shadow of 1885 Lingers in Tacoma
Twenty years after the forced expulsion of the city's Chinese population, rumors of new arrivals trigger threats of vigilante action.
- The Moses of Tacoma
A Tacoma minister initiates an ambitious, secret plan to assist Black families fleeing the Jim Crow South for the Pacific Northwest.
- The Wrongful Conviction of Charles Croames
After serving years for a brutal murder in Tacoma, a man is finally cleared by the Governor, sparking questions about the original investigation.
- Vigilante Justice Claims a Life in Steilacoom
A cattle dispute turns into a fatal shooting, followed by a mob storming the jail to execute the prisoner.
- The Great Telephone Bribery Scandal
Tacoma councilmen testify before an investigative committee regarding allegations that a telephone franchise promoter offered cash and stock to secure their votes.
- Tacoma's Business Men Draw a Line at Railroad Control
Independent members of the Chamber of Commerce nominate a rival ticket after charging that Northern Pacific and Tacoma Railway & Power proxies packed the nominating committee.
- The Muck in Our Pipes
A two-day investigation reveals that Tacoma’s municipal water supply, sourced from Clover Creek, is contaminated by livestock waste and agricultural runoff.
- The Standard Oil Monopoly Comes to Tacoma
A secret land grab on the tide-flats marks the arrival of a massive industrial alliance between the Standard Oil company and transcontinental railroads.
- Knockout Drops at the Standard Saloon
A Tacoma man swears he was drugged, fleeced of $210, and knocked toothless—then asks the city to revoke the saloon's license.
- The Anti-Vaccination Protest of 1909
Tacoma parents, barred from sending their children to public schools, organize a legislative campaign against compulsory vaccination laws.
- The Price of Tacoma’s Railroad Growth
After a grueling two-year standoff, the city grants Jim Hill massive concessions in exchange for long-promised freight terminals and a new depot.