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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 7 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 13 |
| 1893 | 8 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 6 |
| 1899 | 2 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1904 | 11 |
| 1909 | 19 |
86 stories matching develop
- Washington Lawmaker Urges Sale of Puyallup Reservation Land
Representative John L. Wilson argues that the Puyallup reservation hinders Tacoma's industrial growth, proposing the removal of restrictions on land sales to clear the way for white development.
- The Fight for Cheap Labor in the Pacific Northwest
In 1887, prominent Seattle and Tacoma business leaders sat down to argue over the 'necessity' of the Chinese exclusion movement and the future of regional trade.
- Puyallup Land Sale Proposal Stirs Tacoma Speculators
As Tacoma developers salivated over tribal lands, a prominent Puyallup leader took his case to Washington D.C. to navigate the complex, often predatory, future of his people's property.
- The Rivalry That Built the Sound
In 1887, C.B. Wright, a key figure in the development of Tacoma, reflects on the 'nip and go' panic that forced the Northern Pacific terminus to choose between Tacoma and Seattle.
- Tacoma's 1894: Falling Lumber, Rising Flour, and a New Rolling Mill
The Ledger's year-end review found reasons for optimism in shipping, smelting, meat packing, and new rail connections—even as low prices cut into the lumber trade.
- The Power War on the White River
A citizen writes to the editor warning that corporate legal battles over water rights could stifle industrial growth for all of Tacoma.
- The Unpaid Streets of Tacoma
A bitter legal battle reveals the messy, unpaved reality of infrastructure development in late 19th-century Tacoma, pitting laborers against local developers.
- The Preacher Who Saw Revolution Coming
In an 1892 lecture at the Unitarian church, Rev. W. E. Copeland warned that labor unrest and inequality were about to remake society—and maybe religion itself.
- The Tacoma Land Boom
A glimpse into the feverish property speculation of the 1888 Washington Territory and the intense competition to develop the city's future.
- The Fight Over the Puyallup Indian Reservation
Tacoma’s Commercial Club maneuvers to open reservation lands to development, sparking local controversy.
- The Struggle for the Puyallup Reservation
A legal war unfolds over railroad rights-of-way through the Puyallup Reservation, pitting federal troops against private developers as Indigenous residents face displacement.
- Federal Court Dismisses Claims on Puyallup Shore Lands
A landmark judicial ruling clears the way for industrial development by stripping the Puyallup Tribe of their claims to Tacoma’s valuable tidelands.
- The Loss of Tribal Sovereignty in Puyallup
A federal ruling stripped the Puyallup Tribe of their status as wards, opening reservation lands to unrestricted sale and private development.
- The Puyallup Land Dispute: A Forgotten Fight for City Growth
In 1892, Representative John L. Wilson proposed liquidating the Puyallup Indian Reservation to spur the growth of Tacoma, highlighting the long-standing tension between tribal sovereignty and urban expansion.
- The Sudden End of a Tacoma Tycoon
A wealthy real estate developer and pillar of the financial community takes his own life following financial struggles.
- Defiance on the Puyallup Reservation
A railroad developer ignores the Indian Agent’s orders to stop grading on tribal lands, setting the stage for a potential military standoff.
- Army Deployed Against Railroad Developers on Puyallup Land
Federal troops are dispatched to the Puyallup Reservation to physically stop a construction party from grading a railroad through Indigenous land.
- Puyallup Leader Peter Stanup Reported Missing in Tacoma
The Puyallup leader vanished after a night of drinking and tension over reservation land, leaving his community in mourning and suspicion.
- The Real Estate Titan Who Fell to Earth
Allen C. Mason, the man who built the Tacoma boom, sees his mortgage empire collapse under the weight of taxes and hard times.
- The Fight Over the Puyallup Coal Road
A Senate debate exposes the Northern Pacific Railroad's attempt to secure land grants for a coal line under the guise of the Cascade branch.
- The Tacoma Gold Rush That Was Salted With Quicksilver
A mining journal exposes how placer claims on Tacoma school land turned a public trust into a speculative jackpot—complete with imported gold, alleged bribery, and a land office that kept saying yes.
- The War for Power in the Pacific Northwest
A Boston-backed syndicate attempts to monopolize water rights and electricity, sparking a high-stakes legal battle with independent producer Charles H. Baker.
- The Moses of Tacoma
A Tacoma minister initiates an ambitious, secret plan to assist Black families fleeing the Jim Crow South for the Pacific Northwest.
- 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.
- The Disappearing Developer
A local real estate operator vanishes, leaving behind a trail of dishonored checks, uncompleted houses, and angry creditors across Tacoma.