Brothers Wyatt J. Rucker (1857–1931) and Bethel J. Rucker (1862–1945) were pioneering entrepreneurs who helped to found the city of Everett, Washington .
63-522: Originally from Noble County, Ohio, in 1888 the Rucker brothers moved to Tacoma, Washington , along with their mother Jane Morris Rucker (1830–1907). The following year they moved 60 miles (97 km) north to the Port Gardner peninsula, the site that would become Everett. The Ruckers purchased most of the land on the peninsula with plans to create a port and city there. They hoped that the site, near
126-552: A book called Margaret , which includes images from the scrapbook, narratives by Rinaldi and Webley, and a compact disc of the musical performances. Beyond the live performance at the Historical Everett Theater on April 11, 2014, there were only a few other live performances of the concept album and presentation of images from the scrapbook. These additional performances constitute the album's release tour, which began on December 12, Margaret Rucker's birthday, in
189-750: A branch campus of the University of Washington ; the numerous privately financed renovation projects near the campus; the Washington State History Museum (1996), echoing the architecture of Union Station; the Museum of Glass (2002); the Tacoma Art Museum (2003); and the region's first light-rail line (2003). The glass and steel Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center opened in November 2004. America's Car Museum
252-482: A collaborative show about her a reality. He researched her life and poetry, and invited musicians to compose pieces inspired by the scrapbook. On April 11, 2014 Webley premiered "Margaret" at the Historic Everett Theater, featuring musical performances by a number of other artists, along with Rinaldi telling his story and showing images from the scrapbook. Later that year Webley and Rinaldi produced
315-482: A conservative Republican, focused on the vulnerabilities of computers to fraud. In 1998, Tacoma installed Click! Network , a high-speed fiber optic network throughout the community. The municipally owned power company, Tacoma Power , wired the city. In response, the State of Washington passed RCW 54.16.330 in 2000, effectively preventing further research and development of Click! Network until its repeal in 2021 during
378-675: A hill overlooking Puget Sound (412 Laurel Drive, Everett), was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Legend says that the home, completed in 1905, was a present for Bethel's bride, Ruby Brown, whom he had married the year before, but it also served as home for several additional members of the family. The house is currently a privately owned residence. Members of the Rucker family are buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Everett, where they are memorialized by
441-569: A major destination for big-time automobile racing, with one of the nation's top-rated racing venues just outside the city limits, at the site of today's Clover Park Technical College . In 1924, Tacoma's first movie studio, H. C. Weaver Studio, was sited at present-day Titlow Beach . At the time, it was the third-largest freestanding film production space in America, with the two larger facilities being located in Hollywood. The production studio
504-443: A mayor and city-manager system in 1952. Tacoma was featured prominently in the garage rock sound of the mid-1960s with bands including The Wailers and The Sonics . The surf rock band The Ventures were also from Tacoma. Downtown Tacoma experienced a long decline through the mid-20th century. Harold Moss , later the city's mayor, characterized late-1970s Tacoma as looking "bombed out" like "downtown Beirut " (a reference to
567-549: A new city. The Ruckers became partners in the company, selling about half of their land and retaining the rest. Speculation in Everett was intense, and the new city was built quickly, but the boom turned to bust when it was announced that the Great Northern would establish its West Coast terminus at Seattle instead of Everett. The Rucker brothers survived the economic downturn, and when Rockefeller and his colleagues were ready to divest themselves of their failed investment,
630-469: A period of revitalization. Developments in the downtown include the University of Washington Tacoma ; the T Line (formerly Tacoma Link), the first modern electric light rail service in the state; the state's highest density of art and history museums; and a restored urban waterfront, the Thea Foss Waterway . The area was inhabited for thousands of years by American Indians , most recently
