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    Tacoma Art Museum: Union-busting Like It’s 1947

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    Best Christmas Lights in Tacoma 2022

    The Rights of Our Ways

    Pro Tips for the Tacoma Film Festival

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    Tacoma Art Museum: Union-busting Like It’s 1947

    The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in the History of Tacoma

    Best Christmas Lights in Tacoma 2022

    The Rights of Our Ways

    Pro Tips for the Tacoma Film Festival

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Tacoma History

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It’s Time You Heard the Puyallup Tribe’s Version of Tacoma’s History

145 years ago today, the City of Tacoma was officially incorporated. This came only 23 years after the first Euro-American...
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John Conna: Pioneer of Tacoma’s Black History

This is a biography and reminiscence of the Tacoma African American pioneer John N. Conna written by his grandson, Douglas Q....
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Jokes, Smokes and a Miserable Time: Mark Twain’s Visit to Tacoma

When Mark Twain arrived in Tacoma in 1895 he was broke, smoking 10 cigars a day, and seemingly unimpressed by the area. Much like our summer of 2017, wildfires were wreaking havoc in Washington and most of our beautiful scenery was completely hidden from view.
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Lesser-Known Tales of Galloping Gertie’s Collapse

For a brief period of time many Tacoma residents experienced the bit of bounce that earned the original Tacoma Narrows...
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Long Time Tacoman, Bob Piatt, Remembers Tacoma of the 1940s

Tacoma has museums, photo archives at the library, and many websites dedicated to preserving its history. However, a truly invaluable way of learning about the history of a city you love is talking to someone who actually lived it.
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Love Tacoma History? Grab One of These Library Cards Before They’re Gone

Photos by Sierra Hartman We’re big fans of the Tacoma Public Library. Some of our favorite historic images and little...
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Making Space: The Life of Tacoma Civil Rights Activist Helen Stafford

By Henry Stewart-Wood Helen B. Stafford has an elementary school named after her in Tacoma’s South End. But in 1926...
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May We Have Tacoma’s Attention, Please?

Well 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...
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Mystery Plaque on 19th and Market Explained

December 21st is the winter solstice and, according to a cryptic sidewalk plaque in downtown Tacoma, sunrise on that day at 19th and Market is the time and place to be if you want to take a peek into the world of the dead.
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Over Tacoma, Past and Present

By now, you’ve probably caught on that we love old photos of Tacoma. Pair some of our favorite history shots...
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Paying Homage to the Murray Morgan Bridge

A while back we asked some of our readers what symbolized Tacoma in their eyes. While “Bikini barista stand” gave us a good chuckle, the most popular answer was the Murray Morgan Bridge.
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Please Pause & Admire W. W. Pickerill’s Mighty Fine Automobile

In 1899, W.W. Pickerill became the very proud owner of the first automobile in Tacoma. It was summer when the...
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