Albert Henry Barnes was born in California on June 27, 1876. He was a writer, photographer, and illustrator of magazines. His photos were mostly of Washington landscapes. Barnes was a member of the Mountaineers Club and the Tacoma Arts Club. He was active in the campaign to keep the name of Washington’s highest peak as Mount Tacoma. Barnes died on February 28, 1920, at the age of 44.

The Alling Park Garden Club was organized on May 7, 1947. The Club's objectives were to “give beauty to others, study plant material, promote new ideas in plants, trees, birds, and the wise use of our natural resources.” The Alling Park Garden Club fulfilled their objectives through hosting programs, exhibits, garden tours, plant exchanges, and other special projects such as Garden Therapy and Civic Development. Eventually a Junior Alling Park Garden Club grew out of the original. The Alling Garden Club was a member if the Capital District of Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs and the National Council of State Garden Clubs, Inc.

The Alpha Study Club was organized in 1905 and federated in 1914. The group was originally created only for women of Tacoma's south side, and admitted no more than 20 members at any time. The focus of the group was primarily on the cultivation of its members, although there were minor philanthropic efforts following WWII. The last published record of an active meeting was on May 4, 1980. Club colors were pink and green, the club flower was the carnation and their motto was "in great things unity, in small things liberty, in all things charity."

Altrusa International Club was originally founded in 1917 in Tennessee. The purpose of Altrusa is to provide a location for women leaders in professions to work together to help their local community and world. Altrusa International Club of Tacoma was organized December 7th, 1938, and chartered April 26th, 1941. The group had biweekly meetings, starting in September of the year, and ending in July of the next year for the summer months. Lyle Ford Drushel, former Dean of Women at the College of Puget Sound was elected the first president of Altrusa in 1939. New leaders were elected at the end of every member year in June and July.

The women that were members of Altrusa were given roles to fulfill, such as President, Treasurer, Historian, Secretary, and others. These women organized different social engagements, dinners, and volunteer opportunities. Early on, Altrusa members focused on hosting dinners and fundraisers to donate money to organizations in need. Some examples of this are donating bone tools to Mary Bridge Hospital, purchasing war bonds, and donating money to UNICEF. Later in its history, Altrusa organized events and fundraisers to provide welcoming shelter for those affected by crime and homelessness, donated scholarships to college students in healthcare and education fields in the Tacoma/Pierce County area, and organized donation drives to help children access age-appropriate books.

Amzie D. Browning was born in Kent, WA, and moved to Tacoma in 1901. (1) He lived in Tacoma for 70 years, during which he was the owner and operator of Sharpe Sign Co. and was an oil and watercolor painter. (2) Many of his paintings were exhibited in Northwest shows. He also worked as a telegraph operator for the Northern Pacific Railway in 1909. (2) He took photographs documenting life in South Tacoma. Browning was a member of the Signwriters Union 403, Northwest Amateur Movie Council, and Morse Telegraph Club, and for 50 years, he was a member of the Tacoma Elks Lodge.(2) He married Beulah C. Kirt on September 15 1946. (3) Browning passed away on December 13, 1972.(4)

The Gamle Vikingers Forbund, or Ancient Order of Vikings, Ship No. 1 was created in 1892 as an extension of The Haabet (Hope) Literary Society, which had been active in the Tacoma community since 1890, providing an “English school for newcomers.” The organization, whose motto was “Brotherhood, Protection and Charity” included the founding members: Chas. Evans, Engvald Haug, Chas. Woog, Severin Haug, Ole Moen, Dirk Blaauw, G.O. Sande, C. Knutson, N.L. Ormsrud, Haakon Bader and Tom Knudson.

The society first appeared in newspapers in 1895, holding their annual celebration of Norway’s May 17th Constitution Day, which would frequently be attended by Tacoma political figures, including Mayor George P. Wright and accompaniment from the Walhalla Military Band. The organization also held annual Christmas celebrations which featured both Christian and Norse ceremonies, including a “representation of the ancient offering of sacrifice to Odin and Thor.”

