Tacoma Community College Library: Pacific Northwest History: Tacoma

The City of Tacoma

Tacoma, originally promoted as the "City of Destiny," has a rich history filled with many colorful people who helped shape it over the years.

Use the resources linked below to find info on various topics in the history of the city. Locate primary from the online collections and websites such as diaries, letters, images, articles, objects, etc. that were created at the time of the specific event. Search for secondary and tertiary information in the articles (both from some of the library's websites, as well as from the web), using the links below.

*For more info on primary versus secondary info, see the sub-tab under "Articles in TCC Databases."
- Image cited below, click to enlarge

Featured Online Collections

The resources linked below are collections from various local institutions that house info on local history.

Cities and Towns - Topic search
From HistoryLink.org - search a list of articles about various cities in Washington state and the pioneers and natives who lived there.
HistoryLink
A free, authoritative, Washington State history encyclopedia.
History of Tacoma for Newcomers
From Tacoma History Live, a great website for Tacoma History!
Tacoma Community History Project - UW Digital Collections
The Tacoma Community History Project gathers oral histories created by University of Washington Tacoma students enrolled in courses taught by Professor Michael Honey.
Tacoma Historical Society
The Tacoma Historical Society has many exhibits and Tacoma-centric artifacts, as well as some online exhibits and information about the city's past.
Tacoma History Live
A blog, connected to UWT, with stories, information, and an array of primary source materials such as historic photos.
Tacoma Public Library: Northwest Room
Collection includes photographs, obituary information, historical building indexes, and northwest people databases.

County or statewide collections

The Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest
"The Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest is dedicated to advancing historical scholarship on the North American West with an emphasis on the Pacific Northwest and its connections to other places."
Digital Public Library of America - Primary Source Sets
“Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop critical thinking skills by exploring topics in history, literature, and culture through primary sources. Drawing online materials from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States, the sets use letters, photographs, posters, oral histories, video clips, sheet music, and more. Each set includes a topic overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide.” CC BY (Creative Commons - Attribution) license.
History - Pierce County Website
A brief, topical article talking about the history of the area.
Pierce County Historical Documents Survey
The primary goal was to catalogue significant historic documents and records in a variety of media, including, but not limited to, photographs; commercial, public, government, and institutional records; maps, surveys, and plats; birth and death records; scrapbooks; newspaper clippings; magazine articles; notebooks; diaries; correspondence; family reminiscences; oral history recordings and transcripts; architectural drawings; and more. The document survey was focused on unincorporated Pierce County and cities that do not have historic preservation programs.
UW Digital Archives
Find information, documents, and photographs on an array of Pacific Northwest related topics in the UW Digital archives.
Washington State Historical Society - Collections Search
"The collection at the Washington State Historical society comprises Washington State historical materials–including artifacts, photographs, ephemera, and archival material–from territory to present day."
Washington State History Research Center
Research Washington is the gateway to learning about Washington’s past by exploring objects, publications, ephemera and more. The Washington State Historical Society is home to many unique collections and includes over 70,000 artifacts and half a million images.
Washington State University Libraries Digital Collections
"WSU Libraries Digital Collections provide access to the academic and cultural heritage of Washington State and the Palouse Region."

Tacoma Community History Project

At the University of Washington Tacoma Campus

Since 1991, students enrolled in Dr. Michael Honey's “Doing Community History” class have been collecting oral histories of local residents and gathering historical research in Community History Projects. Interviews are transcribed and edited for user accessibility, and the original audio interview is often included.

Tacoma Community History Project - UW Digital Collections
The Tacoma Community History Project gathers oral histories created by University of Washington Tacoma students enrolled in courses taught by Professor Michael Honey.
Tacoma Community History Projects Library Guide
A guide to oral history projects compiled by students in Professor Mike Honey's "Doing Community History" course. Includes lists for titles, authors, and subjects.

Featured Podcasts

Use the links below to find featured podcasts and/or podcasts episodes discussing local history.

Move to Tacoma [Podcast]
The Move to Tacoma Podcast is hosted by Marguerite Martin "Tacoma Neighborhoods, Real Tacomans Tell Their Stories"
The Tacoma Historical Society Podcast
First launched in 2021, the Tacoma Historical Society Podcast provides local stories of Tacoma's past
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"Don't miss Grit City Stories, a series hosted by Joe Bomar, one of our extraordinary volunteers. The series includes oral histories, conversations with local historians on a variety of topics, and interviews with representatives from a variety of community organizations highlighting their histories.

The podcast also includes episodes produced by high school and college students in Tacoma, on topics ranging from music to unsolved crimes"
Illuminating Tacoma’s History in the Northwest Room with Anna Trammell
"In this episode of the Move to Tacoma podcast, Marguerite Martin interviews Local History Librarian Anna Trammell. Anne is a librarian at the Tacoma Public Library’s Northwest Room. The Northwest Room features archives of Tacoma’s local history, genealogy, and special collections, and this treasure trove of information is constantly evolving. "