On October 17, 1926, the Tacoma Sunday Ledger ran a picture of the Peninsula Stage Company's 17-passenger coach parked outside the First Baptist Church, 902 Market St. The new bus chassis was built by the Studebaker Company which already had a fine reputation in passenger cars. The Peninsula Stage Company had three buses on the Bremerton-Tacoma run, with stops in Gig Harbor, Purdy, Burley, and Port Orchard. Owner R.L. Stubbs indicated that his prior experience with Studebaker cars prompted him to purchase the new bus. Photograph ordered by the B.H. Kennedy Co. (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, October 17, 1926, G-7) G66.1-078

Buses--Tacoma--1920-1930; Studebaker automobile; First Baptist Church (Tacoma);

Biplane with its pilot is parked adjacent to a Franklin automobile at Camp Lewis on October 8, 1926. All three men in the photograph were not identified. Photograph ordered by the Tacoma Franklin Co. TPL-6483; G12.1-053

Airplanes--Camp Lewis; Biplanes; Franklin automobile;

Mt. Tacoma (Rainier) is barely visible in the background as boats bob along the Gig Harbor waterfront during the Christmas season in 1926. Harbors in this area are protected making waters calm. TPL-690; G72.1-126

Harbors--Gig Harbor; Waterfronts--Gig Harbor; Rainier, Mount (Wash.);

This view of fishing boats entering Gig Harbor's protected waters is very similar to a previous Boland photograph, B16128, and taken on the same December day in 1926. Mount Tacoma (Rainier) stands out clearer from the hovering gray clouds. The photograph has been damaged with white spots. TPL-874; G72.1-125B

Harbors--Gig Harbor; Waterfronts--Gig Harbor; Fishing boats--Gig Harbor--1920-1930; Rainier, Mount (Wash.);

The Kitsap Co. Transportation Co. ferry, believed to be called "Kitsap of Seattle," as viewed on May 13, 1927. This ferry would provide reliable service linking Seattle and the Kitsap peninsula. The Kitsap Co. Transportation Co. would be forced out of business in 1935 due to a strike. Photograph requested by the Washington Navigation Co. G78.1-110 (ws.dot.wa.gov/ferries--article)

Ferries--1920-1930;

Using both hands, actress Ruth Taylor holds onto the propeller of the "City of Tacoma" aircraft on February 8, 1928. She is wearing protective goggles and headgear. Additional photographs in this series show Miss Taylor as a passenger aboard the plane; the goggles and headgear would be necessary since the passenger seat was not under cover. (See B18045, B18049) The plane was parked at the Mueller-Harkins airport on Steilacoom Blvd., current site of Clover Park Technical College. Miss Taylor was making a brief stop in Tacoma while on a nationwide tour promoting her new movie, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." TPL-8077; G12.1-048B. Photograph ordered by the Olympic Aeronautical Corporation. (TDL 2-8-28, p. 2-brief article on Miss Taylor's visit)

Airplanes--Tacoma--1920-1930; Women--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1920-1930; Taylor, Ruth; Actresses;

Hollywood actress Ruth Taylor cheerfully waves as she is seated in the passenger seat of the "City of Tacoma" aircraft on February 8, 1928. The plane is parked at the Mueller Harkins airport outside the Olympic Aeronautical Corporation hangar. Miss Taylor, a product of Portland schools, was chosen to star as "Lorelei" in the silent film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" after a nationwide search. The petite blonde was in town to make a personal appearance at the Broadway Theater where her film would be showing in the near future. She was known for her trademark spit curls and had been a Mack Sennett Bathing Beauty. Her son, Buck Henry, born in 1930, would become a well known actor and writer. Photograph ordered by the Olympic Aeronautical Corporation. G12.1-048A (TDL 2-8-28, p. 2-article on Miss Taylor's visit; Imdb.com-information on Miss Taylor)

Airplanes--Tacoma--1920-1930; Taylor, Ruth; Actresses;