In 1905, the society reserved a special train for members to visit Portland’s Lewis and Clark exposition together. In 1908, the 220 member organization purchased three acres in the north side of Fox Island at the entrance of Hales Passage for a lodge and picnic grounds for $50,000. The Ancient Order of Vikings eventually sold this property in order to invest in the Normanna Hall building at 1502 Martin Luther Way.

In 1941, the society donated their “Viking Library” to the Pacific Lutheran University, which included items which dated back to the Haabet Literary Society. Although the organization seems to have waned and revived on multiple occasions, a typed note within Log Book Six written by historian Hjalmer Jensen describes the final meeting of the order taking place on February 2nd, 1955.

Anderson, Ada Woodruff

Ada Woodruff Anderson was a Pacific Northwest writer and early resident. Born in San Francisco on July 4, 1860, her family moved to Shanghai, China, when she was three months old. She arrived in Tumwater, Washington, in 1865 after her father died. There her family lived with her mother’s brother, Nathaniel Crosby, grandfather of Bing Crosby. She attended high school in San Francisco, California, and returned to Washington around 1875. In 1879 she began teaching at a one-room pioneer school in Thurston County near Yelm. She married Oliver Phelps Anderson in 1882 and they had three children; Alice Woodruff (1882-1972), also a writer of short stories, Maurice Phelps (1888-1970), and Dorothy Louise (1893-1912).

While still in high school, she entered a story writing contest sponsored by the San Francisco Chronicle at the urging of a friend and won second prize. In 1899, her husband began to produce photographic essays for magazine publication and asked Ada to write the accompanying copy. She began to produce short stories which were published in a variety of magazines, and she considered her best work during this period to be “The Man Who Knew Bonner” (Harper’s September 1902).

She drew upon her early teaching experience in her first novel, The Heart of the Red Firs (1908). Her second novel, The Strain of White (1909), is set in Washington Territory in the 1850s during the time of the treaty councils. The Rim of the Desert (1915) interwove settings in Alaska, Seattle, and Wenatchee, including the historical 1910 Wellington disaster, when an avalanche swept away two trains in the Cascade mountains.

She apparently ceased writing for publication afterward, lived on Bainbridge Island, and assisted with the family business, the Anderson Supply Company. She died March 23, 1956 in Port Blakely, Kitsap County.

Anderson, Oliver Phelps

Oliver Phelps Anderson was an early Seattle, Washington mapmaker, surveyor, photographer, and owner of a photographic supply business. Born in Lexington, Illinois in 1859, his family had moved to Oregon by 1869, where his father, Alexander Jay Anderson was Dean of the Academy at Pacific University in Forest Grove. He had an eclectic early education, studying bookkeeping, chemistry, and the pharmaceutical business, in Portland, Oregon. From 1878-1880, he attended the University of Washington, where by this time his father had been appointed President (1877-1882). He established a mapmaking business in Seattle and was an early adopter of the cyanotype photographic process to quickly produce maps and blueprints. He founded the Anderson Supply Company in his mapmaking offices in 1898 and it moved to 111 Cherry St in Seattle by 1899.

He married Ada Woodruff on January 4, 1881. He produced photographic essays for publication, one on Kwakiutl basketmakers of Vancouver Island, and at least two on scenic views of the Cascade mountains, and asked her to write accompanying descriptions. He died April 15, 1941 on Bainbridge Island

Anderson, Maurice Phelps

Maurice Phelps Anderson was the second child and the only son born to Ada and Oliver Anderson on June 9, 1888. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1910 with a degree in naval architecture. He kept a diary of his experiences in the US Army in WWI, where he served in optical supply procurement for the Ordinance Department. He wrote short stories and novels, possibly never published

He and a partner, Fred Norton Hallett, were granted a patent in 1926 for a lens system. He worked at the Anderson Supply Company, becoming president around 1913 and continuing in this role until the company closed in the late 1950s.

