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.
Refine2 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 27 |
| 1889 | 51 |
| 1891 | 28 |
| 1892 | 206 |
| 1893 | 224 |
| 1894 | 201 |
| 1895 | 161 |
898 stories
- The Power Struggle Over Pavement
Tacoma's city council faces internal deadlock as officials fight over who gets to countersign checks and which material should pave the city streets.
- Tacoma’s Water Deal Has Forty Days Left
C. B. Talbot tells the city council his pure-water plan will be withdrawn unless it acts—iron and steel prices have already added $17,000 to the pipe bill.
- The Fusion Bargain: Democrats and Populists Trade Principles for a Ticket
A Tacoma dispatch describes backroom talks, proxies and newspaper maneuvering as Washington's Democrats and Populists weigh a joint slate.
- A Grave in Tacoma, a Death Across Three States, and a Lawyer Asking to Open the Coffin
Suspicions of foul play follow a woman's remains home to Tacoma from a journey through California and Oregon. But with no coroner's authority, no money and a husband's Assyrian friends standing guard at the house, her counsel can only beg for a disinterment.
- Tacoma’s Sailor-Shipping ‘Blood Money’ Combine
Rival boarding-house keepers demanded fees from captains before they could ship a crew—until a new federal law threatened the whole arrangement.
- The Widow, the Policy, and the Husband Who May Not Be Dead
A Tacoma life-insurance case turns into a fraud mystery: the company says Jonas Martin vanished in 1893 and that his wife knew it.
- Tacoma Voters Hand the Mayor a Council — and Unlock the Water Fund
A rain-soaked municipal election gives Tacoma's administration a working majority and lets the city redirect money from springs judged inadequate.
- Tacoma's Tide-Land Fight: Who Gets to Draw the Harbor Line?
Governor McGraw replaces two appraisers as Tacoma pushes to plat its tide flats and settle whether the state or the city controls the harbor line.
- A Low Bidder Cries Foul Over Tacoma’s New Water Pipes
Charges of inferior material and work outside the contract were briefly cleared—until affidavits from a lower bidder forced a fresh council inquiry.
- Two Million Bricks and a Hundred Jobs for the Cascade Gateway
The Union Brick Works of Tacoma wins the Northern Pacific's contract to line the Stampede Tunnel in fire-baked brick — a regional infrastructure job that will keep a hundred men working through the summer.
- Tacoma Builds a Waterfront for the China Trade
The Northern Pacific begins rock walls, warehouses and wharves to capture trans-Pacific commerce—and a flour mill is already following.
- The Land Company’s Revenge in Tacoma
A report from Tacoma says city officials may be punished at confirmation because they crossed the Tacoma Land Company in a fight over the municipal light and water plant.
- Tacoma Sues Its Ex-Treasurer Over Public Money Lost in Failed Banks
The city argues George W. Boggs should answer for funds left in banks that collapsed — but a judge rules the council had no right to name depositories in the first place.
- Tacoma's Council Puts a Waterfront Deal on Hold — and Shuts Down a Fairgrounds Saloon
A proposed easement with the Northern Pacific and Tacoma Company waits for papers from Philadelphia, Pacific Avenue owners split over planking, and W.C.T.U. women watch the council reject a liquor license.
- The Battle for Tacoma's Saloons
Tacoma's police chief faces intense political pressure and accusations of drunkenness as he is caught between moral reformers and the liquor trade.
- Tacoma's Baseball Franchise on the Brink
A professional league team threatens to fold after the city fails to support them, despite a winning record.
- Professional Baseball Threatened in Tacoma
Faced with financial instability, the Tacoma baseball club briefly considers folding, only to be saved by a local fundraising effort.
- The Disappearing Daughters of Tacoma
Local detectives launch a search for two young women who have fled their homes, leaving police tight-lipped about the details.
- Engineering Tacoma's Waterfront
Tacoma will build a $20,000 bridge to its new filled waterfront, where teredo worms eat untreated pilings.
- A Police Raid on the Iroquois Club
Detectives break up a poker game at the Iroquois clubrooms, highlighting ongoing tensions between gambling houses and city law enforcement.
- A Fatal Accident on the Tide Flats
A local hotel proprietor dies in a hunting accident near the Tacoma waterfront.
- Tacoma Cracks Down on Gambling and Licensing
The city council pushes for reform by replacing a compromised license inspector and moving to suppress gambling.
- Tacoma Mill Closes, Leaving Sixty Workers Jobless
A receivership dispute leads to the shutdown of the Tacoma Lumber and Manufacturing Company, with laborers left in the cold.
- The Intellectual Con Artist of the Fife Hotel
A well-dressed man claiming to be the former secretary to Sir John Macdonald flees Tacoma after leaving behind a trail of worthless checks.
- The Professionalization of Seattle Architecture
A call for ethical standards in an era of rapid, often shoddy construction, as Seattle architects move to join the American Institute of Architects.