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 |
|---|---|
| 1903 | 21 |
| 1904 | 982 |
| 1907 | 7 |
| 1909 | 903 |
1,913 stories
- Bellingham Homes Shattered by Icy Blast
Frozen pipes trigger violent explosions across the city, leaving one woman injured and houses in ruins.
- The Price of Performance
An actress collapses from nervous exhaustion after battling a noisy, disruptive audience at Tacoma's Grand theater.
- A Miraculous Escape from a Shattered Skylight
A 75-pound icicle crashed through a tailor shop roof, missing workers by inches.
- New Emergency Hospital Opens in City Jail
The ward previously designated for female detainees has been converted into a clinical space for medical emergencies.
- City Hall Janitor Crushed in Elevator Tragedy
A routine morning cleanup ended in a gruesome death for an elderly janitor when an elevator started unexpectedly.
- The Burglary Mystery at the Bostwick Hotel
A young woman arrested in Ellensburg for a room robbery in Tacoma is released after the accuser drops the charges.
- Grim Discovery on Vashon Island
An unidentified man's remains were found stuffed inside a wooden box after washing ashore.
- City Sewerage System Fails Residents
High water levels turn a poorly installed sewer line into a neighborhood health hazard in South Tacoma.
- The Temperance Fight Hits Local Garrisons
Legislators move to ban saloons near military homes, targeting Orting and Puget Sound shipyards in a sweeping dry campaign.
- The Shadowy 'Sailor Boarding House' Racket
Diplomats gather in Tacoma to confront the exploitative system of boarding house masters who held a monopoly on crew procurement for Pacific ships.
- A Held-Up Housewarming
A friendship turns sour when a woman allegedly uses a revolver to reclaim jewelry and clothing from a neighbor.
- A Thousand Women Are About to Storm City Hall Over Filthy Food
Organized Tacoma clubwomen, claiming a thousand members behind them, have investigated the city's kitchens and markets and found them unclean — and on Monday they march on the health committee to demand a pure-food ordinance.
- The Modern Moloch
An editorial from the Tacoma Times examining the startling surge in child labor and the human cost of industrial 'progress.'
- The Spotlight on the Sandberg District
Hundreds of curious onlookers descend on Tacoma’s red-light district following a critical council report.
- The City Hall Stumping Standoff
A citizen refuses to pay a surety bond for the 'privilege' of removing eight stumps from his own property.
- A Night of Terror at the Salvation Army Hall
An unidentified man suffered a violent psychiatric episode during evening services, prompting a dramatic intervention by local police.
- The Eugenics of Marriage Licenses
A Tacoma humane officer proposes that the state test young women's child-rearing abilities before allowing them to wed.
- Medical Lobby Drops Fight Against Osteopaths
After intense lobbying against the Beach bill, the Pierce County Medical Association abruptly reverses course, paving the way for osteopaths to join the state board of medical examiners.
- The Unbuilt Imperial Skyscraper
Tacoma business elites rally to fund a grand downtown skyscraper and a massive subway tunnel network that would reshape the city's topography.
- The Strange Primary Trap Facing Tacoma Democrats
Without a candidate on the ballot, local Democrats face a choice between voting for Republicans or being effectively disenfranchised.
- The Battle for the Curb
A local grocer and a city official are clashing over the rights to a narrow strip of land outside the public market.
- City Council Blocks Proposed Subway Project
Promoter's plans for an ambitious subterranean build met with skepticism and obstruction from city leadership.
- The False Solution to Homelessness
A radical critique of the 1909 railroad industry's plan to solve unemployment by mass imprisonment.
- The Price of Vice: Tacoma’s License Inspector Admits Licensing Dives for Revenue
License Inspector John Glen defends the city's practice of taxing illicit saloons to fill the salary fund, drawing a sharp rebuke from the council's own internal contradictions.
- The Fight Against Tacoma's Rubbish
Health officials and the Pure Food Council declare war on 'old shacks' and vacant-lot dumping ahead of a summer influx of tourists.