Anderson Supply Company

Anderson Supply Company was a photographic supply business in downtown Seattle. It was founded in 1899 by Oliver Phelps Anderson in his map-making offices and moved to 111 Cherry St in 1900. Along with photographic supplies and lenses, it sold scenic photographs of the Northwest. Both Ada Woodruff Anderson and their son Maurice Phelps Anderson were employed there in various capacities. Maurice took over as president in 1913 and remained throughout the existence of the business, which ended in the late 1950s.

McGrew, J. E.

J. E. McGrew is thought to be James E. McGrew, a Seattle attorney. He was born in Iowa in 1858 and had arrived in Seattle by 1892. His connection to the Anderson family is unknown.

Art Popham was a sports announcer, talk show host, and columnist. Born in Kansas City, Missouri on January 16, 1950, Popham had a career in public relations for the Oakland Athletics before moving to Tacoma in 1976. There, Art Popham would become a sports announcer for the Tacoma Twins, Tacoma Yankees, Tacoma Tugs, and the Tacoma Tigers. He hosted the shows PM Tacoma and The Art Popham Show. He was also a business columnist for the Tacoma News Tribune. He died on July 31, 2002.

Arthur French was a photographer active from 1892 to 1905. (1) He started out by photographing landscapes and city views before becoming a studio photographer in Tacoma. His studio was located on Pacific Avenue. (3)

Arthur J. Miller was a lifelong labor and civil rights advocate, born in San Diego but primarily active in the Puget Sound region after 1989. In 1967, he became involved in the anti-war movement and was allied with the Black Panther Party in the late ’60s. He made a career as a pipefitter in shipyards across the United States, joining the Industrial Workers of the World in 1970 at the suggestion of an I.W.W. member. His contributions in distributing radical leftist literature for the Panthers, and later his own publication Bayou La Rose, made him the target of disruption efforts of local and federal authorities. Arthur Miller passed in 2021.

Astoria Iron Works was a canning machinery company started in 1881 in Astoria, Oregon by John Fox. In 1906, he was joined in the venture by Nelson Troyer, formerly associated with the American Can Company at Astoria and Portland, Oregon. In 1913 the company opened a large factory in Seattle and became the Seattle-Astoria Iron Works. In 1928 the name changed to the Troyer-Fox Manufacturing Company and the company was bought by the Continental Can Company, Inc. In 1932, Troyer-Fox Manufacturing Company and the Continental Can Company, Inc. of Washington were both dissolved and their assets taken over by the Continental Can Company, Inc. of New York.

Aubrey F. Andrews (1906-1950) was a World War II veteran, librarian, and director of the Tacoma Public Library from 1946 to 1950. A native of Escanaba, Michigan, Andrews received a Bachelor of Arts in Library Science from the University of Washington in 1935 (1). He interned at the Joint Reference Library in Chicago, and after graduation held various library positions around the United States. He worked in the order department of the Oregon State College Library, was a Reference Assistant at the Technical Library in Knoxville, and a Community Librarian in Norris, Tennessee. He was later appointed as Chief of the Chattanooga, Tennessee Branch Technical Library, and in 1941 became Administrative Assistant at the Buffalo, NY Public Library. During World War II Mr. Andrews served in the Navy aboard the USS Hickox in the Pacific and kept a diary recording his experiences. He was discharged from the Navy at the conclusion of the war and appointed director of the Tacoma Public Library in 1946. One of his immediate major responsibilities was advocating for and planning a new main library building. In 1949 Aubrey Andrews was elected to a two-year term as president of the Washington Library Association. Andrews was also a member of the Tacoma Rotary Club, the Washington State Historical Society and the Tacoma Lodge No. 174 of the Elks. Aubrey Andrews died in Tacoma on November 8, 1950.

