Karla Stover Bücher

Jail breaks, kidnappings, and a cult leader.Tacoma, the city where the rails meet the sails, has always been a place of innovation and rule-breakers. When the railroad came in the 19th century, business boomed, and so did smuggling, bootlegging, and prostitution. Men such as Peter Sandberg walked the line between criminal and respectable. Police in the growing town had their hands full not just with human criminals, but stray cows, ducks, and the occasional bear. Rumor has it that in the 1920s, gangsters Lucky Luciano and Frank Nitti were sent to cool their heels in the port city and may have been behind a smoke bomb attack on a movie theater.Join author Karla Stover as she delves into the wild and colorful past of the City of Destiny.

In 1882, shortly after the Northern Pacific Railroad established a terminus on Commencement Bay, the city of New Tacoma is flourishing with new stores, a hospital, and a hotel in the works. Horse-drawn streetcars traverse gravel roads, and a telephone system is emerging. Nell Tanquist believes the town has everything it needs to rival Portland—except for a dress-making establishment. She dreams of creating beautiful clothes for women, but her hand-sewing skills and lack of a sewing machine limit her ambitions. To earn money, Nell takes on various jobs, including a memorable wagon ride to Steilacoom to sell her crocheted items, serving punch at a chaotic party, and working at the Halstead Hotel. As summer arrives, she balances work with leisure, enjoying outings with her sister and a budding romance that jeopardizes her aspirations. A picnic on Commencement Bay nearly ends in disaster, and an attempted kidnapping she witnesses leads her into unexpected challenges. The narrative is rich with pioneers, Chinese laborers, and members of the Puyallup Indian tribe, but at its heart is Nell's journey—a determined girl striving to defy convention and forge her own path.

In this collection, discover the city's early notables and uncover the stories behind the historic landmarks.