The Great Tacoma Freeze of 1909

Tacoma citizens listened to the windows rattle all night as a cold wave swept in from Canada. At 5 o'clock this morning, the wind was rattling through town at a 50-mile clip and the temperature was down to 21.4 degrees, a record for both wind and cold for the year. The blast hunted up water pipes in secluded corners and froze them solid, making the plumber and coal man happy but keeping householders in misery. On O street, a big maple tree was blown over. The big Tacoma theater sign on Ninth street was brought down. Sailing schooners in the bay were torn loose from their anchorage and drifted aimlessly. Logs escaped from the booms of the waterfront mills, bumping houseboats and driving their occupants to police headquarters for safety.