Tacoma Daily Index

In 1875, when the city was incorporated, saw mills buzzed along the shores of Commencement Bay, and heavy locomotives rumbled into town after cross-country hauls, loading and unloading passengers and cargo in the “City of Destiny” — a title bestowed on Tacoma after the Northern Pacific Railroad picked the city as its western terminus.

Fifteen years later, on May 1, 1890, Tacomans picked up the first edition of the Daily Mortgage and Lien Record. The single sheet newspaper was published out of the California Building in downtown Tacoma, whose tenants included Merrick Brothers clothing and shoe store; St. John’s Pharmacy; I.J. Sharick jewelers; Fidelity Rent & Collection Company; and even a photographer and “crayon artist” named Arthur French.