Grit City Magazine

11/15/2024

November 15th is Helen Stafford Day in Tacoma.

“I had tried when I first came to Tacoma to get a teacher’s position. I called for a conference, and the man was very nice, he said come on down. He didn’t know I was Black. When I got there, right away he looked like he wanted to faint. He stood right up to me and said, ‘Sorry Mrs. Stafford, we don’t even have a Negro janitor here. We couldn’t subject our children to that.’ Whatever that was,” Stafford said.

By Henry Stewart-Wood Helen B. Stafford has an elementary school named after her in Tacoma’s South End. But in 1926 the school district refused to hire her as a teacher because she was Black.  Stafford was born in Kansas in 1899. Her parents were born into slavery. She graduated from Kansas State...

11/12/2024

Happy Veterans Day, Tacoma.

This city has had ties to every military conflict since the Civil War and is still home to a large population of veterans.

If you’re a veteran and you feel like sharing your experience, we’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment with your years of service, your branch, and what you did while you were in.

Military service is a unique experience that can build bonds unlike any other. With veterans only comprising around 6% of the total US population, though, it can also feel incredibly isolating.

If that isolation feels familiar, consider us a friend to talk to. The GCM team is pretty small but one of us (the one writing this caption) spent six years (‘03-’09) in the navy as an Arabic translator. No judgment, no expectations, just a connection if you want it.

There are a lot of us out there and regardless of demographics or political views we’ll always have that bond.

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#253

11/04/2024

On the morning of November 3, 1885 a mob of 500 people—including the county sheriff, a US marshal, the fire chief, and the mayor of Tacoma—gathered on Pacific Avenue and walked to an area near modern-day Thea’s Park.

There they found a small neighborhood built by Chinese laborers who had lived and worked in Tacoma during the previous decade.

The mob went through each home and told the residents to pack their belongings; they were leaving town that day. Chinese shop owners around the city were subjected to the same eviction notice.

The entire Chinese population of Tacoma was then marched eight miles to a train station and forced to board a train to Portland. Those who could not afford a ticket rode in boxcars or walked along the tracks.

Upon arrival in Portland they were “requested to move on east, where their presence could be tolerated.”

Three days later, the homes that made up Tacoma’s Chinatown were burned to the ground. While a few members of the community objected to the methods used, the mob was met with little to no resistance from the white citizens of Tacoma.

The main organizers—known as the Tacoma Twenty-seven—were eventually indicted but never convicted of any crimes. As news of the events spread, “The Tacoma Method” was applauded as an example for other cities to replicate.

It was seven years later before the first Chinese businessman was allowed to return to Tacoma and open an office in the Bostwick building.

The events of that day left an indelible mark on Tacoma. The demographics of this city, its political structure, traditions, and values, have all been influenced by the attempted erasure of an entire culture from this city’s history.

The people of 1885 were, from their perspective, living at the epitome of civilization, just like we are now. And they still allowed this to happen.

Ask yourself how sure you are that this kind of thing would never happen again.

Learn more at tacomamethod.com and at the Chinese Reconciliation Park on Ruston Way.

Photos courtesy of Tacoma Public Library and Washington State Historical Society.

10/31/2024

More of this, please.

1️⃣: Jeremy Kinlow ( on IG)
2️⃣: Michael Weldon Photography

10/29/2024

"The reception parlors were appropriately decorated with leafless branches of trees to which were appended silhouettes of black paper cats, bats, owls and witches. Gilded nuts and strings of popcorn rubbed with phosphorous were intertwined about the branches."

Illustrations by Oksana Krytska On Sunday November 1, 1908, the Tacoma Daily Ledger ran a column on page 13 titled, “COLORED WOMAN’S CLUB GIVES PARTY.” On the surface, this isn’t terribly unique. Newspapers of 100+ years ago would regularly publish articles about parties, dances, dinners, an...

10/24/2024

Of all the photos on the internet of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, the scene from Chambers Bay last night, a week and a half past its prime viewing, won't be listed as the most amazing.

But it was still cool to see it—albeit only through a long exposure or powerful binoculars.

The second shot is of Comet Neowise that passed by in the summer of 2020.

Both shots by Sierra Hartman.

And since we have your attention, we'd like to take this opportunity to remind you to register to vote if you haven't already.

