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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 4 |
| 1893 | 6 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 9 |
| 1899 | 4 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 19 |
| 1909 | 17 |
77 stories matching hard
- Tacoma Tigers Sweep Seattle
The hometown baseball team clinches their hold on the league's top spot after a hard-fought double-header victory against the Seattle squad.
- The Price of a Whitewash Job
A working man in Tacoma learns the hard way that 'at par' is a relative term when his employer tries to pass off devalued currency for honest labor.
- The Brown Paper Ball of 1894
When the Panic of 1893 hit Tacoma, the St. Elizabeth Guild defied the mood with a tongue-in-cheek 'Hard Times' dance featuring invitations and programs printed on brown paper.
- Hard Times in the North Dakota Trade
A collection of desperate and defiant letters from business owners across the country captures the economic misery of 1893.
- A Waterfront Captain's Sudden Death, and the Suicide Rumor That Didn't Hold
Capt. J. H. O'Hara died at his wharf office in Tacoma; a post-mortem found no truth to talk of suicide, while friends remembered a hard-drinking but well-liked waterfront figure.
- An Upset on the Gridiron
A surprise victory for the 'Viviendas' leaves the Tacoma squad and fans reeling.
- The Gridiron Showdown: Seattle Triumphs Over Tacoma
Twelve hundred spectators witnessed a nail-biting football match that pushed both sides to their physical limits, ending in a hard-fought victory for Seattle.
- The West Point Forger Who Vanished From Tacoma
A polished stranger with a celebrated military past talked his way into Tacoma's lumber trade—then left a forged check and a trail gone cold.
- Seattle High School Defeats Tacoma on the Gridiron
A single touchdown settles a gritty, hard-fought contest between two nascent local high school football teams.
- Two Apologetic Highwaymen Held Up a Tacoma Liquor Dealer
A short cut through a vacant lot, a big revolver, and robbers who blamed hard times—but left the Odd Fellows charm because it was a present.
- Sidewalks Torn Up and Abandoned
Tacoma residents vent frustration as contractors rip up streets and leave them barricaded for months without completion.
- 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.
- The Real Estate Titan Who Fell to Earth
Allen C. Mason, the man who built the Tacoma boom, sees his mortgage empire collapse under the weight of taxes and hard times.
- Kicked Into the Street in Her Nightclothes: A Tacoma Wife’s Ten Years of Abuse
A police-court hearing heard how Amos West terrorized his wife and eight-year-old daughter—and how a tent on Center Street became the backdrop to a decade of violence.
- The Sunday Closing Wars in Tacoma
A strict new enforcement of the Sunday blue laws sparks community outrage and drives local spending to a rival city.
- The Sudden Assault in the Carpenter's Shop
A South Tacoma teamster reports a mysterious and violent attack while visiting a friend's workspace.
- Domestic Violence Arrest
A railroad worker is arrested after violently attacking his wife upon learning she filed for divorce.
- The Thief With Two Left Feet
A burglar targeting a downtown clothing store learned the hard way that his loot was perfectly useless.
- Hunger and Desperation Lead to Jail Time
A young man confesses to a street robbery, citing his own poverty as the driving force behind the crime.
- A Tragic End at K and 11th
A Tacoma carpenter, struggling with alcoholism and personal despair, takes his own life.
- City Jail Expands Capacity for Homeless
With winter's chill settling in, Tacoma installs bunks to replace cold cement floors for the indigent.
- City Declares War on Drip-Happy Residents Amid Water Famine
Facing record low pressure, the water department threatens fines for citizens who let faucets run to prevent freezing pipes.
- Tacoma’s Rail Future Hinges on a Tunnel
A Harriman manager promises through Portland–Tacoma trains within 18 months—if the Tacoma tunnel can be finished.
- The Discovery in the Post-Hole
While digging for a fence on the Puyallup Reservation, an unexpected find pulls a prehistoric giant from the earth.
- A Father’s Hardship and the Telegram That Changed Everything
An overworked, weary business man contemplates his supposed failures until a birthday message from his daughter provides a new perspective on success.