693-499: A replica was built in 2000 near the original site in "Old Town"). Carr hoped to profit from the selection of Commencement Bay as the terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad, and sold most of his claim to developer Morton M. McCarver (1807–1875), who named his project Tacoma City, derived from the indigenous name for the mountain. Tacoma was incorporated on November 12, 1875, following its selection in 1873 as
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#1732783394393756-547: A whole most Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. in the council chambers at 747 Market St. Meetings are open to the public and provide for public input. Victoria Woodards began her term as mayor of the City of Tacoma on January 2, 2018. She is Tacoma's third African-American mayor and third female mayor, and the second African-American female mayor. She succeeded Marilyn Strickland , who was elected in 2009, becoming Tacoma's first African-American female mayor. Normal day-to-day operations of
819-495: Is at 47°14′29″N 122°27′34″W / 47.24139°N 122.45944°W / 47.24139; -122.45944 (47.241371, –122.459389). Its official elevation is 381 feet (116 m), varying between sea level and about 500 feet (150 m). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 62.34 square miles (161.46 km ), of which 49.72 square miles (128.77 km )
882-637: Is land and 12.62 square miles (32.69 km ) is water. Tacoma straddles the neighboring Commencement Bay with several smaller cities surrounding it. Large areas of Tacoma have views of Mount Rainier. In the event of a major eruption of Mount Rainier, the low-lying areas of Tacoma near the Port of Tacoma are at risk from a lahar flowing down the Puyallup River. The city is several miles north of Joint Base Lewis–McChord , formerly known separately as Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base . According to
945-563: Is locally known as the "City of Destiny" because the area was chosen to be the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad in the late 19th century. The decision of the railroad was influenced by Tacoma's neighboring deep-water harbor, Commencement Bay . By connecting the bay with the railroad, Tacoma's motto became "When rails meet sails". Commencement Bay serves the Port of Tacoma , a center of international trade on
1008-408: Is presented in the format of a book with a compact disc. It is a concept album about Margaret Rucker, an American poet. Contributing musical artists on the album include Jason Webley , Eliza Rickman , Shenandoah Davis, Led To Sea, Mts. & Tunnels, Jherek Bischoff , Lonesome Leash, and Zac Pennington . Scrapbook material of Margaret's was presented by " Chicken John " Rinaldi. Margaret Rucker
1071-477: The COVID-19 pandemic , a period of over 20 years. Beginning in the early 1990s, city residents and planners took steps to revitalize Tacoma, particularly its downtown. Among the projects were the federal courthouse in the former Union Station (1991); Save Our Station community group; Merritt+Pardini Architect (1991); Reed & Stem Architects (1911); the adaptation of a group of century-old brick warehouses into
1134-507: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2022, there were 3,601 violent crimes and 19,217 property crimes, for 221,776 residents. Of these, the violent crimes consisted of 147 forcible rapes, 41 murders, 752 robberies and 2,661 aggravated assaults, while 2,365 burglaries, 11,027 larceny-thefts, 5,582 motor vehicle thefts and 243 instances of arson defined the property offenses. Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood struggled with crime in
1197-459: The Köppen climate classification , Tacoma has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb ). The warmest months are July and August; the coldest month is December. As of the 2020 census , there were 219,346 people and 91,951 households residing in the city. As of the 2010 census , there were 198,397 people, 78,541 households, and 45,716 families residing in the city. The population density
1260-574: The Lebanese Civil War that occurred at that time); "Streets were abandoned, storefronts were abandoned and City Hall was the headstone and Union Station the footstone" on the grave of downtown. The first local referendums in the U.S. on computerized voting occurred in Tacoma in 1982 and 1987. On both occasions, voters rejected the computer voting systems that local officials sought to purchase. The campaigns, organized by Eleanora Ballasiotes,
1323-567: The Pacific Coast and Washington's largest port. The city gained notoriety in 1940 for the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge , which earned the nickname "Galloping Gertie" due to the vertical movement of the deck during windy conditions. Like most industrial cities, Tacoma suffered a prolonged decline in the mid-20th century as a result of suburbanization and divestment. Since the 1990s, downtown Tacoma has experienced
