Searching for Tubby: The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse’s Only Victim
November 7, 2018It’s now been 78 years since the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed, but it was just a handful a months ago one local resident discovered he’s now living in the former home of one of the most notable figures from that day. During the process of remodeling, owner Ben Strutin discovered Leonard Coatsworth’s car insurance…
How to Avoid a Parking Ticket in 1940s Tacoma
November 1, 2018Parking in downtown Tacoma wasn’t any easier in the late 1930s than it is today. In fact, that decade was filled with disputes between shop owners who wanted spaces to be available for customers and “parking hog” employees that stayed all day. After years of fighting in city hall, 1,200 meters were installed during the…
A Dome of Our Own: The Tacoma Dome Story
October 26, 2018In celebration of the Tacoma Dome’s recent renovation, we were invited to look through the archives at the Tacoma Dome to see what kinds of historical tidbits we could find. From David Bowie to the Backstreet Boys, Truckzilla to RV shows, the archives held all the Dome’s most cherished memories. The story of how the…
Tacoma’s Loch Ness is an Electrified Sea Monster
October 18, 2018Every 60 years or so the tale of Tacoma’s electrified version of the Loch Ness Monster manages to find a way to be told once more. Here, we present the 1960 retelling of the event that terrified local fisherman in 1893, as found filed away in the Tacoma Public Library’s Northwest Room archives… Sunday, August…
May We Have Tacoma’s Attention, Please?
October 2, 2018Well before the online era, promoters and performers went to great lengths to capture the attention of Tacomans. A look back at some of the creative lengths businesses, and the city itself, have gone to as catalogued and in the Tacoma Public Library‘s online archives… On April 27, 1915, the Tacoma Publicity Committee sponsored a race…