General Mills produced over 12,900 barrels of flour per day, their output had doubled in just five years. They were one of the oldest flour mills in the Pacific Northwest. The Tacoma plant handled most of the international exporting. Interior view of storage building with thousands of sacks of Sperry flour stacked up.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grains--Tacoma; Bags; Food storage buildings--Tacoma; Storage facilities--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

General Mills had now been in the flour business for 95 years. The company had steadily expanded and was about to go through more expansions. Their flour products were marketed both domestically and in the international markets as well. Sperry flour products were exported to South and Central America, many East Asian countries and many others. Interior view of storage building with thousands of sacks of flour stacked up.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grains--Tacoma; Bags; Food storage buildings--Tacoma; Storage facilities--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

On May 15, 1947, employees of the Carstens Packing Company gathered around their new Kartridg-Pack machine. Some of the women were working on the sausage packing line, while other employees were admiring the end product. The new machinery packed the wieners side-by-side, bound together by paper loops instead of the usual method of stringing them tail-to-tail. The Kartridge-Pack had the ability to pack 3,200 pounds of wieners per 8 hour shift. (T.Times, 5/21/1947, p.7)

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Frankfurters--Tacoma--1940-1950; Publicity; Bundling (Packing)--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Carstens Packing Company. Cliff Purnell (left), assistant beef man, and Morris Elyn, assistant sales manager hold up weiners. Mr. Purnell's are end-to-end while Mr. Elny's batch is wrapped with a label and side-by-side. This came about when Carstens Packing Company put a new Kartridg-Pack machine into use in mid-May 1947. (T.Times, 5/21/1947, p.7)

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Purnell, Cliff; Elyn, Morris; Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Frankfurters--Tacoma--1940-1950; Publicity;

Irwin Jones, Nalley's Sales Dept. The fleet of Dodge delivery trucks is lined up outside the District Sales Office.

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Dodge trucks;

Irwin Jones, Nalley's Sales Dept. The fleet of delivery trucks is lined up outside the District Sales Office. Signs over the loading bays advertise Tang Salad Dressing, Mayonnaise, Potato Chips, Lumber Jack Syrup and Treasure Pickles. Over the sales office the sign advertises Nalley's as wholesale distributors of food specialties. Irwin-Jones was a Tacoma automobile dealership.

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Dodge trucks;

O'Connell-Ragan, Carstens fleet of trucks at plant, Corey Wilbur. Carstens added refrigerated trucks to their fleet. Glenn Gray, supervisor of Carstens sausage sales, packs a delivery basket with sausages, ham, and other wrapped items from the air conditioned compartments to fill an order. The entire truck interior was lined with separate compartments. The temperature was maintained at 34 - 38 degrees. (T.Times, 6/18/1947, p.7)

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Meat; Sausages--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Gray, Glenn;

O'Connell-Ragan, Carstens fleet of trucks at plant, Corey Wilbur. Carstens has added several refrigerated trucks to their fleet. They are shown lined up at the company loading platform waiting for a supply of sausage and smoked meat products. The new trucks are the first of their kind in Tacoma. They were built on Chevrolet chasis and designed by Right of Way Auto Works of Tacoma. The refrigerated units were designed by Otto Stolz and Clarence Mase at Carstens. The trucks are called "mobile sales units". ( T.Times,6/18/1947, p.7)

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Meat; Sausages--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Right of Way Auto Works (Tacoma); Stolz, Otto; Mase, Clarence;

The oldest employees at Carstens, on spec. This group of employees pose in front of one of Carstens delivery trucks.

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Employees--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Banquet at Carstens for retiring employee, O'Connell-Fagan, Denton. Emil T. Mortensen was retiring from Carstens Packing Company after 39 years. He started with Carstens in 1908 and served as floorman in the killing floor department. The entire department attended a steak dinner at the plant restaurant where Mr. Mortensen was presented a gold watch. Emil Mortensen is wearing the three-piece suit in the front row. His wife, Anna W., is next to him. Karl J. Maxwell, general manager of Carstens, is also in the front row with suit and bow tie. (T.Times, 8/25/1947, p.2)

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Retirements--Tacoma--1940-1950; Employees--Tacoma--1940-1950; Mortensen, Emil T.; Mortensen, Anna W.; Maxwell, Karl J.;

Interior of Nalley's, Plant Machinery, W.P. Fuller Co. This photograph was ordered by the W.P. Fuller Company who handled paints, varnishes, class, doors, sashes and mirrors. This large piece of machinery is a bottling machine. Nalley's prepared and packaged salad dressings, syrup, pickles and condiments in addition to their potato chip line.