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#17327833943931386-533: The Puyallup people, who lived in settlements on the delta. In 1852, a Swede named Nicolas Delin built a water-powered sawmill on a creek near the head of Commencement Bay, but the small settlement that grew around it was abandoned during the Indian War of 1855–56 . In 1864, pioneer and postmaster Job Carr , a Civil War veteran and land speculator, built a cabin (which also served as Tacoma's first post office;
1449-489: The University of Washington in Seattle, Washington . While in college, three of her poems were published in ‘’University of Washington Poems, Third Series’’. After graduating, she married Justus Rodgers Armstrong, a Navy lieutenant, on July 18, 1931, and moved with him first to San Francisco, California , and later to Burbank, California . They had two sons -- John Rogers Armstrong and George Armstrong (1944–1993), whom she
1512-403: The 1930s, the city became known for the " Tacoma Aroma ", a distinctive, acrid odor produced by pulp and paper manufacturing on the industrial tide flats. In the late 1990s, Simpson Tacoma Kraft reduced total sulfur emissions by 90%. This largely eliminated the problem; where once the odor was ever-present, it is now only noticeable occasionally downtown, primarily when the wind is coming from
1575-494: The 1980s and early 1990s. The beginning of the 21st century has seen a marked reduction in crime, while neighborhoods have enacted community policing and other policies. Bill Baarsma (mayor, 2002–2010) was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition , a bi-partisan group with the goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets". Starting in 2020, during
1638-477: The Rucker Monument, a 30-foot (9.1 m) granite pyramid commissioned by Wyatt and Bethel in 1907 to honor their mother. Musician Jason Webley and several other collaborators produced a live performance with invited musicians and a later album entitled Margaret (2014), which was inspired by and memorializes Margaret Rucker, an accomplished poet and daughter of Bethel Rucker. She is also interred in
1701-487: The Rucker mausoleum in the Everett cemetery. The next day, Palmer and Webley went in San Francisco, where Webley met with Rinaldi. Rinaldi told Webley the story of the scrapbook, and showed Webley the few scanned images from the scrapbook he had. "Chicken," said Webley, "I'm pretty sure I was standing on this woman's grave 36 hours ago." Webley was inspired to learn more about Margaret and to make Rinaldi's idea for
1764-552: The Rucker pyramid. Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( / t ə ˈ k oʊ m ə / tə- KOH -mə ) is the county seat of Pierce County , Washington , United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound , 32 miles (51 km) southwest of Seattle , 36 miles (58 km) southwest of Bellevue , 31 miles (50 km) northeast of the state capital, Olympia , 58 miles (93 km) northwest of Mount Rainier National Park , and 80 miles (130 km) east of Olympic National Park . The city's population
1827-658: The Ruckers helped arrange the deal by which the Everett Land Company's interests were sold to a new entity, the Everett Improvement Company, controlled by the Great Northern's James J. Hill . Wyatt Rucker became treasurer of the new company. Prosperity returned to Everett around 1900, and the Rucker brothers were among the city's leading citizens, with extensive investments in local real estate, banks, and other ventures. Among these ventures
1890-464: The Ruckers' hotel in the mining town of Silverton, Washington . Inspired by this, the Ruckers built a grand upscale mountain resort, the Big Four Inn (named for the nearby Big Four Mountain), completed in 1921. The Inn was well supplied with modern amenities and featured a nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, and an artificial lake. The Inn prospered, but the railway remained a financial burden on
1953-494: The Ruckers. It became worse in 1925 when their lease expired and the Ruckers were forced to purchase the line from the Northern Pacific. In 1929, they sold the railway. The Big Four Inn was sold as well, and changed ownership several times before it was destroyed by fire in 1949. A major thoroughfare in Everett is named Rucker Avenue. The Rucker mansion, a three-story, 7,800-square-foot (720 m) brick home built on