You still have plenty of time and you'll feel a lot better about yourself if you do.

10/21/2024

No rain, no rainbows.

📷: Michael Weldon Photography

10/14/2024

Imagine what this place looked like 250 years ago. Look out the closest window and picture what was there before.

Was it an old growth cedar forest? Was it a prairie with herds of grazing elk? Maybe you could see a rocky coastline or the mouth of a river?

If you were able to see back in time, you might notice a trail following the same path that your drive home now takes.

Was there a village somewhere along that trail? Who lived there? What language did they speak? What kinds of foods did they eat? What did their homes look like? What stories did they tell?

In some parts of this country, those questions would be difficult or impossible to answer. There are entire cultures, languages, and histories known only by trace evidence dug up by archaeologists—relegated to bits and pieces in a museum.

But that’s not what happened here.

In spite of a well organized, government funded, industrial-level effort to erase Indigenous cultures from Tacoma’s history, the Puyallup Tribe is still here today, raising their families, practicing traditions, and speaking the Twulshootseed language—just as their ancestors did.

All of those questions are answerable. All the stories are there waiting for you to hear them. The Puyallup Tribe has made it easy for anyone to learn more about their culture and today is a perfect day to start:

➡ Follow Twulshootseed to learn about their language.

➡ Follow Puyallup Tribe of Indians and visit puyalluptribe-nsn.gov

➡ Sign up for their newsletter for current events and news.

➡ Check them out on YouTube at PuyallupTribeofIndians for long form stories.

➡ Follow the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Historic Preservation Department.

➡ Visit the Washington State Historical Society and go to the Northwest room at Tacoma Public Library's main branch to ask for recommendations.

➡ Research the Medicine Creek Treaty, the Puget Sound War, the Cushman Indian Boarding School, and all the other related stories that you’ll come across.

It’s a fascinating story and there is always more to learn.

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day.

10/12/2024

Seeing the aurora borealis in your own city is a very special thing. But that’s not the only part worth celebrating.

Being outside in the middle of the night experiencing something with a bunch of strangers, all feeling hope and joy (and sometimes disappointment) about the same thing at the same time is an equally rare experience.

Photographers will share tips, excited children will give obvious but exuberant advice, and everyone gets to just be human beings for a while.

Cheyne Smith ( on IG) was up on the hill right above the spot where I was shooting last night, though we didn’t realize it until much later that night.

He stayed out probably later than anyone else and caught the last big burst of color around 1am as he was heading back on the path.

It wasn’t as good of a show as last May but it was 100% worth going anyway, just be out in the world doing a real thing.

We’re supposed to be seeing the peak of solar activity around July of next year (the middle of the current 11 year solar cycle) so we’ll hopefully have a lot more opportunities like this coming up.

Also, keep in mind that pretty much every photo you see of the aurora is an enhanced version of what it actually looked like to the human eye and usually somewhat more than what the camera originally recorded. See the last slide as an example.

This isn’t meant to be misleading, it’s just what cameras were meant to do. All this to say, don’t be too bummed if you see some amazing photos that look better than what you saw.

It may just be someone pushing the clarity slider a little too far.

📷1 Cheyne Smith: 14mm, f2.8, 30”, ISO 100
📷2 Sierra Hartman: 16mm, f4.5, 25”, ISO 1250

#253

10/08/2024

So there you are, ogling the new Tacoma Film Festival program, giddy with anticipation but frozen with indecision.

“If only there were a team of well informed TFF staff collaborating with a creative local magazine to tell me which films to prioritize based on my personality!” you say with desperation.

Well friend, have we got good news for you...

So there you are, ogling the new Tacoma Film Festival program, giddy with anticipation but frozen with indecision. So many interesting films, so many potential hidden gems, but your boss denied your paid staycation request. “If only there were a team of well informed TFF staff collaborating with a...

10/04/2024

Heads up, Tacoma. The sun let out some big ‘ol space t***s over the last couple days and scientists are sniffing around for another aurora show this weekend.

Here’s what NOAA's Space Weather forecast has to say about it:

“G1-G3 (Minor-Strong) geomagnetic storms likely over the next three days due to influences from the halo CMEs that left the Sun late on 01 Oct and midday on 03 Oct.”