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Bottling industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery; Conveying systems--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Interior of Nalley's, Plant Machinery, W.P. Fuller Co. The sign visible in the front, right reads, "Caution. Machine starts and stops automatically with incoming bottles on conveyor. Press stop button before doing any work on machine."

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Bottling industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery; Conveying systems--Tacoma--1940-1950;

In this photograph from September of 1947, workers at the Sperry Flour Company use sewing machines to sew 100 pound bags of flour closed after filling. The unidentified worker in the foreground weighs a bag on a scale with the sewing machine head next to his left hand. The line of work stations continues into the background. The Sperry Flour Company was on the waterfront in Tacoma on what is now Schuster Parkway. The flour operations at the mill ceased in 1965, and the last of the mill buildings was demolished in the late 1980s. TPL-8721

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Mills--Tacoma; Machinery; Mechanical systems--Tacoma;

Sperry Flour Company. Sperry planned to expand its facilities at this time by leasing the former site of the Centennial Flouring Mills Company that was destroyed by fire in late January 1947. Negotiations were being conducted between General Mills (owners of Sperry Flour Company), the Centennial Flouring Mills Company and the Northern Railroad Company which holds title to the waterfront property. This expansion to the old Centennial site never took place. A worker from Sperry is filling a 50 pound bag of enriched flour (called "Drifted Snow") from an overhead chute.

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Mills--Tacoma; Machinery; Mechanical systems--Tacoma;

Shows flour sack being filled by machine. Brand of flour is Sperry's Golden Gate. This photograph was taken on October 2, 1947.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Machinery used to fill flour sacks. Photograph taken on October 2, 1947. TPL-8064

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Port of Tacoma for Times Special Edition, studio stock, B of R. The interior of the Sperry Division mill of General Mills, Inc. The Sperry division had five flour mills, in Ogden, Utah; Spokane and Tacoma, Washington; and Vallejo and Los Angeles, California. As of 1963 General Mills, Inc. was the largest milling company with 17 flour mills in the United States. It was one of the chief producers of breakfast cereals, flour mixes and refrigerated doughs. Washington state was foremost in flour production among the Pacific and Mountain states as of 1963. Two workmen check the status of the processing.(Flour Milling in America, Herman Steen)

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Grains; Flour & meal industry--Tacoma;

Carstens Packing Company, American Red Cross, Mrs. Thomson. Carstens packing plant president Karl Maxwell accepts a certificate and poster from Henry Willis, chairman of the "Food" division of the current Red Cross drive. The certificate and poster represent the 100% subscription by the 475 employees of Carstens even before the campaign officially opened the following week. These individuals are standing in the meat wrapping section of Carstens with slabs of bacon and hams hanging behind them. The man at the far left is Scotty Murdock. At the far right is Daniel Mohn, foreman of the Smoked Meat Dept.(T.Times, 2/27/1948, p.7)

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Maxwell, Karl J.; Willis, Henry; Meat; Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Awards; American Red Cross Pierce County Chapter (Tacoma); Community Service--Tacoma--1940-1950; Charitable organizations--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tomato packing machine, machine for making card board containers, Mutual Fruit Company, Union Pacific Freight Terminal, Les Crawford. One man watches to be sure the tomatoes are properly fed into the packing machine and another man watches to be sure they are wrapped correctly coming out of the machine before packing the cartons into wooden crates.

