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1. Street Robbers Nabbed After Storekeeper Spots Them

   A candy store owner recognized his attackers near the Commercial Dock bridge, leading to an immediate arrest by detectives.

   Mar 4, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

2. Railroad Expansion Spurs Tacoma Industrial Speculation

   Milwaukee Road's infrastructure plans for Tacoma ignite local real estate hopes for a new industrial suburb.

   Mar 5, 1909The Tacoma TimesPuyallup River, Tacoma, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust

3. The Pure Food Ordinance Trap

   Tacoma women leading a campaign for food safety are blindsided by a missing provision in a new city ordinance.

   Mar 6, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

4. The Perjured Plaintiff

   A lumber mill worker's $30,000 lawsuit collapses after he is caught lying under oath about the origin of his injuries.

   Mar 6, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyWork & Pay · True Crime

5. The City’s 17-Year-Old Bad Debt Problem

   Tacoma voters will decide at the upcoming spring election whether to honor $48,000 in outlawed street improvement warrants that have accrued triple their value in interest.

   Mar 8, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

6. The Tacoma Fishing Fleet's Diplomatic War

   Tacoma’s Chamber of Commerce takes on the British Empire to protect local halibut profits in the Hecate Strait.

   Mar 16, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money

7. City Council Targets Saloon Seclusion

   Tacoma legislators pass a resolution forcing saloons to remove partitions and high-backed booths to ensure public view.

   Mar 18, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall · Nightlife

8. Protecting Young Women at the Train Depots

   Fearing a repeat of the 'world's fair' disappearances, the YWCA seeks city funding for station matrons.

   Mar 18, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

9. Vast Coal Seams Found Beneath South Tacoma

   Drilling for water reveals a significant, potentially commercial coal deposit within city limits.

   Mar 22, 1909The Tacoma TimesSouth Tacoma, Tacoma, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

10. Tacoma Takes a Win in the War of the Rails

    Tacoma boosters celebrate a victory as the Great Northern Railroad prepares to move its commissary operations from Seattle to Tacoma.

    Mar 23, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust

11. Tacoma Heads to the Polls for Infrastructure Bonds

    Voters face a dual decision on funding for new bridges, sewers, and a grand boulevard along the city bluff.

    Mar 25, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

12. The Truant Officer's Fine

    A father in Old Town is jailed over school attendance, highlighting the strict new enforcement of compulsory education laws.

    Apr 7, 1909The Tacoma TimesOld Town, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

13. The City Park Fight: Neighborhoods Clash Over $750,000 Bond Issue

    Tacoma's civic groups remain divided as the Round Table Club backs park funding, while the West End Improvement Club resists without a guarantee of local green space.

    Apr 7, 1909The Tacoma TimesN 5th St and N C St, Tacoma, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust · City Hall

14. The Trail Saloon Shut Down by City Council

    In an attempt to standardize local nightlife, the Tacoma City Council has refused to renew the license for a downtown saloon.

    Apr 8, 1909The Tacoma Times113 South 12th Street, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall · Nightlife

15. The Great Tacoma Brick Famine

    A supply chain crisis at a Renton monopoly grinds Tacoma’s infrastructure projects to a halt.

    Apr 9, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money

16. Railroad Fight Stalls Property Condemnation

    Federal court continues land cases as Northern Pacific faces challenges over proposed track placement near Chambers Creek.

    Apr 12, 1909The Tacoma TimesChambers Creek, Tacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money

17. Is Tacoma Facing a Milk Famine?

    Dairy farmers are shuttering their businesses across the city, citing the soaring cost of feed and livestock as the root of a brewing crisis.

    Apr 15, 1909The Tacoma TimesFern Hill, Tacoma, Pierce County

18. A Waterfront Tug of War

    Tacoma’s city council demands a $100,000 fireboat to protect the harbor, sparking a heated debate over whether the Northern Pacific Railway should foot the bill.

    Apr 15, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

19. Fire Department Botches North End Blaze

    A carpenter shop burns to the ground as equipment fails and engines fail to build pressure.

    Apr 20, 1909The Tacoma Times3128 North 8th Street, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall · Disasters

20. The Kaiser’s Radical Solution for Mine Safety

    A Tacoma newspaper looks to Germany to argue that recognizing labor unions makes mines safer and more efficient for everyone.

    Apr 21, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyWork & Pay

21. A Sidewalk Built on Broken Promises

    A Tacoma resident claims the city has repeatedly ignored his warnings that a crumbling, elevated sidewalk poses a severe threat to local children.

    Apr 21, 1909The Tacoma Times2523 Yakima Ave, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

22. City Council Plays Hardball with Rail Magnate

    Tacoma officials force James J. Hill to build depots in exchange for a multi-million dollar franchise.

    Apr 22, 1909The Tacoma TimesOld Town, Tacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money

23. Who Should Pay for the Fireboat?

    The Tacoma City Council debates whether taxpayers should fund fire protection for industrial waterfront property that pays no local taxes.

    Apr 22, 1909The Tacoma TimesWaterfront, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

24. The War on the Free Lunch

    A Tacoma councilman moves to abolish the staple of the working-class saloon, calling it a magnet for vagrancy.

    Apr 22, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

25. The Shadowy Cartel Squeezing Tacoma's Grocers

    A former independent grocer testifies before a grand jury, exposing how industry boycotts forced small business owners into insolvency.

    Apr 24, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money

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