Dennison's Chili, found in markets today, was first made in a Tacoma plant located in Fern Hill. The factory opened in 1925, when they moved to Fern Hill. Belle Dennison started canning chicken in her kitchen in 1915. Friends raved about the product and soon her husband Lee was selling it to local stores. When this photograph was taken in 1931, 15 women from the Fern Hill neighborhood worked at Dennison & Company. Meat from 45,000 chickens, purchased at nearby ranches and packed in glass jars, was sold in stores from Alaska to the border of Mexico. The product line was expanded in the 1930s and sold about 1938 when the company moved to Seattle. (TDL, 3/29/1931, p. 4A).

ca. 1931. Dennison & Company, chicken canners, Fern Hill. Belle and Lee Dennison founders of food line. This view of equipment at the cannery was taken circa 1931. See series 310, image 069 for exterior view of Dennison & Company.

ca. 1931. Dennison & Company, chicken canners, Fern Hill. Belle and Lee Dennison founders of food line. Glass jars filled with Dennison's Tender Chicken on display circa 1931.

ca. 1931. Dennison & Company, chicken canners, Fern Hill. Belle and Lee Dennison founders of food line. Unidentified Dennison employee stands near canning equipment circa 1931.

ca. 1931. Dennison & Company, chicken canners, Fern Hill. Belle and Lee Dennison founders of food line. This circa 1931 photograph depicts five women working at an assembly line of glass jars full of Dennison chicken.

In 1949 Nalley's had been a stable part of Tacoma's industries for more than thirty years; the company had been referred to as, one of Tacoma's "payroll builders". The company's plant had modern food processing buildings; they were expanding in order to keep up with the growing demands for their products. Interior view of plant; view of machinery used in processing the Nalley's food products.

Food industry--Tacoma; Containers; Machinery; Equipment; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma; Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma);

Nalley's Incorporated was founded in Tacoma in 1918, Nalley's has gained an impressive reputation in the food industry; pickles, potato chips and salad dressings are just a few of the food items they produce in their line of well known products. Nalley's maintains a high quality control with all of the products, this helps to achieve the great tastes and flavors in their products. Interior view of plant; view of containers where the food items are processed and produced.

Food industry--Tacoma; Machinery; Equipment; Containers; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma);

Nalley's has always maintained a consistent building and development program; the company was expanding throughout Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest. In later years the company would acquire other food processing plants. In Tacoma, the company would begin expanding throughout the industrial area and continue operations at the company's original plant located on Puyallup Avenue. Interior view of Nalley's; view of machinery in food processing department.

Food industry--Tacoma; Machinery; Equipment; Containers; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma);

Copy of customer photograph. A young couple stand outside the doors of Nalley's in this undated photograph believed to be post-1971. They appear diminished in size compared to the large building and tower. This Nalley's plant is believed to be in Modesto, California, where a new food processing center went into production in 1971. Nalley's was founded in 1918 in Tacoma by Marcus Nalley and generations of Tacomans grew up devouring Nalley's potato chips, pickles, syrup and salad dressings. Photograph ordered on 12-6-74 by Nalley's. (Nalley's Nallevents, June/July 1971)

Nalley's, Inc. (Modesto, Calif.); Food industry--Modesto, California;

Copy of customer print, ordered by Nalley's on December 6, 1974. Large containers hold some of the many Nalley's processed foods in this undated post-1971 photograph. This is a part of the cannery believed to be in Modesto, California. Chili and beef stew were the first products to come off the line at that location in mid-1971. (Nalley's Nallevents, June-July 1971)

Nalley's, Inc. (Modesto, Calif.); Food industry--Modesto, California;

Copy of customer photograph, ordered by Nalley's on December 6, 1974. This undated photograph is believed to be the loading dock area of Nalley's new Modesto, California plant. Ground was broken for the new food processing center there on April 9, 1970, for the multi-million dollar operation. It was anticipated that the center would have an ultimate capacity of 6 million cases per year. The processing center began production in mid-1971. (Nalley's Nallevents, Feb-Mar, 1970; Nalley's Nallevents, June/July 1971)

