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 |
|---|---|
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 5 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1909 | 7 |
23 stories matching solid
- The Mystery of the Solid Rock Fish
Workers drilling a deep well near Ruston were shocked to find a live, pale fish emerge from 140 feet below the surface.
- 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.
- The Thief Who Tried to Sell Stolen Goods Back to the Chief
A brazen Tacoma burglar was caught red-handed when he attempted to sell his illicit haul directly to the city’s Chief of Police.
- Tacoma Retains State Horticultural Office
A tight legislative vote in Olympia ensures the state's horticultural headquarters stays in Tacoma, narrowly escaping relocation to Kennewick.
- Tacoma Builds a Waterfront for the China Trade
The Northern Pacific begins rock walls, warehouses and wharves to capture trans-Pacific commerce—and a flour mill is already following.
- A Rejection of Anti-Black Rhetoric
The Fairhaven Herald takes a rare, strong public stance against a neighboring editor's racist call for colonization.
- Mystery Man Found Frozen in Freight Car
An unidentified man, dead for weeks, was discovered in a Northern Pacific freight car carrying poison and cash.
- The Great Tacoma Freeze of 1909
A record-breaking cold wave and gale-force winds rattle the city, freezing pipes and sending houseboats adrift.
- Voters Reject Park Board’s $750,000 Tax Hike
Tacoma citizens shut down a massive bond proposal, citing a lack of transparency and fears of bureaucratic extravagance.
- Tacoma's 1904 Election Pits Mayor Against Saloons
As the municipal election approaches, the city finds itself divided between Mayor Campbell’s 'clean' town and George P. Wright’s 'wide open' policy.
- Vast Coal Seams Found Beneath South Tacoma
Drilling for water reveals a significant, potentially commercial coal deposit within city limits.
- The Tacoma Strike, Undone and Redone in a Single Day
Northern Pacific tries to declare victory, but firemen, switchmen and engineers vote to stay out—while Debs wires that the fight is still solid.
- A Railroad Man Promises Tacoma the East in Two Years
The North Coast road's division counsel says trains will be rolling out of the Cascades into Tacoma within twenty-four months — assuming the surveyors pick the right pass.
- The High-Stakes Fight for City Hall
On the eve of the 1904 municipal election, Republican and Democratic campaign managers trade barbs over the 'moral element,' slot machines, and the third-term candidacy of Mayor Campbell.
- The Teredo Worm’s Silent Siege
A massive wheat warehouse on the Tacoma waterfront collapses after wood-boring pests hollowed out the foundation, echoing the vulnerability of the region's rapidly expanding infrastructure.
- The Legislative Hangover of the Anti-Saloon League
How the obsession with prohibition paralyzed the Tacoma legislature and derailed actual governance.
- Two Men Crushed Under Tons of Falling Lumber
A routine measurement at the St. Paul mill yards turned into a harrowing disaster when overhead lumber supports gave way.
- The Unholy Alliance Behind the Mayoral Win
A deep dive into the disparate coalition—from saloon owners to railroad bosses—that ousted Mayor Campbell in favor of George P. Wright.
- Tacoma Railway Men Refuse to Call Off the Strike
At a packed American Railway Union meeting, speakers from Seattle and Fern Hill insist the Pullman boycott is still on—and Debs wires that the men must be reinstated first.
- The Land Agent's Ledger: A Tacoma Suicide, $15,000 in Policies, and a Northern Pacific Audit
After Paul Schulze's death, New York Life agents move to pay his policies while railroad officials quietly examine the books of their late land agent.
- A Clawhammer, a Tin Whistle, and a Judge Fight: Tacoma’s Wild 1894 Convention
Pierce County Republicans met in Tacoma to endorse Judge Pritchard for the Supreme Court. By 2 a.m. they had doused the lights, blown a tin whistle, and adjourned without deciding.
- The Mysterious Death of Abe Gross
A 28-year-old Tacoma dry-goods partner was found shot through the mouth in his bed. His brother's grief, a coroner's open verdict, and a city's disbelief turned a private tragedy into a public mystery.
- They Climbed Rainier First—and Slept in a Sulphur-Scented Ice Cave
In 1870, Hazard Stevens and P. B. Van Trump reached Mount Rainier's summit after a brutal 10½-hour climb, then spent a freezing night beside volcanic steam vents.