The Beaver Hill Coal mine was located between Coos Bay and Coquille, Oregon, and a part of Southern Pacific Corporation. [1] George Watkins Evans was an engineer and manager of the Beaver Hill Coal Mine Company beginning in about 1920. [2] Previously, he worked for the Northwestern District of the U.S Bureau of Mines surveying coal fields as an engineer and geologist. [3]

Benjamin (Ben) Hanson was born in 1926 in North Dakota, and moved to Washington with his family when he was young. He joined the military after high school, and later would go on to go to attend law school at the University of Washington [1]. He opened a law firm in Tacoma and became involved with Tacoma politics, joining the City Council. Ben Hanson was appointed as mayor of Tacoma in June 1958 by the Tacoma City Council under the Council-Manager form of government, and at 31 years old, he was inaugurated as Tacoma’s youngest-ever mayor at the time. [2] (Former Mayor Mike Parker now holds that title, elected at 30 years old in 1977 [3]). Two years later, in 1960, Hanson was elected to be retained by popular vote, and served 2 more years as Mayor of Tacoma [4]. Notably, during his term he made a visit to Tacoma’s sister city of Kokura City, Japan in 1959. After his time as Mayor, he went back to practicing law until his retirement. He passed away in 2007.

The Bing Crosby Historical Society was formed in 1978 as a fan club for the singer Bing Crosby. It was founded by Kenneth Twiss, who was the President of the Society until he stepped down due to health concerns. The Society published quarterly newsletters about the life of Crosby, important dates in his life and career, and society updates. Annual gatherings were also planned and hosted by the Society, with speakers attending that had known Crosby during his life. The BCHS held a small museum and displayed memorabilia until 1993, when it closed due lack of funding.

Frederic William Keator was born in Pennsylvania in 1855. He received an undergraduate and law degree from Yale University, and later moved to Chicago to practice law and attend theology school. He was appointed as a priest in 1891, and after serving at a few different churches, he moved to Olympia, Washington in 1902 where he served as the Bishop [1].

Keator was appointed state chairman for the Washington State Library War Council by the National Library War Council. This was a campaign in which libraries raised money to fund the creation and maintenance of libraries for US soldiers, both at home and oversees during World War I. In this role, he reached out to different libraries in Washington State to encourage donations to the national fund. The Tacoma News Tribune reports a telegram from Keator in 1917 stating, “The library war fund will be a contribution from the people of the United States to the contentment, effectiveness, and future usefulness of our soldiers. It is a part of the great effort the government is making to surround our soldiers with a wholesome environment and to give them an opportunity to redeem by useful occupation of their leisure some of the losses which are necessarily entailed in military service.” [2]

He died unexpectedly on January 31, 1924. On Friday February 1, 1924, the Tacoma Daily Ledger reported his death, stating, “Bishop Keator was one of the men of whom Tacoma was proud. Devoted to his church work he also was devoted to the interests of the state in which he resided. Of the highest type of loyalty, he had always been a leader in civic enterprises and his friendly counsels had always been helpful in all movements for civic betterments” [3].

The Black Women's Caucus is a non-profit organization based in Washington state. The caucus was created at the State Women's Year Conference in July 1977. The organization's purpose is to "identify the barriers that prevent Black women from participating in mainstream society and to remove these barriers using their efforts, resources, and talents."

On January 7, 1978, a constitution governing the caucus was passed at a statewide meeting of Black women held in Seattle. Thelma Jackson of Olympia was elected as the first State President. The state organization was divided into four areas: the northwest, southwest, northeast, and southeast quadrants. Officers served for one year at the state level as well as the regional level. The activities of the caucus center on issues identified by Black women, then a work plan is created. This plan is updated and evaluated regularly to track progress.

The Black Women's Caucus sponsored the First Annual Black Summit Conference in Yakima in October 1978. In October 1979, the Second Summit Conference was held in Seattle. The third Annual Meeting was held in May 1980 in Seattle. Barbara Williams, the Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus, was the keynote speaker and workshop leader.

