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
- Bankruptcy and Backpay
- The Great Tugboat Escape
A United States marshal is left stranded on the wharf while his prisoner escapes aboard a government tug to Port Townsend.
- South Tacoma Man Confined to Jail
After months of family-led care, H. A. McKenney has been moved to the county jail due to worsening mental health.
- Armed Banditry Strikes Auburn
A contractor was accosted by two armed men at his own residence and robbed of a substantial sum of money.
- City Left in the Dark by Gas Failure
A mechanical error at the gas works plunged Tacoma into darkness, ruining breakfasts and sparking public frustration.
- Tacoma Loses College Bid Over Financial Incentives
Despite preferring Tacoma as a location, trustees of the Swedish Lutheran college chose Everett due to a superior $10,000 bonus offer.
- The Peril of the Eleventh Street Grandstand
A foreman's decision to add weight to an already overloaded scaffold leads to a dangerous collapse at the Tacoma baseball grounds.
- The Ghost Safe of the Waterfront
A decade after a deadly landslide, amateur divers still hunt for a Northern Pacific warehouse safe lost to the tides.
- The Contractors' Backroom Shuffle
Local contractors are maneuvering to install their preferred candidate as city building inspector.
- A New Titan Hits the Tacoma Waterfront
Thousands gathered in the rain to witness the grand launch of the steamship Jefferson, a marvel of local industry.
- The Ministerial Alliance Demands a Closed Town
Tacoma ministers mobilize to pressure Mayor-elect George P. Wright into enforcing a 'closed' town policy, sparking pulpit debates across the city.
- Tragedy at the Renton Coal Mine
A young miner is killed instantly by a falling boulder while working deep inside a Renton coal drift.
- Crisis at Whitworth College
Faculty dismissals trigger a faculty-student revolt and a tense emergency meeting of the Board of Trustees.
- City Hall Battles County Over School Warrant Funds
Tacoma officials move to secure $16,000 in school warrant payments, challenging the County Treasurer's refusal to honor the debt.
- Safe Cracked in Kapowsin Timber Raid
Thieves target the North Timber company, escaping with revolvers and a steel box full of negotiable paper.
- A Fifth Ward SOS: Water Pressure and Fire Safety
Councilman Christoffenson demands a formal investigation into the 'woefully inadequate' water pressure plaguing the Fifth Ward, pushing for a dedicated fire engine.
- Bookkeeper Accused of Embezzlement and Threatening Life
T. P. Peterson of the Pacific Manufacturing Company alleges his bookkeeper not only embezzled funds but returned at night to alter ledger pages and threaten the owner.
- City School Warrants Cleared for Hotel Site
The Superior Court mandates that school funds be used to settle payments for the controversial Tourist Hotel property.
- Bringing Light to the Indian Addition
Residents of the Indian Addition organize to demand electric streetlights from the local utility company.
- The Great Jailbreak on the Waterfront
Two young prisoners pried their way out of a city jail with nothing but a table leg and help from friends on the outside.
- The Crumbling Pump House
A report to the City Council reveals the city's water infrastructure is near total mechanical collapse.
- Freight Steamer Destroyed by Fire
The steamer City of Denver is lost to fire in the Sullivan Slough, destroying its cargo of hay.
- The Navy Deserters Living Among Us
Bluejackets from the cruiser New York and gunboats Marblehead and Concord are shedding their uniforms to start civilian lives in Tacoma.
- The Railroad's Quiet Footprint
A petition for tide lands reveals the hidden hand of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway preparing for its Tacoma entrance.
- The City Wharf That Nobody Wanted
Tacoma's attempt to force the 'mosquito fleet' into using the $3,000 municipal dock faces mockery from steamboat captains.