• Here is an Tacoma Smelter photograph of what was then the highest concrete chimney in the world at 317 1/2 feet--later a chimney height at the ASARCO plant would reach 571 feet, before being shortened to 562 feet due to repairs in 1937. The last stack was brought down by implosion in 1993.
• Printed on front: Highest Concrete Chimney in the World, 317 1/2 feet. Tacoma, Wash.

Circa 1906.

• The ASARCO site was located at 5300 No. 52nd St. in Ruston. circa 1909.
• Printed on front: Ore Smelter, Tacoma, Washington.

• American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) was located at 5300 No. 52nd St. in Ruston. This smokestack was sometimes touted as being the largest in the world. circa 1917.
• Printed on front: Second largest smokestack in the world - Tacoma Wash.

• Originally the Ryan Smelter, then the Tacoma Smelting & Refining Co., the American Smelting & Refining Co., at 5300 No. 52nd, in 1905 had the largest concrete chimney in the world. circa 1906.
• Printed on front: The Tacoma Smelter, Tacoma, Wash.

ca. 1973. 1973 Richards stock footage. An overhead view of the American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) and Commencement Bay in 1973. Wispy puffs of smoke emerge from the plant's 562-foot smokestack. ASARCO would eventually close twelve years later due to economic and environmental reasons. The smelter stack was demolished in 1993.

Aerial views; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1970-1980; Smokestacks--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Commencement Bay (Wash.);

ca. 1973. 1973 Richards stock footage. Aerial view of North 52nd St. area, featuring the American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) plant and smokestack. Also in the photograph is winding Bayshore Drive near Commencement Bay. The tip of Mount Rainier can barely be seen in the background haze.

Aerial views; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smokestacks--Tacoma; Commencement Bay (Wash.); Rainier, Mount (Wash.);

ca. 1971. 1971 Richards color stock footage. A familiar landmark in Tacoma was the imposing smokestack at the ASARCO smelter. It rose over 500 feet at the smelter located near Point Defiance. The smokestack, dubbed the tallest in the world at the time of its 1917 construction, would be demolished on January 17, 1993.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1970-1980; Smokestacks--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

1971 color Richards stock footage. Aerial view of ASARCO (American Smelting & Refining Co.) in May of 1971. Two ships are docked to be loaded with metals for shipment outside Washington state. The famous ASARCO smokestack is near the right corner edge; the 571-foot giant chimney was imploded in 1993, nine years after the plant had closed. The dark gray color of the plant grounds is in stark contrast to the deep blue waters of Puget Sound; the color is due to slag.

Aerial views; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1970-1980; Smokestacks--Tacoma;

ca. 1905. This early photograph of the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) dates from about 1905. To the left is the smelter's new 307 foot tall chimney which when built in 1905 was the tallest concrete chimney in the world. Twelve years later, in 1917, ASARCO replaced this giant chimney with a new one that stood almost twice as tall - at 571 feet. The smelter closed in 1985 due to both environmental and economic reasons; the smelter's tall stack was demolished on January 17, 1993. (Copy was made on October 3, 1958.)

Chimneys; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Smelters--Tacoma; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smokestacks--Tacoma;

ca. 1917. In 1917, the American Smelting & Refining Company (ASARCO) built a new, giant chimney (right) at their copper smelting plant in Ruston. At 571 feet, it dwarfed their old chimney (left) which at 307 1/2 feet had been the tallest concrete chimney in the world. Smelting on Commencement Bay dated to 1887 when Dennis Ryan built a lead smelting plant along the shore just southeast of what is now Point Defiance Park. The smelter was sold to William Rust in 1889, who converted the plant to copper smelting, and it became known as the Tacoma Smelting and Refining Company. In 1905, the operation was sold to ASARCO. The plant closed in 1985 and the giant chimney was imploded in 1993. (Copy made from glass plate on October 3, 1958, Richards Studio.) (TDL 5/4/1905, pg. 3; 6/29/1905; 12/9/1917)

Chimneys; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Smelters--Tacoma; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smokestacks--Tacoma;

Damaged negative showning view of American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) looking toward Tacoma.

Smelters--Tacoma; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma);

Northwest Hauling, view of crane at Tacoma Smelter, Mr. Don Cooney. The crane is seated on a trailer pulled by a large truck cab. It is used to lift trusses and materials to the construction crew at upper levels of the new building at ASARCO.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Northwest Hauling Co. (Tacoma); Hoisting machinery; Smelters--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building construction--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tacoma Smelter for Industrial Page, Times, George Beckingham. This was called the anode where molten copper was poured into molds. Each copper ingot was 500 pounds and had to be jacked out by hand and picked up by a crane. The crane had to be attached manually and then guided to a cooling rack. The crew doing that also helped to purify the molten copper before it was poured by shoving logs into the melting pot to oxidize the impurities. Built and established as the Ryan Smelter by Dennis Ryan in 1887, the smelter was sold to William R. Rust in 1889, who changed the name to the Tacoma Smelting and Refining Company. It was sold again in 1905 to the American Smelting & Refining Company (ASARCO). Originally built to produce lead, by 1911 the smelter became a major supplier of copper and lead was no longer produced. The company smelted gold and silver and refined electrolytic copper and arsenic. (T.Times, 2/26/1948, p.35) (Additional information provided by a reader)