The caucus has been active in presenting cultural events important to African Americans' history, such as Juneteenth and Kwanzaa. Annually in June, the caucus has presented a luncheon with themes relevant to the African American community.

The Broadway Theatre District Taskforce was established 1989 to “create and oversee the vision” of the Broadway Theatre District Campaign. The Broadway Theatre District Campaign began in 1988 as an initiative by the Executive Council for the City of Tacoma in order to establish permanent, modern facilities within which the Tacoma Actors Guild could operate. Inspired by the Portland Performing Arts Center, the goal of the campaign was to provide physical space for Tacoma’s cultural development and to help “revitalize” the downtown area per the 1987 American Cities Plan for the Central business District of the City of Tacoma. The plans included expanding the Pantages Theatre to include the adjacent Jones Building and the renovation of the entryway of the Pantages Theatre into an art gallery. The Rialto Theatre, built in 1918, was renovated by 1991, and the campaign also worked directly with Pierce Transit to incorporate public transport into the district. The Theatre on the Square Building was newly constructed during the project for the purpose of housing the Tacoma Actor’s Guild.

Adam Byrd was born in Ohio in 1796. He and his wife had nine children. They relocated to Illinois first and then moved again to Richland County, Wisconsin where Adam operated a grist mill. In April 1852, the family acquired a team of oxen and embarked on a six month journey on the Oregon Trail. The family arrived in Vancouver, Oregon Territory. Adam continued on with Lieutenant A. Slaughter further north and selected a site at the head of Chamber Creek for a mill. Adam returned to move his family to the site in February of 1853. They stopped at Judge Thomas Chambers' mill on the way where Adam Byrd died on April 26, 1853. Adam's sons Andrew, Marion, and Preston constructed a grist mill and saw mill on the site their father had selected. George Byrd, the youngest son of Adam Byrd, attended the first school session held in Pierce County in 1854. In 1865 George married Mary Ellen White of Olympia who had crossed the Oregon Trail in 1851. George operated the mill until 1868. He later devoted the surrounding land to raising hops. In 1885, he represented Pierce County in the state legislature and served as Justice of the Peace in 1890. George and Mary Ellen had nine children. George was active in the Fern Hill area. He donated the land and financed the construction of the Methodist Episcopal Church and parsonage in Fern Hill and help establish school district number 23. He donated several lots and gave other incentives to encourage the street car to run through Fern Hill. He died June 17, 1915.

Byron “By” I. Larson was a geologist, city planner, and civil engineer in the Puget Sound area. Born in Tacoma in 1921 he attended Stadium Highschool in Tacoma, and the University of Idaho where he studied geology and mining engineering. He later started his own civil engineering company in Seattle and remained in the Seattle-Tacoma area until his death in 2008.

The Cammarano Bros, Inc., formerly known as the Cammarano Brothers Bottling Co., was located on South 19th and Jefferson Avenue. It was formed by brothers Philip, James, William, and Edward Cammarano in 1921. The business started out with two delivery trucks which the brothers drove. These trucks were piled with cases of soda bottles and tanks of carbonated gas. (1) The Cammarano brothers later expanded the business, which involved constructing a building to house the company’s sales department and gaining additional trucks. (2) The location of the bottling company changed several times, with the final location being 2324 Center St. The company closed in 2001.

Carrie Woodard (1869-1941) was born in Boscobel, Wisconsin in 1869, the seventh child of Edman and Catherine Welch (1). In 1888, she married Albert E. Woodard, and by 1900 they had moved to Williams, North Dakota and had had five children (2). Three more were born by 1910, at which time they were in Minter, Washington (3). After thirty years of marriage, Albert began divorce proceedings in early 1918, citing the "ungovernable temper" of Carrie. Custody of the three minor children, including the two-year-old ninth-born, was awarded to her (4). She was 49 years old. Nineteen years later, she was granted a judgement against Albert, and he was to pay $300 toward child support (5). Her occupation at age 70 in the 1940 census was live-in housekeeper for a lawyer and his family (6). She died a year later at her place of work at age 71 (7,8).

