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
- Search Ends for Missing Teen; 'Globe Hotel' Hanger-on Arrested
The disappearance of 16-year-old Norma Hoyt is solved after she is located in a Vancouver brothel with a man known in Tacoma's red-light district.
- Mayor Claims Safety Amidst Crime Wave
The Times clashes with Mayor Wright’s assertion of civic order following a string of violent crimes.
- The Unexplained Death of Fred Round
A mother finds her son dead in his East D Street bedroom with a revolver between his knees, but the angle of the wound sparks doubts about the suicide theory.
- Sewer Workers Strike for Eight-Hour Day
Laborers on a Twenty-ninth Avenue sewer project successfully force a return to the eight-hour workday against contractor pressure.
- The Trial for a Cold-Blooded Yard Murder
A jury is being selected for the trial of Frank Pasquale, accused of gunning down an insurance agent in the Northern Pacific freight yards.
- The Tragedy on X Street: A Local Sawyer Takes His Own Life Over Mounting Debt
A desperate father ends his life after being hounded by creditors, highlighting the harsh economic realities faced by Tacoma's working class.
- A Monopoly Under Fire
Local business leaders are organizing to form a rival power company to break the grip of the Northwestern Gas and Electric Company.
- The Sawmill Trap
A local mill worker shares a harrowing account of surviving a near-fatal workplace injury.
- The Deadly Pressure on Puget Sound Steamboat Captains
Shipbuilder John K. Barr argues that owners and agents, not sea conditions, are the real culprits behind marine disasters.
- A Fatal Mistake in the Bernice Building
A man looking for an office on the sixth floor instead steps into a fatal accident on the fifth.
- A Violent Custody Struggle
A mother fighting to keep her child is pinned to the floor by an officer enforcing a divorce decree.
- The Uninvited Guest at the Elks Lodge
A Ballard woman claims she has mastered the secret rituals of the Elks after spying on their meetings from a rooftop, and now she's demanding membership.
- Tacoma’s Mayor Denounces City’s Partnership with Vice
Mayor Campbell vows to end the 'social evil' and clean up city hall, rejecting political backroom deals that traded tolerance for revenue.
- The Pulpit vs. The Machine: A Mayor’s Brewing Scandal
A fiery sermon accusing the Mayor of being an attorney for a powerful brewery ignites a political furor, revealing the uneasy intersections of church, commerce, and city hall.
- The Great Sound Earthquake
A violent, multi-shock tremor sends Tacoma, Seattle, and Everett residents into the streets, rattling buildings and nerves across the Puget Sound region.
- The Phantom Fire-Starter of Tacoma
A mischievous prankster is repeatedly triggering false fire alarms, exhausting the local department and draining public funds.
- The Lawyer Who Pocketed the Property
A Supreme Court ruling exposes a shady real estate scheme involving a local attorney and a disputed Tacoma property.
- Fire Horses Run Amok in Downtown Seattle
A tragic accident involving runaway fire horses and a streetcar leaves one young girl dead and several others injured.
- The Unidentified Logger of Thirty-Ninth
A man found gravely injured on an embankment dies before he can reveal his name.
- Fire Trap Expansions at the Globe Hotel
Tacoma building inspectors are ignoring unauthorized, illegal additions to a notorious downtown lodging house.
- A Lost Child’s Desperate Run Across the West
After his family splintered, a 14-year-old boy arrived in Tacoma alone, setting off a chain of bicycle thefts as he tried to find a way home.
- The Church Brawl Over a Knife
A congregation splits into factions after a church member refuses to lie about his inner peace.
- A High-Wire Heist at Ninth and Commerce
Budding criminals scaled a twelve-foot transom to loot a hardware store, only to ignore a massive, unlocked safe in favor of a handful of change.
- Power Company Wires Block Ships on Thea Foss Waterway
When high-voltage wires blocked a sailing ship from the city dock, a newspaper reporter dropped the story the moment they learned who owned the infrastructure.
- The Largest Military Encampment in Western History
Thousands of federal and state troops prepare for maneuvers around American Lake, turning the region into a temporary 'White City.'