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 | 62 |
| 1858 | 29 |
| 1859 | 52 |
| 1860 | 27 |
| 1861 | 101 |
| 1862 | 87 |
| 1863 | 69 |
| 1864 | 32 |
| 1865 | 11 |
| 1871 | 11 |
| 1872 | 140 |
| 1876 | 812 |
| 1877 | 678 |
| 1878 | 526 |
| 1879 | 64 |
| 1880 | 180 |
| 1882 | 130 |
| 1883 | 911 |
| 1884 | 499 |
| 1885 | 838 |
| 1886 | 492 |
| 1887 | 484 |
| 1888 | 440 |
| 1889 | 1,324 |
| 1890 | 287 |
| 1891 | 1,115 |
| 1892 | 2,855 |
| 1893 | 2,829 |
| 1894 | 2,116 |
| 1895 | 1,830 |
| 1896 | 2 |
| 1897 | 62 |
| 1898 | 196 |
| 1899 | 446 |
| 1900 | 114 |
| 1902 | 34 |
| 1903 | 1,332 |
| 1904 | 1,126 |
| 1905 | 124 |
| 1907 | 53 |
| 1908 | 351 |
| 1909 | 1,545 |
| 1910 | 413 |
| 1911 | 160 |
| 1912 | 73 |
| 1914 | 261 |
| 1915 | 300 |
| 1916 | 545 |
| 1917 | 332 |
| 1918 | 45 |
| 1919 | 5 |
| 1920 | 1 |
| 1922 | 18 |
| 1923 | 185 |
| 1924 | 151 |
| 1925 | 64 |
| 1928 | 14 |
| 1929 | 19 |
1,126 stories
- The Tragedy of the Park Policeman
A beloved Point Defiance figure succumbs to a delayed internal injury from a past encounter with an angry bull.
- A Pulpit Critique of City Silence
Rev. A. H. Harnhisel uses a memorial service to scold local newspapers for failing to report on city mismanagement, broken infrastructure, and public health threats.
- The Fight for an Army Camp
Representatives debate whether Tacoma or Spokane should host the new regional military mobilization center.
- The Silent Protest at the County Jail
A Japanese man held in the county jail initiates a desperate hunger strike, vowing to abstain from food until Russia is defeated in the ongoing conflict.
- Government Warehouse Hires Non-Union Labor
Tensions rise at the waterfront as shipping companies attempt to bypass labor unions by hiring non-union crews to load government freight.
- A Desperate Act and a Hardened Response
Thomas Witt swallowed bichloride of mercury, was revived at an Eagle pharmacy, and jailed for disorderly conduct.
- Dredging Up the Past in the City Waterway
Human remains and a rusted knife are unearthed from the Tacoma waterfront, likely belonging to a sailor from a ship that capsized years prior.
- Tragedy in a Scratch: Local Business Leader Lost to Infection
A minor injury from a cat scratch leads to a fatal case of blood-poisoning for a prominent grocery wholesaler.
- A One-Woman Crusade Against Gambling
Following a violent confrontation between her husband and a slot machine owner, an Everett church worker vows to clean up the town.
- The Tragic Decline of Ben Bainbridge
A local man's descent from a $150,000 fortune to life as an indigent vagrant serves as a cautionary tale of vice and misfortune.
- Turf War at the Eleventh Street Bridge
A boatman is harassed and detained by police for the crime of competing for ferry passengers.
- Sniper Targets South Tacoma Streetcar
A motorman narrowly escaped death when a mysterious horseman fired a shot into his passing transit car.
- The Commissioner and the Sprinkler
A city official goes door-to-door in the hill district to enforce water restrictions, with mixed results.
- The Tragedy of Pearl Johnson
A young girl's repeated cycles of addiction and family heartbreak highlight the limitations of early 20th-century social intervention.
- The Seven-Foot Drop: A Property Dispute
A Tacoma couple fights back after county street grading leaves their home sitting high above the new road level.
- Armed Robbery on the Sixth Avenue Line
Two masked gunmen held up a streetcar at the end of the line, leaving the crew stranded and making off with the cash.
- Is a Public Street Being Sold as Gravel?
Neighbors watched with growing concern as contractors allegedly dug away the public street to sell the dirt for profit.
- A Wrongful Arrest on Seattle's Streets
A British subject traveling through the Northwest sues the Seattle police chief for $8,000 following a baseless jail stay.
- Missing Sailor Sparks Mystery at Tacoma Harbor
A coal passer from the USS Concord has vanished without touching his significant savings, leaving shipmates to fear foul play after he went ashore on leave.
- The Tragic Disappearance of a Deserter
Sailor Frank Lyman deserted the Henry Failing in Tacoma and is believed to have drowned swimming ashore.
- Forest Fires Ravage Vashon and Peninsula
Settlers battle encroaching brush fires across Vashon Island and the mainland near Olalla.
- Forest Fires Threaten the Electron Power Plant
A multi-million dollar power facility is at risk as flames advance along the vital 14-mile flume.
- Rent Pressures in the Red Light District
A street worker is arrested after struggling to meet the high rent demands of a boarding house landlord.
- The Clash Over Tacoma’s 'Open-Town' Morals
Council President Roice and Mayor Wright engage in a heated public feud over allegations of vice and the policing of the city streets.
- The East Side Sewer Crisis
Stagnant sewage on the tide flats threatens to shutter East Side factories, sparking a desperate plea for infrastructure relief.