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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 56 |
| 1884 | 25 |
| 1885 | 43 |
| 1886 | 26 |
| 1887 | 70 |
223 stories
- Tacoma Watchman Joe Taylor Dies After Warehouse Fall
Joe Taylor, a fixture of Tacoma’s early frontier history, dies after a drunken fall at the wharf.
- Tragedy in the South Prairie Mines
A Seattle man is crushed to death while working in the coal tunnels.
- Who Really Sets the Price of Meat? A Puget Sound Monopoly Under the Knife
A Tacoma investigation finds that one middleman firm and a handful of Eastern Washington cattle kings hold the whole Sound's beef and mutton trade — and the dealers admit they are all getting rich while customers pay.
- Tacoma Blasted Seattle’s Sin—Then Got Its Own Saloons Counted
A letter to the Post-Intelligencer turns a morality fight back on New Tacoma, where the writer counts seven brothels, twenty-eight saloons and ministers barring non-Christians from church.
- Puyallup Valley Proves Fertile Ground for Tobacco
Local tobacco growers receive high praise from San Francisco experts who find the regional crop matches the quality of Connecticut-grown leaf.
- The Great Tacoma Hop Battle
When a New York firm tried to back out of a contract after a price crash, they found that Tacoma business owners weren't taking no for an answer.
- An Old Tacoma Church Crumbles
A historic Catholic building, moved to make way for development, is destroyed by a winter storm before it could be repurposed.
- Pool Hall Altercation Ends in Shooting
A disagreement over a bar tab leads to a violent confrontation in Old Town Tacoma, leaving one man in critical condition.
- The Pioneer Argument
An old timer writes in to dispute the recorded history of the first white child born in Washington Territory.
- Wilkeson Mines Prepare for Revival
After five years of decline that left the town nearly deserted, the Wilkeson coal mines are hiring again, signaling a potential economic pulse.
- A Belligerent Patient at the Steilacoom Asylum
- Skeptics Question the 'Boom' in Tacoma
A blistering critique of the 'Tacoma Ledger' and its persistent, unsubstantiated claims regarding the city's industrial future.
- The Wire War: Railroad vs. Telegraph
A legal standoff erupts between the Postal Telegraph Company and the Northern Pacific Railroad along the tracks between Tacoma and Kalama.
- The 'Crusher' Strikes Again
The steam collier San Pedro continues its destructive streak on Puget Sound.
- Tragedy at Steilacoom Hospital
An inquest finds no negligence after a patient at the hospital for the insane takes his own life.
- The Roadmaster's Gold Watch and the Mail Robber Who Came Back for More
Samuel Henry of the N.P.R.R. woke to find his watch gone and assumed it was a joke. A Tacoma marshal followed a hunch to a young man fresh out of the penitentiary — who confessed, sold the watch on Pacific Avenue, and then disappeared.
- Washington Territory’s Hop Harvest Finds Relief
After a grueling dry spell, welcome rains have cleared the harvest smoke and signaled a better market for Puyallup Valley growers.
- A Telescope for Tacoma’s Frontier Scholars
A Brooklyn astronomer journeys to Tacoma to secure books and equipment for a new boys' college, betting that clear Puget Sound skies will change the future of the territory.
- The Great Horse Heist of South Tacoma
A doctor's horse is snatched from a storefront and recovered miles away in the timber.
- The Asylum's Quiet Harmony
A rare glimpse into the operations of Washington Territory’s only mental hospital, as reported by its superintendent in 1884.
- The Hop Bonanza in the Puyallup Valley
An account of the massive agricultural boom in the Puyallup Valley, highlighting the success of local hop farmers and the looming shadow of the volcano.
- Tragic Death of a Young Miner
A Massachusetts native employed by the Oregon Improvement Company takes his own life near Wilkeson.
- Double Standards in New Tacoma and Tacoma City
A call for equal law enforcement as 'ancient' Tacoma City ignores the Sunday saloon closures observed in New Tacoma.
- A Near-Drowning at the Mill
A young man is saved from the water by a mill employee who has a reputation for bravery.
- Tragic Drowning at the Tacoma Waterfront
An unidentified man, intoxicated and disoriented, falls to his death while attempting to navigate the dark railroad tracks.