We can't say enough good things about the Tacoma Public Library. Not only are their online archives a wealth of knowledge accessible from anywhere on the web at anytime, their Northwest Room files hold a treasure trove of Tacoma history.
"Driving down I-5, feeling kinda witty/Takin' in the sunshine, lookin' at the city" begin the lyrics of a Tacoma Dome song not nearly enough people are aware even exists.
In 1955 Kaiser Aluminum decided there was no better way to promote safety on the job than to have models—in bikinis—demonstrate proper equipment handling.
There was no marketing genius behind turning Tacoma Self Storage into Tacoma “Elf” Storage 11 years ago. It wasn’t a ploy by the company to get free press, or even an enthusiastic holiday reveler looking to spread cheer—it was a happy little accident caused by our feathered friends.
It'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.
Parking 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.
In 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.
Every 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.
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...
From the 'you can't make this stuff up files' comes a look back at the 1955 Tacoma Home Show, where there was plenty for guests to see at the College of Puget Sound's field house (now the University of Puget Sound).
Have you ever wondered how long it would take nature to reclaim a neighborhood if everyone just got up and left? It’s hard to say how long an average house would last, but if you wiped the neighborhood off the map and left the ground bare, 67 years is, evidently, more than enough time to blend the land back into the surrounding wilderness.
When Stadium Bowl first opened in 1910 it was a pretty big deal. Theodore Roosevelt visited a year later and had this to say about it:
