For more than 150 years, the activity on and around Commencement Bay-since the 1840s, when Charles Wilkes first named it, to the present day-has been a barometer for measuring Tacoma's maritime and in
Tacoma, like most cities across the nation, has changed its appearance over time, creating many different urban landscapes. This phenomenon was apparent throughout the area as landowners, developers,
In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railroad selected the south shore of Commencement Bay as the terminus of its transcontinental line. Connected to, but independent of the railroad, the Tacoma Land Company
