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 |
|---|---|
| 1903 | 18 |
| 1904 | 788 |
| 1907 | 7 |
| 1909 | 716 |
1,529 stories
- Tacoma Women Rally for Public Playgrounds
Prominent clubwomen push for safe, supervised spaces to keep city children off dangerous streets.
- Police Raid Swope Hotel in Opium Crackdown
The manager of the Swope Hotel faces court charges after authorities discover two men smoking opium on the premises.
- City Hall Moves to Bar Women from Saloon-Linked Restaurants
Citing 'disgraceful' practices, councilman aims to separate women from Tacoma’s open barrooms and attached eateries.
- Tacoma’s Push for a Commission-Style Government
Local reformers demand a new city charter to operate municipal governance like a private corporation.
- The Fight to Save Tacoma’s U.S. Engineer Office
Tacoma boosters scramble to keep the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers branch office from moving to Seattle.
- The Wealth Gap and the 'Prince' of Industry
A biting editorial critiques the concentration of inherited wealth and the limitations of modern tax policies.
- The Painter Who Played the Local Market
A local tradesman's attempt to execute a 'get-rich-quick' scheme by double-dipping on merchant credit ends in a police court trial.
- The YMCA Takes the Tacoma Basketball Crown
A scrappy season ends with a decisive win against the high school, solidifying the city championship for the Y's quintette.
- Tacoma Fights Seattle for Federal Court Seat
Citizens rally to protest President Taft's rumored appointment of a Seattle outsider to the local federal bench.
- New Law Reshapes Local Construction Business
A legislative change forces material men to provide duplicate invoices, altering building financial practices in Tacoma.
- The Power Struggle Behind City Hall's Doors
Tacoma’s city engineer has been ousted following a refusal to resign, exposing a messy conflict over municipal authority and political control.
- Bankruptcy and Backpay
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.