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2016-461: The World (IWW), with the goal of a fifty-cent per day pay raise. The strike was strongly opposed by the local business community, and the smelter owners threatened to blacklist organizers and union officials. The IWW opposed this move by trying to persuade inbound workers to avoid Tacoma during the strike. By August, the strike had ended without meeting its demands. Tacoma was briefly (1915–1922)
2079-541: The board of the Weyerhaeuser Company . In 1940, after eviction notices failed, the police department attempted to burn down Hooverville. In 1956, the last occupant of "Hollywood" was evicted and the police used fire to level the grounds and make room for industrial growth. In 1951, an investigation by a state legislative committee revealed widespread corruption in Tacoma's government, which had been organized commission-style since 1910. Voters approved
2142-484: The camp. In 1935, Tacoma received national attention when George Weyerhaeuser , the nine-year-old son of prominent lumber industry executive J.P. Weyerhaeuser , was kidnapped while walking home from school. FBI agents from Portland handled the case, in which a ransom of $ 200,000 secured the release of the victim. Four persons were apprehended and convicted; the last to be released was paroled from McNeil Island in 1963. George Weyerhaeuser went on to become chairman of
2205-502: The city at-large. All serve four-year terms and are elected in odd-numbered years. The council adopts and amends city laws, approves a two-year budget, establishes city policy, appoints citizens to boards and commissions, and performs other actions. The council also meets in "standing committees", which examine the council's work in more defined areas, such as "Environment & Public Works", "Neighborhoods & Housing", and "Public Safety, Human Services & Education". The council meets as
2268-495: The city government are administered by Tacoma's city manager, who is appointed by the city council. Elizabeth Pauli was appointed Interim City Manager on February 6, 2017. She replaced former manager T. C. Broadnax, who was appointed to the office in January 2012 and left in 2017 to become the city manager of Dallas, Texas . At the federal level, Tacoma is part of two congressional districts. The western and northern portions of
2331-422: The city is part of the 6th District , represented by Derek Kilmer . The eastern portion is in the 10th District , represented by Marilyn Strickland . Tacoma is the home of several international companies, including staffing company True Blue Inc., lumber company Simpson , and the food companies Roman Meal and Brown and Haley . Frank C. Mars founded Mars, Incorporated , in 1911 in Tacoma. Beginning in
2394-412: The city without sufficient power and heat. During the 30-day power shortage in the winter of 1929 and 1930, the engines of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington provided Tacoma with electricity. A power grid failure paired with a newly rewritten city constitution – put into place to keep political power away from a single entity such as the railroad – created a standstill in the ability to further
2457-597: The city. As described by the account prepared by the Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation, on the morning of November 3, "several hundred men, led by the mayor and other city officials, evicted the Chinese from their homes, corralled them at 7th Street and Pacific Avenue, marched them to the railway station at Lakeview and forced them aboard the morning train to Portland, Oregon . The next day two Chinese settlements were burned to
2520-454: The city. The median income for a household in the city was $ 37,879, and the median income for a family was $ 45,567. Males had a median income of $ 35,820, versus $ 27,697 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 19,130. About 11.4% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 20.6% of those under the age of 18 and 10.9% of those 65 and older. According to Uniform Crime Report statistics compiled by
2583-410: The east. The mill produces pulpwood and linerboard products; previously owned by St. Regis Company, the mill was sold to RockTenn in 2014. The mill's name changed yet again in 2016 to WestRock and closed on September 30, 2023. Margaret (album) Margaret is a collaborative music and multi-media project by Jason Webley and Friends. It was released on December 12, 2014 on 11 Records. It
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2646-539: The ground." The discovery of gold in the Klondike in 1898 led to Tacoma's prominence in the region being eclipsed by the development of Seattle. A major tragedy marred the end of the 19th century, when a streetcar accident resulted in significant loss of life on July 4, 1900. From May to August 1907, the city was the site of a smelter workers' strike organized by Local 545 of the Industrial Workers of