Cecil C. Cavanaugh (1902 - 1980) was a life-long resident of Tacoma. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1920. He served as President of Tacoma’s Young Men’s Business Association, the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce and the Tacoma Broadcasting Company, which worked to bring the radio station KTBI to the city. He was on the Board of Directors of the Lumberman’s Club and of the Camp Six Logging Museum at Point Defiance. He had an interest in promoting traffic safety and was active in St Patrick’s Catholic Church. Cavanaugh was an amateur historian of lumber operations in Tacoma. As part of this hobby, he built a collection of 600 historic photographs depicting logging, lumber milling and lumber shipping operations in Tacoma and Pierce County which he donated to the Washington State Historical Society.

Cavanaugh was founder and President of the Cavanaugh Lumber Company, which operated in Tacoma from 1930 to 1982. In its first 10 years his lumber company was destroyed by fire twice and severely damaged by Puyallup River flooding. Each time, Cavanaugh rebuilt. Tacoma’s growth and development necessitated two relocations of his business.

Cavanaugh’s relatives were active in the 10th (Steilacoom) Chapter of the Daughters of the Pioneers. Cavanaugh and his wife Mary Geiger Cavanaugh had two daughters, Cathleen Jarman and Mary Frances and two sons James and Lawrence.

C.E. (Charles) and Hattie King were photographers in Tacoma in the latter part of the 19th century. Charles King was hired by Northern Pacific in the 1870s to photograph land where the tracks were to be laid between Livingston, Montana and Tacoma. In the 1880s, Charles and Hattie were hired to photograph local churches, residences, and ships. Charles was known for being one of the earliest photographers to capture an image of Mount Rainier. Charles King would go on to serve as a Tacoma Police Captain.

In 1993, the Pierce County Council established the Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed Council. The Council produced the Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed Action Plan and brought together stakeholders from the private sector, and federal, state, and local governments. The Council hosts monthly public meetings and undertakes work to improve fish habitat and water quality.

The Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed extends from the town of Ruston on Commencement Bay south to DuPont, and east to Frederickson, covering about 149 square miles. Major lakes include American, Spanaway, Steilacoom, Gravelly, and Tule. Major streams are Chambers, Clover, Spanaway, Morey, Murray, Flett, Leach, Puget and Peach. Seven municipalities, three military installations, and one drainage district, as well as Pierce County, have jurisdiction concerning water quality. The cities are: Tacoma, Lakewood, Fircrest, University Place, Steilacoom, DuPont, and Ruston. In 2018, the watershed's population was approximately 409,843 or 2,751 people per square mile.

Joseph Chapin Bowen was born on April 25, 1900, in Columbus, Ohio to Charles Ambrose Bowen and Mabel Shattuck Hayes Chapin. (1) Chapin Bowen operated his photography studio Chapin Bowen Inc. for 25 years in Tacoma.(2) Bowen also worked as a freelance photographer for the Tacoma News Tribune for 12 years.(2) He came to Tacoma in August 1924 from Wenatchee, WA, where he also worked as a photographer.(3) Before living in Wenatchee, Bowen had traveled to most US states holding various jobs. (3) For example, he was also an engineer after taking courses at the University of Washington, Whitman College, and Montana School of Mines.(3) Previously Bowen was employed by the Great Northern Railroad at the Cascade tunnel as their chief electrician.(3) Chapin Bowen married Irma Saunders on December 22, 1925. (1) Together they had three daughters.(2) He was a lifelong member of Tacoma's Young Men's Business Club.(2) He passed away at age 56 on May 30, 1956, in Seattle, WA.(2)