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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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

Flour & meal 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;

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);

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 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);

Nestle products display at Nalley's Sales Office featuring Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate morsels, Nestle's Toll-House cookie mix, Nestle's Quick, and Nestle's cocoa. Nalley's was appointed as a distributor of Crosse & Blackwell and Nestle institutional food products in Oregon, Washington and Western Montana in October 1961. Nalley's would distribute C & B and Nestle products to restaurants, hospitals, industrial caterers, schools and universities. Nalley's was the exclusive distributor for C&B in the Northwest. They were on a non-exclusive basis with Nestle. Nalleys was one of the largest food distributors in the Northwest. Ordered by Nalley's, Inc., Henry Willis. (TNT, 10/11,1961)

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

A worker moves barrels with a dolly outside of Nalley's warehouses in Nalley Valley. Marcus Nalley began his one man operation in 1918; by the fifties his company was marketing 49 different products. In 1953, the company processed 10 million pounds of cucumbers into Nalley pickles and 11 million pounds of potatoes into potato chips. Their payroll and purchasing power helped fuel the Tacoma economy.

Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma);

This photograph showing the rear view of a Dodge truck displaying Nalley's products was taken on August 9, 1950. Nalley's Inc., had a large delivery fleet. The Fort Lewis sticker above the license plate on truck #184 indicates that this vehicle probably made deliveries of potato chips and other foods to the military base. Nalley's Inc., founded by Marcus Nalley in 1918, had a large factory built in 1940 on a 17 acre plot of land on the (then) outskirts of town. It became known as Nalley Valley. (History of Pierce County, Washington, Vol. 1, p. 448)

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); Dodge trucks; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Signs (Notices);

A large delivery truck was parked outside the loading dock of the Tacoma Nalley's potato chip factory on August 5, 1950. Because the demand for potato chips was so high, a separate facility was built on Nalley's 15-acre tract on South Tacoma Way for the manufacture of potato chips. This plant building was also the home of one of Nalley's subsidiary companies, United Foods, Inc. 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. By 1946, what was once a one-man operation covered the entire west coast . Production operations were located in Tacoma, Vancouver, B.C., and Spokane.

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma); United Foods, Inc. (Tacoma); Food industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Potato chips;

Exterior view of Nalley's factory taken on September 1, 1950. This is a copy of an artwork print of Nalley's pickle department. Railroad tracks are visible through a grassy field.

Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma);

Group of four men for General Mills.

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

Magic Foods Store. Chef Ray Seger and another employee at work in the commercial kitchen both wearing white uniforms. The woman is cutting meat from a large roast and the man is cutting potatoes. Large electric ovens are seen behind them. This is a new plant preparing frozen, ready cooked dishes. (T.Times, 7/30/1943, p.11)

Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Magic Foods, Inc. (Tacoma);

Sperry Flour Co. Sperry Flour Co. was the largest milling organization in the West. The Tacoma plant produces 5,000 barrels per day of flour, which allows for large amounts to get sent throughout the world. Exterior view of plant.

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

General Mills, South Tacoma, Farm service Division. A granary, feed mill, wholesale and retail feed and farm supply store buildings are shown. Cars are parked along the storage building.

General Mills, Inc., Farm Service Division (Tacoma); Agricultural facilities--Tacoma;

This photograph, taken in December 1943, shows the sales office and loading dock of the General Mills, Inc. Farm Services Division at 5440-48 So. Washington St. in South Tacoma. The old brick grain wherehouse was built before 1908 by W.H. Kenworthy to take advantage of the proximity of this area to the Northern Pacific Shops were Mr. Kenworthy had worked before opening the granary. Part of the Kenworthy complex is currently used by X-Cel Feed Inc. One of the other building recently opened at the Brickyard Bar &Grill. TPL-6516

General Mills, Inc., Farm Service Division (Tacoma); Agricultural facilities--Tacoma;

Machinery at Wesley Crawford & Sons, U.P. Freight Terminal, Mr. Crawford. Wesley Crawford was president of Mutual Fruit Co. Two lines of employees are packing produce into wooden crates. One line is along the right side and the other runs across the back of the new building Wesley Crawford & Son recently opened. The large room is open in the center to facilitate moving large quantities of produce. A small forklift is parked in the middle of the room.

Wesley Crawford & Son (Tacoma)--Employees; Farm produce--Tacoma; Packaging; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Four or Five displays at plant, Nalley's, Jack Walrath. Lumber Jack Syrup, made by Nalley's Inc., is displayed in octagonal tubs made of cardboard. Jars of the syrup are piled in the tubs with advertising that says it is "Simply Delicious".

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

Truckload of Carsten's products being loaded on plane, O'Connell Ragan, Howard O'Connell. The propeller-driven airplane as being loaded with products from Carsten's through a door into the hold located behind the wings. Carsten's Packing Company were meat packers with locations in Tacoma, Spokane and Seattle. They advertised being the largest independent meat packers on the West coast.

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Transport planes--Tacoma--1940-1950; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Truckload of Carsten's products being loaded on plane, O'Connell Ragan, Howard O'Connell. A large Chevrolet truck is backed up to the airplane for loading. Several men stand on the air field, one wearing a meat handling apron, are possibly reviewing packing lists and instructions for handling. The airplane has an insignia on the tail and again by the front entry with the letters TW.

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Transport planes--Tacoma--1940-1950; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950;