For context, the May 10th aurora was a G5—as high as it gets.

The aurora has been visible (at least by cameras) a couple times since May so we’re feeling hopeful.

As always, there’s no guarantee that anything will be visible but here are some general tips for good viewing:

➡ The darker, the better. If you’re standing in a parking lot with street lights, you’re not going to see anything.
➡ Your eyes take 20-30 minutes to fully adjust to darkness. If you go from a well lit house to a dark backyard, you may not see anything at first.
➡ Your camera (even a phone) will be able to see more color than your eyes in the dark. If you see a grayish cloud that seems to be moving weird, point your camera at it and take a long exposure.

The saddest people in Tacoma today are the few who went to bed before 11:00. What happened last night was a once-in-a-lifetime experience—unless of course it happens again tonight. I got to Point Defiance just before 10:30 last night and I’ve never seen so many people out on the promenade, even ...

10/02/2024

Just when you thought you've seen every possible angle of Stadium High school.

📷: Eric Benson ( on IG)

09/28/2024

Hey you. We like you.

We like you and we appreciate you.

We appreciate that even though social media is a real drag sometimes, you still found your way here, one way or another.

We’re doing a lot of behind the scenes work to make sure the business side of things is sustainable but we’ll hopefully be utilizing this platform more in the near future for real, positive, community building things.

We also appreciate all the people who support what we do, beyond just sharing pretty pictures of Tacoma.

(Pretty pictures are important, though, so big shout out to on Instagram for sharing this photo.)

To all the people who subscribe to our print magazine, the people who buy our stickers and posters, the local businesses who sponsor us, and of course, all of our Patreon supporters—thank you.

And bonus: all subscribers and Patreon supporters get an invite to our magazine release parties, plus other goodies depending on the tier.

If you’ve got a couple bucks to spare and you want to get in on it, go to patreon.com/gritcitymag

And if you see a friend’s name on the Patreon list below, give them a high five for us next time you see them.

PS- We haven’t been super diligent about these posts so extra thank you for your patience and understanding.

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09/21/2024

Last weekend of the fair. Who's going?

📷: (via IG)

09/13/2024

Happy Friday the 13th, Tacoma. Did you know the man who coined the nickname, “City of Destiny” was a member of The Thirteen Club?

George Francis Train was one of Tacoma’s original boosters and, despite being one the city’s most eccentric historical characters, had a mostly level head when it came to superstition.

The Thirteen Club was started in the 1880s in response to widespread superstition surrounding the number 13. It was said that thirteen people sitting at a table would result in one of them dying within a year.

Chapters around the country met regularly on the 13th of the month and served dinner for 13 people per table. Members entered dining rooms under ladders, salt was purposely spilled, and candles on the table were set in miniature skulls. Dinners started at 13 minutes past 7 with the breaking of a mirror and members sat under open umbrellas.

By the late 1880s, there were at least 400 members including five US presidents.

The myth of “13 at a table” may come from The Last Supper with Jesus being the unlucky 13th. Another version of the story points to Norse Mythology wherein Loki intruded on a banquet of 12 gods and caused the death of Balder.

George Francis Train was famous for his round-the-world speed record of 67 days, of which Tacoma was the point of departure and destination.

The main character of Jules Verne’s book, Around the World in Eighty Days, was likely based on him. "Verne stole my thunder,” he claimed. “I'm Phileas Fogg."

He also ran for Dictator of the United States at one point and refused to shake hands with anyone for fear of losing “psychic force.”

Upon his death, the Thirteen Club called George Francis Train, “one of the few sane men in a mad, mad world."

Handbill image courtesy of Washington State Historical Society (ID # 2001.100.37)

09/10/2024

Goodnight, Tacoma.

📷: (via IG)

09/03/2024

This is a big move and we're honestly not sure how it's going to go. But it's necessary for a few important reasons.

If you have any questions at all, we're pretty open and we'd love to hear from you.

“Hey, maybe we should start making a print magazine instead of just the online stuff.” “Yea, good idea. How hard can it be?” “Right? Oh! And let’s make it really big with super nice paper and come up with some kind of really tedious binding system.” “Good call. This is gonna be super...

08/26/2024

Go get the rest of that summer, Tacoma.

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