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;

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 newly expanded and remodeled Sperry Flour Mill, workman is measuring two grain slides, the grains go through processing machinery before they are made into flour and cereal. The expansion project should be completed later this year, General Mills should have their new facilities in full operation by the end of 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);

General Mills Sperry flour plant was one of the oldest businesses in Tacoma and had been in the flour and grains industry for over 96 years. The plant was conveniently located in Tacoma's waterfront area by Commencement Bay which gave the plant easy water and railroad access. Interior view of facility taken on May 31, 1948 with grain processing equipment on right side, workmen on left side.

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);

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);

General Mills Sperry Flour Division was located on Tacoma's waterfront near Sixth Avenue. The company's officers were: Paul A. Folquet, District Coordinator, and Willard H. Meinecke, Plant Supervisor. Interior view of plant, new machinery and equipment has been installed. Sperry was planning to increase their production to fill the demand for their products.

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);

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);

General Mills Incorporated Sperry Division were the leading manufacturers of flour, cereal, poultry and dairy products in Tacoma. The flour company had first been the Puget Sound Flouring Mills, this company was absorbed by Sperry Flour then General Mills merged with Sperry. In 1947 General Mills decided to expand their facilities, interior view of new plant.

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);

In 1947 Centennial Flour Mills was completely destroyed by a fire, for some time, Centennial was unsure whether they would rebuild. General Mills was hoping to acquire the old Centennial Mills site and begin remodeling and expanding their facilities. Sperry and Centennial went through extended negotiations to determine whether Sperry Flour could lease the property. Interior view of Sperry Flour plant.

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);

General Mills Sperry Flour Division had experienced an increase in business, because of the Centennial fire. The company had steadily expanded throughout the years, but experienced a boom last year. Sperry was able to corner the market in national sales and international exports. Interior view of Sperry Flour plant, modern equipment allows them to process more of their products to fill the higher demands.

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);

Potato chip and popcorn factory, Nalley's, Henry Willis. A group portrait of twenty-one employees from Nalley's, eighteen women and three men, posed at work on August 25, 1948. They all wear aprons and/or uniforms. During work periods on the assembly-line the staff wore white caps.

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma)--Employees; Food--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950; Group portraits;

Potato chip and popcorn factroy, Nalley's, Henry Willis. Four lines of women work peeling potatoes, onions and carrots for one of Nalley's products, probably canned stew which was added to the product line during World War II. The work lines have automated peelers and a conveyor-belt system to carry away the peels. Large tubs of the peeled vegetables stand at the end of the line.

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Food--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma--1940-1950; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Potato chip and popcorn factroy, Nalley's, Henry Willis. Another view of four lines of women peeling potatoes, onions and carrots for one of Nalley's products, probably canned stew. In the background cans are being filled with the product and men are emptying a large tub of the product into the can filling machine.

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Food--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma--1940-1950; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950; Canned foods; Canneries--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Potato chip and popcorn factory, Nalley's, Henry Willis. Many women are at work at several different work stations in the assembly-line system used at Nalley's in cooling, bagging, and preparing the potato chips for shipment. A separate facility was built on part of the 15-acre tract on South Tacoma Way for the manufacture of potato chips. The chip plant in Spokane had reached its capacity and still the demand was high. This new plant was the home of one of the subsidiary companies, United Foods, Inc. TPL-9607

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Food--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma--1940-1950; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950; Potato chips;

In this photograph from August 1948, three unidentified employees carefully hand bag potato chips at the Nalley's plant at 3410 So. Lawrence St. Nalley's Inc. had its beginning in 1918 when Marcus Nalley started production of his by now famous Nalley's potato chips in his kitchen. What was once a one man operation covered the entire west coast by 1946. Production operations were located in Tacoma, Vancouver, B.C., and Spokane. In Vancouver a complete line of Nalley's products was made. In Spokane, manufacturing of potato chips was the main operation, and in Tacoma, two large factories, Nalley's on Puyallup Avenue and the affiliated plant of L & N Products at 3410 South Lawrence Street provided the bulk of the products sold in the western states. (T.Times, 1/9/1946) Henry Willis

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Food--Tacoma--1940-1950; Potato chips; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Meat being loaded aboard a ship, the "Pacificus", from Carstens. Ordered by Carstens Meat Packing Co. Carstens was the largest independent meat packing company on the west coast, with plants in Tacoma, Spokane and Seattle. TPL-8355

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat;

Twenty-two employees of the General Mills Inc., Sperry Division, pose behind a large "C Day Parade '54" banner on April 2, 1954. The brand names of several General Mills cereals are listed on the banner, including Cheerios, Wheaties, Kix, and a new cereal, Sugar Jets. Nearly fifty years later, Cheerios, Wheaties and Kix are still being devoured by the hungry public.