Nalley's, Inc. (Modesto, Calif.); Food industry--Modesto, California;

Copy of customer print, ordered by Nalley's on December 6, 1974. Stacked on pallets are rows of Nalley's canned goods. This undated photograph was believed to be taken within Nalley's new food processing center in Modesto, California. The cannery went into operation in mid-1971. Empty cans would be automatically depalletized at the rate of 500 cans a minute and receive a final sterilization before being filled. Cans would be labled, cased and then palletized. The warehouse capacity, according to Nalley's newsletter, for finished goods totaled 275,000 cases. (Nalley's Nallevents, June-July, 1971)

Nalley's, Inc. (Modesto, Calif.); Food industry--Modesto, California;

Copy of customer print, ordered by Nalley's on December 6, 1974. This undated photograph is believed to be the interior of Nalley's Modesto, California, food processing plant. The California cannery went into production in mid-1971 when 50 employees joined Nalley's family. This location was scheduled to become the headquarters for the production of Nalley's canned convenience foods. (Nalley's Nallevents, June-July, 1971)

Nalley's, Inc. (Modesto, Calif.); Food industry--Modesto, California;

Copy of customer photograph, ordered by Nalley's on December 6, 1974. Employee of Nalley's plant, believed to be in Modesto, California, performs quality control on processed canned goods. She appears to be recording the weight of a small can. The food processing center which began operations in mid-1971 was scheduled to be the headquarters for production of Nalley's canned convenience foods including meat balls, ravioli, spaghetti products, corned beef hash, and lasagne. The first products to roll off the line were chili and beef stew. (Nalley's Nallevents, June-July, 1971)

Nalley's, Inc. (Modesto, Calif.); Food industry--Modesto, California; Product inspections--Modesto, California;

A Consolidated truck, loaded with "fertilizer," is parked outside the old Sperry Mill on Bayside Drive in mid-February, 1969. The Sperry plant was owned by General Mills. Its flour mill had closed in July of 1965. Photograph ordered by Export Pacific, Inc.

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1960-1970;

School children scramble aboard the "Nalley Town Express" on March 9, 1967, to attend the dedication and ribbon cutting of the new Nalley Tour Auditorium. Nalley's started their regularly scheduled plant tours that day and the first tour group was a class of 16 girls from Annie Wright Seminary. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30-3 p.m. were set aside at the plant for group tours. Photograph ordered by Nalley's. (TNT 3-12-67, A-23)

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Dedications--Tacoma--1960-1970; School children--Tacoma--1960-1970; Buses--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Two boys, looking remarkably like twins, smile at the chef bearing a platter of cooked ham at the Carstens Packing Co.'s Christmas party. A variety of meats was offered for hungry guests at the December 9, 1956, gathering. Carstens was the largest independent meat packing company on the West Coast. Photograph ordered by Pacific National Advertising Agency, Seattle.

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Christmas--Tacoma; Meat;

Exterior of supermarket. It appears that the Food King supermarket was the latest occupant at (then) 1202 South "K" Street in 1957. It had previously been the site of the West End Hotel & Saloon, K St. Public Market, and Hogan's. Built by contractor Claude Purvis, it was designed by architect Lyle Swedberg. Taken on a rainy evening, lights from the closed store reflect on the wet streets. Food King followed the new trend in shopping with multiple floor to ceiling windows and bright lighting. A neon crown stands atop of the flat roof of the brick building. According to the 1957 City Directory, Walter Hogan was listed as owner of three Food King stores in the Tacoma area. The "K" Street Food King was managed by Gene Sweet. Photograph ordered by Birkenwald, Inc. TPL-3797 (TNT 1-15-57, A-6,7, 10)