Mutual Fruit Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Packaging; Machinery; Conveying systems--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fruit--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tomatoes--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fruit industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tomato packing machine, machine for making card board containers, Mutual Fruit Company, Union Pacific Freight Terminal, Les Crawford. Tomatoes are moved along a conveyor system and packed into card board trays and then wrapped in celophane ready to be placed in wooden shipping crates. The wooden crates have Parra labels pasted on the ends.

Mutual Fruit Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Packaging; Machinery; Conveying systems--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fruit--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tomatoes--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fruit industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tomato packing machine, machine for making card board containers, Mutual Fruit Company, Union Pacific Freight Terminal, Les Crawford. A large machine designed to fold heavy paper fruit cartons is operated by one man at the Mutual Fruit Company.

Mutual Fruit Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Packaging; Machinery; Conveying systems--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fruit industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

New Ford truck at Carstens' garage, Titus Motor Company, Henry Zachow. Titus Motor Company was the authorized Ford Truck distributor in the Tacoma area. Carstens had a large fleet of trucks not all of which were Fords. They had at least two refrigerated trucks built on Chevrolet chassis.

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Ford trucks;

Group of kids at meat judging contest at Carstens, O'Connel, Ragan, Carstens Account, Bev Bolster. Many students stand around a table with samples of different cuts of meat on display. Several of the students are rating the meat on forms. Older men are seen in the background and a few younger children are seen in the group.

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Teenagers--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Group of kids at meat judging contest at Carstens, O'Connel, Ragan, Carstens Account, Bev Bolster. Nine men stand in one of the meat coolers in front of several sides of hung meat. The man second from the left is wearing a ribbon and the designation of "Judge". TPL-8116

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat; Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Shot at Carsten's Packing Company, Hogans Market, Jones Building, Frank Herbert. Three men pose for their picture with a prize winning sheep. The three ribbons for the sheep were from the Northwest Junior Livestock Show.

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Sheep; Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Livestock judging--Tacoma--1940-1950; Awards;

Installation of electrical work at Sperry Mill for Industrial Page, Hubman Manly Electrical Contracting, Mrs. Hubman. Hubman-Mann Electrical Contracting were installing a motor control panel at Sperry Division of General Mills during the expansion that was taking place at the Sperry Mill. The electrical contractors had already completed re-wiring the mill. L-R, George Hubman, partner with Joe Manley, contractors; Herman Miller, Hubman-Manley foreman; Willard Meiceke, assistant superintendent with Sperry Division; Geroge Gayle, Don Wintermute and Johnny Covelli, electricians. (T.Times, 4/19/1948, p.5)

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Hubman Manly Electrical Contracting (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Hubman, George; Miller, Herman; Meiceke, Will; Gayle, George; Wintermute, Don; Covelli, John;

General Mills supervisors, Mr. Meinecke, Sperry Flour Division. Eight men from the Sperry Flour plant in their work clothes and one men in a business suit in this photograph taken on May 3, 1948. All but one of them wears a hat. At the far left is John W. Geddis. Mr. Geddis was a management trainee in 1948 which involved rotating through various training and supervisory assignments. He later became head of all General Mills Production and Distribution west of the Rocky Mountains. (Additional identification & information provided by a reader)

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Mills--Tacoma; Employees--Tacoma--1940-1950; Geddis, John W.;

General Mills supervisors, Mr. Meinecke, Sperry Flour Division. Nineteen men from the company, all but one wearing overalls and hats for their work with two policemen. One of the men wears a suit and hat. Several of the white hats say, "GMI, Safety First" on them.

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Mills--Tacoma; Employees--Tacoma--1940-1950; Police--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Interior view of General Mills Sperry Division plant in Tacoma. In 1947 the company had decided to expand their facilities. Sperry Flour products were exported throughout the world and shipped throughout the United States, the company was producing over 12,000 barrels of flour per day in order to fill the world's needs.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Grains--Tacoma; Grain industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grain elevators--Tacoma; Remodeling--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

View of construction workers working on the General Mills Sperry Division expansion project. The men appear to be measuring, cutting, reviewing plans and getting the building materials ready for the flour mill. The expansion project was approved in 1947 and should be completed this year.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Grains--Tacoma; Grain industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grain elevators--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma; Remodeling--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);