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

Boxes of Ebia, Cardinal, Nosalitos and Wilson brand tomatoes are shown in this March, 1954, photograph. Most of the brands are from Mexico. A Flavorseal machine helps in the sorting process. It is unclear whether the tomatoes are being packaged for sale or used for sauces.

Food industry--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Machinery; Tomatoes--Tacoma;

Nalley's advertises their 1 cent sale, buy one relish at regular price and get a second one for just one penny. Pictured is a mound of relish jars backed by jars of salad dressing, mayonaise, "Tang" spread, more pickles and canned meals.

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma)--Products; Food--Tacoma--1950-1960; Food industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1940-1950;

ca. 1953. General Mills-Sperry Division employees. For several years, the employees of General Mills, Inc.'s Sperry Division posed behind "C Day Parade" banners. Presumably, this was some sort of parade held annually; the "C" may have stood for "cereal." In 1953, 25 men were grouped behind the large banner apparently representing the Seattle-Tacoma District. Famous General Mills cereal brands were listed on the banner, including Cheerios, KIX, and Wheaties. All these brands are still in existence today.

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

A White tank truck for Larro Feeds is parked in the parking lot of Gereral Mills Inc., Sperry Division, along Schuster Parkway near Sixth. Sperry Mills grain storage elevators are seen in the background.

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); White trucks--Tacoma; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A shopping cart has been filled to the brim with Nalley's candies with posters for "Nalley's Trick or Treat Candies" for Halloween.

Food industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma)--Products; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960; Candy--Tacoma--1950-1960; Holidays--Tacoma;

Nalley's created three separate bags of candies for Halloween in 1952: a mixed trick or treat selection of individually wrapped candies, candies in Halloween shapes of pumpkins, ghosts and bats for 39 cents a bag, and spiced gum drops. The bags' labels have Halloween images of a black cat and a witch's and a pirate's mask.

Food industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma)--Products; Packaging; Candy--Tacoma--1950-1960; Holidays--Tacoma;

Nalley's returned to the Western Washington Fair in Puyallup in 1952 with their recognizable display booth. The name, Nalley's, is spelled out in large letters over a slight awning with cut outs of people holding oversized Nalley products.

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Western Washington Fair (Puyallup); Fairs--Puyallup--1940-1950; Merchandise displays--Puyallup; Condiments; Canned foods;

A workman stands by the switchboard for the controls and weighing machine at Tacoma Vegetable Oil Company. Ordered by Westinghouse Electric Supply Company, Vern Hodgins.

Tacoma Vegetable Oils, Inc. (Tacoma); Factories--Tacoma--1950-1960; Westinghouse Electric Supply Co. (Tacoma);

Merchandise display in L.E. Landon's office at Nalley's, Inc. L.E. Landon was president of Nalley's at this time. The display includes cans and bottles of Lumberjack Syrup, bottles of pickle relish, pickles, salad dressing, mayonnaise, Tang, french dressing, mustard, and peanut butter, and cans of shoestring potatoes, beef stew, chili con carne, rice dinner, spaghetti dinner and spaghetti and meat. Bags of the company's first product, potato chips, hang in the middle along with bags of Krun-cheese and pop corn.

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma)--Products; Food--Tacoma--1950-1960; Food industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Exposure of Nalley's 1952 Daffodil parade float with posing attendants at Nalley Valley. The Nalley float was titled "A Kings Castle," in keeping with the 1952 "King Alfred" theme. In 1923, The US Department of Agriculture suggested replacing the Puyallup Valley's dead and diseased hop crop with commercial bulbs and the reign of King Alfred began. Puyallup Valley soon became the world's top producer of daffodil bulbs. "Bulb Sunday" was born in 1926, when socialites were invited to go from field to field viewing the different varieties of daffodils. The tradition was going strong by 1932 when 80 - 100,000 people thronged the roads on "Bulb Sunday." It was discontinued in 1934 due to traffic congestion and the parade was suggested by Tacoma photographer Lee Merrill to take its place. ("A History of Pierce County, Washington" Vol. 1)

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1952 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Nalley's float in the 1952 Daffodil Parade makes the turn from 9th onto Pacific Ave. Nalley's won the second place award in the commercial division. Royalty is well represented on this float because the 1952 theme was "Alfred in Wonderland, " with reference to the King Alfred Daffodil- Puyallup Valley's most famous export. More than 1,000,000 blossoms were used in the parade which took more than four hours to complete from starting point in Tacoma until its termination in Sumner. (TNT 4-5-1952, pg. 1)

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1952 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960;