Food King (Tacoma); Supermarkets--Tacoma; Grocery stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The Board of Directors of General Mills honored Tacoma with a visit on April 22, 1957. After a board meeting, attendees were given a tour of the local plant. Plant officials answered questions from the board as they surveyed machinery used to package the flour. John W. Geddis, Sperry Mill plant superintendent, (left foreground) escorted a board member around the mill. Harry Bullis, General Mills Chairman of the Board, spoke at the meeting; he is believed to be the man to the furtherest left in the background. Tacoma's Sperry Flour Mill had a capacity of 8400 hundredweight of flour daily. The mill employed 250 local residents. Photograph ordered by General Mills, Inc. (TNT 4-22-57, p. 20)

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Geddis, John W.;

Nalley's Inc. Marcus Nalley, on the right, and officials from the Milwaukee railroad company inspect "insulated compartmentizer" freight cars on the rails outside of the Nalley plant. On the left is Robert Montgomery, city freight agent, and in the center is Ray Powels, Milwaukee agent. Marcus Nalley was a Milwaukee chef 40 years previously and is at the time of this picture the Chairman of the board for Nalley's, Inc. The railroad car is a new type being built in Renton and the Nalley shipment is its first cargo. (TNT 7/1/1956, pg. A-7)

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Food--Tacoma--1950-1960; Food industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Nalley, Marcus; Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Railroad freight cars;

Exposure of a grinder at the Washington Coop Farmers Association. The workman appears to be changing a screen on the grinder. A chute to the right appears to feed the material to be ground, possibly grain, into the machine. There is another large pipe leading up from the machine. Photograph possibly taken inside the Association's feed mill.

Food storage buildings--Tacoma; Machinery; Equipment; Mills--Tacoma; Farming--Tacoma; Food industry--Tacoma; Washington Cooperative Farmers' Association (Tacoma);

Exposure of a grinder at the Washington Coop Farmers Association. The workman appears to be changing a screen on the grinder. A chute to the right appears to feed the material to be ground, possibly grain, into the machine. There is another large pipe leading up from the machine. Photograph possibly taken inside the Association's feed mill.

Food storage buildings--Tacoma; Machinery; Equipment; Mills--Tacoma; Farming--Tacoma; Food industry--Tacoma; Washington Cooperative Farmers' Association (Tacoma);

Twelve salesmen are photographed in the National Biscuit Co.'s Tacoma office on October 2, 1954. Sixth from the right in the center of the photograph is branch manager, H.A. Messick. Messick had been with the company for twenty years and his promotion to district sales manager of the special products division was announced later that month. Messick and his sales staff are standing behind an array of Nabisco products, including Ritz crackers, Ginger Snaps, Fig Newtons and Snowflake Saltines. The Nabisco motto, "Be Sure...Buy Nabisco!" is prominently displayed. (TNT 10-28-54, A-9)

National Biscuit Co. (Tacoma); Messick, H.A.; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960; Crackers; Signs (Notices);

ca. 1931. Tacoma Grain Company, Pyramid Flour plant in Tacoma photographed from a boat on Puget Sound.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain Industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Pyramid Flour (Tacoma)

ca. 1931. An employee at the Tacoma Grain Company apparently bagging grain for the Washington State Grain Inspectors.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940

ca. 1931. A male employee at the Tacoma Grain Company holds a large filter that is used in the nearby grain sifter. This photograph was taken circa 1931.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1931. Two men in the quality control lab at Tacoma Grain Company do chemical tests on the flour being produced. A bag of Centennial silk-sfted flour sits on the lab bench.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Laboratories--Tacoma--1930-1940

ca. 1931. An older male employee at the Tacoma Grain Company stands next to a large, belt-driven piece of machinery.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1931. A line of men employees work at the flour bagging machines at the Tacoma Grain Company. A supervisor in white shirt, vest and tie oversees their work. The machines are used to fill a number of different bags. Bags are marked "Centennial - Silk Sifted - Family Flour"; "Cross Spears - Wong Sui Yuen"; and "Seattle - 100% Entire Whole Wheat Flour".

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Bags

ca. 1931. Employees of the Tacoma Grain Company work at what appear to be belt driven grain grinders, to make flour from grain.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;