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1940-1950; Copper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

The American Smelting and Refining Co. had celebrated its 50th anniversary as a business in 1949. It was one of the largest employers in Tacoma with well over a thousand employees. As its name indicates, it was primarily involved in the smelting of ore and refining of copper. View of storage tanks at smelter, with truck parked alongside fence. Photograph ordered by David Somerville.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1950-1960; Copper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Industrial facilities; Storage tanks--Tacoma;

Dust collecting equipment at Tacoma Smelter. While copper was the principal product from the Tacoma plant of American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), there were also by-products including gold, silver, arsenic and nickel sulphate. The acid plant which went onto production in April 1950 produced 100 tons of sulphuric acid a day that was used by the Stauffer Chemical Company in the manufacture of super-phosphate fertilizer. Ordered by American Air Filter Company, c/o R.E. Chase & Company, Mr. Warren.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1940-1950; Copper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

Dust collecting equipment at Tacoma Smelter. During 1950 the American Smelting and Refining Company added a new sulphuric acid recovery plant. Other improvements during the year included modernization of the arsenic plant and installation of new ore-handling facilities to increase capacity to 200 tons an hour, replacing facilities which had been installed before they took over the Tacoma plant in 1905. Ordered by American Air Filter Company, c/o R.E. Chase & Company, Mr. Warren.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1940-1950; Copper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

Dust collecting equipment at Tacoma Smelter. The steps taken in the production of copper and other metals at the American Smelting and Refining Company included crushing the raw materials that were delived to ASARCO by ship and by rail from all parts of the world. Following crushing the different types of concentrates and ores required for each refined metal were processed by Bedding and Roasting prior to Smelting. These processes were followed by Converting and Electrolytic Refining. Ordered by American Air Filter Company, c/o R.E. Chase & Company, Mr. Warren. (Tacoma Progress, June 1955)

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1940-1950; Copper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

ca. 1950. The ASARCO stack dominated the Tacoma sky line from its elevated position near Point Defiance along the Tacoma waterfront from 1917 until it was demolished January 17, 1993. It was the largest smokestack in the world when it was built at 571 feet. It was shortened to 562 feet during repairs in 1937. TPL-6600

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Smelters--Tacoma; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smokestacks--Tacoma;

ASARCO was one of the largest industries in Tacoma, with over 1,304 employees and a payroll of over $345,000. Last year the company smelted over 383,129 tons of ore and 106,870 tons of copper were refined. The company was a long and interesting history of ownerships, mergers and stockholders; including a time when the Guggenheim's were in control of the business. View of "Safety First" display during ASARCO's open house (T.N.T., 4/3/49, p. A-15 & 4/5/49, p. 1).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Celebrations--Tacoma; Safety equipment; Smelters--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma; Copper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma)--Anniversaries;

Since September 1948, ASARCO has had 30,318 stockholders, with no one person owning as much as 3% of the company, making it one of the largest companies in the United States to be owned by the public. Six ASARCO employees, including Gustav Nordberg (third from right) are pictured at the company's 50-year celebration. Mr. Nordberg would pass away less than a year after this April, 1949, photograph was taken. He died on February 1, 1950. He lived on 49th & Frace, close to the smelter, and walked to work nearly every day. (T.N.T., 4/3/49, p. A-15 & 4/5/49, p. 1). (Additional identification & information provided by a reader)

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Celebrations--Tacoma; Smelters--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma; Copper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma)--Anniversaries; Nordberg, Gustav;

American Smelter and Refining Company (ASARCO) was celebrating 50 years of business with an open-house. ASARCO was founded in 1899 in New Jersey, by Henry H. Rogers and associates. The original smelter at this local site was founded by five Tacoma businessmen, the company merged with ASARCO in 1905. View of ten unidentified ASARCO employees standing in front of a welcome sign (T.N.T., 4/3/49, p. A-15 & 4/5/49, p. 1).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Celebrations--Tacoma; Copper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Smelters--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma)--Anniversaries;

Upwards of 7,000 people from throughout the Puget Sound region visited the ASARCO smelter on April 4, 1949 when the American Smelting & Refining Co. held an open house to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The smelter in Tacoma was actually over 50 years old at the time, having been started in 1890 by W. R. Rust. The celebration marked the anniversary of ASARCO which was founded in 1899 and bought the Tacoma smelter in 1905. (T.N.T., 4/3/49, p. A-15 & 4/5/49, p. 1).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Celebrations--Tacoma; Smelters--Tacoma; Spectators--Tacoma; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma)--Anniversaries; Smokestacks--Tacoma;

American Smelter and Refining Company (ASARCO) was celebrating 50 years of business with an open-house. ASARCO was proud of their continuous modernization of their facilities, and the local Tacoma plant had recently undergone modifications and was about to expand their production of products. View of people who attended ASARCO's open house (T.N.T., 4/3/49, p. A-15 & 4/5/49, p. 1).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Celebrations--Tacoma; Smelters--Tacoma; Spectators--Tacoma; Copper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma)--Anniversaries;