In the summer of 1970, Ramona Bennett and a group of activists set up a fishing camp on the banks of the Puyallup River between Tacoma and Fife. This location was selected for its high visibility and Ramona, armed with a portable typewriter, kept news reporters informed as a way to raise awareness. The group…
Two Female Pioneers of mid-century Northwest Design: Frances W. Grafton & Mary Lund Davis
By Spencer Bowman, Northwest Room Librarian In 1950s Tacoma, two women were locally reshaping the way people lived and interacted with built environments and interiors. Frances W. Grafton, a designer, filled homes with color and personality, while Mary Lund Davis, an architect, reimagined the structures themselves. Together, they proved that design in the Pacific Northwest…
13 Ways of Looking at the Northwest: Activism
This post is part of the series 13 Ways of Looking at the Northwest. You can find the initial post here. By Heather Lowcock, Project Archivist, NHPRC Grant – News Tribune Collection In one of my favorite Ada Limón poems, the speaker calls out to the reader: “What if we stood up with our synapses and…
13 Ways of Looking at the Northwest: Immigration
This post is part of the series 13 Ways of Looking at the Northwest. You can find the initial post here. By Heather Lowcock, Project Archivist, NHPRC Grant – News Tribune Collection During the 1960s, The News Tribune had a recurring feature called “Down the Road a Piece.” Set in old lumber, mining, or agricultural…
Read All About It: Black-Owned Newspapers and “The Tacoma Facts”
By James Peterson, Northwest Room Black-owned newspapers have long played an important role in this country, giving representation, empowerment and a voice to a segment of the population that might otherwise go unheard due to racism. Throughout history, these newspapers have allowed Black individuals to tell their story in their own words, like in the…
13 Ways of Looking at the Northwest
By Heather Lowcock, Project Archivist, NHPRC Grant – News Tribune Collection There were blackbirds surrounding me. Okay, well, not literally. I was in the basement of the Tacoma Public Library, sorting thousands of envelopes, digitizing photographs, and importing metadata, but they were there, circling my brain--blackbirds--more specifically, a poem about blackbirds. It is, perhaps, unsurprising…
Tacoma’s Speed Demons
By Spencer Bowman, Northwest Room Librarian From 1912 to 1922, Tacoma was home to a racetrack once considered among the best in the country. During those ten years, famous drivers such as “Terrible Tedy” Tetzlof, R.C. "Cliff" Durant, Roscoe Sarles, and the Chevrolet brothers—Gaston and Louis (yes, that Chevrolet)—raced high-powered, open-wheeled cars at speeds exceeding…
Write253 storytellers find inspiration in the Northwest Room
By Spencer Bowman, Northwest Room Librarian Earlier this month, young storytellers from Write253’s summer writing camp found inspiration tucked between the shelves, cabinets, and microfilm reels of the Tacoma Public Library's Northwest Room. Known for its deep archive of regional history, the Northwest Room offered these campers a rich playground for creative exploration. Each writer…
A Candid Glimpse of Tacoma: Louis Law’s Photography
By Spencer Bowman, Northwest Room Librarian Louis Law’s photography captured the people, events, buildings, and street scenes of our region, sometimes completely unintentionally! A graduate of Stadium High School and a U.S. Army reservist, Law went on to have a remarkable 42-year career with the Tacoma City Public Works Department. There, he worked in traffic…
Celebrating AANHPI Heritage Month Through the Lens of Tacoma’s History
As we celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Northwest Room invites you to delve into the rich tapestry of stories within our collections. These materials offer a window into the vibrant history and contributions of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities in our area. Begin your exploration…
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