2709-407: The intersection of Dock Street EXD and East D Street in the train yard, a shanty town became the solution to the growing scar of the depression. Tacoma's Hooverville grew in 1924 as the homeless community settled on the waterfront. In 1927, Tacoma's Hooverville was coined "Hollywood" due to the type of crimes at the camp. The population boomed in November 1930 through early 1931 as families from
2772-408: The local economy. Local businesses were affected as the sudden stop of loans limited progression of expansion and renewal funds for maintenance, leading to foreclosures. Families across the city experienced the fallout of economic depression as breadwinners sought to provide for their families. Shanty-town politics began to develop as the destitute needed some form of leadership to keep the peace. At
2835-636: The mouth of the Snohomish River , would attract the Great Northern Railway , which was then building track toward Puget Sound . The Ruckers were soon followed by Tacoma lumberman and investor Henry Hewitt, Jr. who had similar ambitions. Hewitt had lined up a group of wealthy investors, led by Charles Colby and Colgate Hoyt and backed by John D. Rockefeller . With their capital he formed the Everett Land Company, which began investing in land, construction, and other business needed by
2898-584: The neighboring McKinley and Hilltop areas were evicted. Collecting scraps of metal and wood from local lumber stores and recycling centers, families began building shanties (shacks) for shelter. By 1934, alcoholism and suicide were a common event in the Hooverville that eventually led to its nickname of "Hollywood on the Tide Flats", because of the Hollywood -style crimes and events taking place in
2961-495: The only witness, was 43 years old at the time. Eerily, it seemed that her poem “Two Deaths,” written while in college, presaged the loss of her husband, even predicting the month in which he died: "Had he left me, old, in winter,/My heart would have known less pain—/But my love left me in April/And I shan't know love again." Margaret committed suicide herself on June 18, 1959 at the age of 51 by overdosing on sleeping pills. She
3024-435: The pandemic, Tacoma's crime started to rise again. In 2022, the city of Tacoma had the highest number of murders in its recorded history, at 45 murders, which dropped to 34 in 2023. The government of the city of Tacoma operates under a council-manager system. The city council consists of an elected mayor ( Victoria Woodards ) and eight elected council members: five from individual city council districts and three others from
3087-420: The population (8.1% Mexican, 1.1% Puerto Rican). There were 78,541 households, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no spouse present, 5.6% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 41.8% were other families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who
3150-526: The railway came into the possession of the Northern Pacific Railway . The Ruckers then leased the line from Northern Pacific and ran it under the name Hartford Eastern (named for Hartford, a small town near Lake Stevens). Their primary interest was in servicing their own timber operations, but they also provided cargo and passenger service to others. The scenic mountain railway became popular with tourists from Everett, some of whom stayed at
3213-600: The western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad due to lobbying by McCarver, future mayor John Wilson Sprague , and others. However, the railroad built its depot in New Tacoma , two miles (3 km) south of the Carr–McCarver development. The two communities grew together and joined, merging on January 7, 1884. The transcontinental link was effected in 1887, and the population grew from 1,098 in 1880 to 36,006 in 1890. Rudyard Kipling visited Tacoma in 1889 and said it
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#17327833943933276-430: Was "literally staggering under a boom of the boomiest". George Francis Train was a resident for a few years in the late 19th century. In 1890, he staged a global circumnavigation starting and ending in Tacoma to promote the city. A plaque in downtown Tacoma marks the start and finish line. In November 1885, white citizens led by then-mayor Jacob Weisbach expelled several hundred Chinese residents peacefully living in
3339-622: Was 219,346 at the time of the 2020 census . Tacoma is the second-largest city in the Puget Sound area and the third-most populous in the state. Tacoma also serves as the center of business activity for the South Sound region, which has a population of about 1 million. Tacoma adopted its name after the nearby Mount Rainier , called təˡqʷuʔbəʔ in the Puget Sound Salish dialect, and “Takhoma” in an anglicized version. It
