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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1903 | 4 |
| 1904 | 88 |
| 1909 | 100 |
192 stories matching put
- The Price of Being a 'Wide Open' Town
Tacoma’s city officials are formalizing a system of monthly 'bail' payments for gambling house owners, effectively legalizing the industry through a protection racket.
- The Price of a Transit Franchise
Tacoma’s City Council strikes a bargain for new railway depots in Old Town and the Narrows, bartering city streets for future development.
- South End Club Moves to Take City Hall Out of the Ward Bosses' Hands
A hundred petitions, 4,000 signatures and a charter committee of fifteen: South Tacoma's improvement club launches a drive for commission government before the council can bury civil service for good.
- 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.
- Olympia Legislative Chaos
A bitter brawl erupts in the Washington House over a new criminal code, featuring accusations of 'jobbery' and an eleventh-hour ban on private-home gambling.
- The North End's Water Works Fairness Fight
Tacoma’s City Council faces accusations of unequal treatment regarding public infrastructure costs for water hydrants.
- Tacoma's Business Men Draw a Line at Railroad Control
Independent members of the Chamber of Commerce nominate a rival ticket after charging that Northern Pacific and Tacoma Railway & Power proxies packed the nominating committee.
- 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.
- Northern Pacific Slashes Wages at South Tacoma Shops
A radical reduction in hours for over 800 workers leaves employees with decreased earning capacity.
- Drugged and Held at Sea for Seven Weeks, an Engineer Reappears in Tacoma
T. A. Cox, part-owner of an Arizona mining company, says he was drugged with a lemonade in San Francisco and held prisoner aboard an unknown ship before being put ashore at Des Moines — then walked to Tacoma without a cent.
- Tapping the Source
Tacoma prepares to test new municipal wells to bypass private water monopoly pricing.
- City Hall Launches New 'Disorderly' Tax
Tacoma officials move to turn police regulation of vice houses into a monthly revenue stream.
- The Minnow in the Milk
A Tacoman discovers a live fish swimming in their morning delivery, raising alarm over local dairy standards.
- City Council Faces Backlash Over Civil Service Repeal
Tacoma’s city council attempts to dismantle the civil service system in favor of the old patronage 'spoils' system, sparking an immediate call for voter registration and reform.
- The Salvation Army's Radical Plan to End Urban Poverty
Commander Booth-Tucker calls for government-backed farm colonies to rescue the urban poor, citing the success of land reform in New Zealand.
- Sidewalks Torn Up and Abandoned
Tacoma residents vent frustration as contractors rip up streets and leave them barricaded for months without completion.
- 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.
- Tacoma’s Growing Pains: A City Parched
Citizens demand answers as reservoir delays and equipment failures leave South End neighborhoods with dwindling water pressure.
- The Twelfth Street Improvement Battle
A local improvement club pushes to pave Twelfth Street and demands the streetcar company upgrade their tracks or move them.
- The City Clock-Watchers
Tacoma’s electric linemen accused of turning city work hours into a full-time pinochle parlor.
- The City's Bridge Dilemma
Tacoma faces a choice between costly wood, fading steel, or a permanent concrete future.
- Mystery Developer Promises Electric Rail Connection to Capital
A man named C. T. Morck seeks franchises for an electric railway between Tacoma and Olympia, putting up a $10,000 bond.
- City Council Targets Saloons with Private Booths
Tacoma's council moves to revoke the licenses of saloons that provide 'boxes' for female patrons, citing a moral concern over their presence in drinking establishments.
- The Case for Concrete
Tacoma voters decide on a $375,000 bond issue to replace decaying wooden bridges with permanent concrete structures.
- Nightgowned Citizen Puts Burglar to Flight
A local homeowner interrupted a late-night intruder, forcing him to flee empty-handed—save for a stolen kimono.
Also about this, in other words
- The Seven-Foot Drop: A Property Dispute
A Tacoma couple fights back after county street grading leaves their home sitting high above the new road level.
- The Three-Foot Loophole: A Clever Workaround for Tacoma's Gambling Ban
Tacoma's Olympic Club skirts police edicts by raising the floor three feet to technically evade gambling restrictions.