3402-595: Was 3,864.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,492.2/km ). There were 81,102 housing units at an average density of 1,619.4 per square mile (625.3/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 64.9% White (60.5% Non-Hispanic White ), 12.2% African American , 8.2% Asian (2.1% Vietnamese, 1.6% Cambodian, 1.3% Korean, 1.3% Filipino, 0.4% Chinese, 0.4% Japanese, 0.2% Indian, 0.2% Laotian, 0.1% Thai), 1.8% Native American , 1.2% Pacific Islander (0.7% Samoan, 0.2% Guamanian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian), and 8.1% were from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 11.3% of
3465-494: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age in the city was 35.1 years. 23% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.6% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female. As of the 2000 census , there were 193,556 people, 76,152 households, and 45,919 families residing in
3528-534: Was also the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest The first film produced in Tacoma was Hearts and Fists , which starred John Bowers and premiered at Tacoma's Rialto Theater . The studio's importance has undergone a revival with the discovery of one of its most famous lost films, Eyes of the Totem . In 1932, the studios burned to the ground in a mysterious fire, and the production facility
3591-530: Was an American poet born in Everett, Washington on December 12, 1907. She was one of two children (the other was a son named Jasper) of Ruby and Bethel Rucker , a local businessman and one of the primary founders of the town. The month Margaret was born, her father and her uncle, Wyatt Rucker , began work on building the Rucker mausoleum, a 30-foot tall step pyramid in Evergreen Cemetery in honor of their widowed mother, Jane Morris Rucker. Margaret graduated from
3654-925: Was completed in late 2011 near the Tacoma Dome . The Pantages Theater (first opened in 1918) anchors downtown Tacoma's Theatre District. Tacoma Arts Live manages the Pantages, the Rialto Theater, and the Theatre on the Square. Tacoma Little Theatre (opened in 1918) is northwest of downtown in the Stadium District. Other attractions include the Grand Cinema, McMenamins Elks Temple, and the Landmark Temple Theatre. Tacoma
3717-485: Was interred in the family pyramid in Everett. Her grandchildren, Rod Armstrong and Anne Armstrong, live in California. Margaret's story is preserved largely owing to a series of coincidences. The story of her story began when " Chicken John " Rinaldi found a leather-bound scrapbook of Margaret's in a dumpster in San Francisco. He kept the scrapbook for many years and decided the best way to preserve Margaret's memory
3780-479: Was never rebuilt. Several films were destroyed in the fire as old nitrate-based film did not survive. The 1929 crash of the stock market, resulting in the Great Depression , was only the first event in a series of misfortunes to hit Tacoma in the winter of 1929–30. In one of the coldest winters on record, Tacoma experienced mass power outages and eventually the shutdown of major power supply dams, leaving
3843-437: Was pregnant with when she and Justus were in a car crash that left Margaret in critical condition. (Margaret and Justus's first baby, John Wyatt Armstrong, born January 18, 1936, lived only for a day. He is interred in the Rucker pyramid.) More tragedy would occur in the family. On the 21st of April, 1950, while having coffee after dinner one evening in their Burbank home, Justus pulled out a pistol and killed himself. Margaret,
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#17327833943933906-664: Was the Rucker Brothers Timber Company, which operated a sawmill in nearby Lake Stevens and several timber camps to the east. These were serviced by the former Everett and Monte Cristo Railway , a line which had been built to access a large mining operation at Monte Cristo , high in the Cascade Mountains to the east. The mine and the railway were another speculative venture by Colby and Hoyt, financed by Rockefeller. When it, too, proved unprofitable, Rockefeller withdrew his investment, and in 1903
3969-408: Was to create a show about her, after which the audience would take pieces of the scrapbook with them, since he did not want the scrapbook to end up in another dumpster. Some years later, musician Amanda Palmer was visiting Jason Webley in Everett and asked about the Rucker family, noticing that there were buildings, streets, and public spaces in the town named after them. Webley took Palmer to see
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