Gesturing toward an oval advertisement on the back of a parked sedan in April of 1928 are three well known hotel managers: (l-r) Emerson Wakefield of the Carlton Hotel, A.C.C. ("Al") Gamer of the Olympus and Ray Clark of the Winthrop. The sign invites "Hotel-men" to convene in Tacoma, the "Lumber Capitol of the World," May 8-9th. "Al" is the "official scout." He would be making a tour throughout California in the vehicle to invite other hotel managers to the convention. The gathering will take place at the Winthrop Hotel. G31.1-103 (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 5-6-28, 4-A)

Automobiles--Tacoma--1920-1930; Signs (Notices); Gamer, Albert C.C.; Wakefield, Emerson; Clark, Ray; Meetings--Tacoma--1920-1930;

A Dodge Victory Six from Burns-Campbell Motors, South Tacoma dealers, is parked adjacent to a Bergen Bromley Flying Service airplane on June 23, 1928 that had Tommy Burns in the rear cockpit. The other man was not identified but may have been Harold Bromley, Mr. Burns' flight instructor. Tommy Burns had just completed his solo flight that day. The Bergen Bromley Flying Service operated out of the Tacoma Municipal Airport in Lakewood. TPL-1667; G12.1-040 (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 7-8-28, 2-G)

Dodge automobile; Airplanes--Tacoma--1920-1930; Bergen Bromley Flying Service (Tacoma); Burns, Tommy;

The freighter "Lillian Luckenbach," part of the Luckenbach Steamship Co. fleet, was dockside on February 8, 1929 at the St. Paul mill dock #2. She was here to pick up the first shipment of paper pulp sent by water by the new Union Bag & Paper Co. Tacoma plant which had commenced operations in January. The nearly 1000 tons were loaded onto the ship through four hatches. The cargo was headed to Hudson Falls, N.Y., the location of a Union Bag plant. The ship was commanded by Captain G.C. Bown of Tacoma. G49.1-110 (TDL 2-8-29, p. 1-article; TDL 2-9-29, p. 1-article)

Cargo ships--Tacoma--1920-1930; Shipping--Tacoma--1920-1930; Piers & wharves--Tacoma--1920-1930;

"Working Broadway" was the caption given to this February 13, 1929, scene of ice and snow. Two unidentified businessmen are prepared to shovel the chunks of ice and snow along Broadway. They are across the street from the A.H. McConnell Co., 728-30 Broadway, dealers in Dodge Bros. cars and Graham trucks. Tacoma was just emerging from three weeks of heavy snow and icy conditions about the time this photograph was taken. The cost to the city of (street) repairs and loss of business may have run as high as $100,000, a huge expense in 1929. G59.1-019 (TNT 2-19-29, p. 1-article on economic loss)

Shovels; Ice--Tacoma; A.H. McConnell Co. (Tacoma);

Fleischmann's Yeast vehicle parked outside of Mutual Motors, then at 816-24 South "K," on May 8, 1929. The shiny Ford, recently purchased from the agency, was decorated with the familiar yeast box as advertisement along with the saying "Eat it for health." Photograph ordered by Mutual Motors. G11.1-017

Ford automobile; Mutual Motors (Tacoma); Fleischmann's Yeast (Tacoma);

Two unidentified men are gazing upon the operating equipment aboard the new Tacoma Fire Boat No. 1, recently launched and now undergoing installation of five gasoline engines and four pumps. Once operational, the vessel could generate speeds of 18 mph and be able to throw out 10,000 gallons of water per minute. Tacoma's waterfront could be assured that help would come quickly in case of fires. G26.1-040 (TDL 6-8-29, p. 1-article; Tacoma Sunday Ledger 6-9-29, p. 1-article)

Boat engines; Fireboats--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Docked at Shaffer Terminal #2 on September 25, 1929, was the "Bellingham" of the Tacoma Oriental Line. She appears to be in the process of loading large logs. The "Bellingham" departed on September 28th bound for South China and the Philippines. G49.1-061 (TNT 9-25-29, p. 18-small article on ship)

Cargo ships--Tacoma--1920-1930; Shipping--Tacoma--1920-1930; Logs;

Standing beneath this biplane's propeller on October 12, 1929, are four unidentified individuals. Both women and one man are wearing aviation headgear and goggles. The plane is marked "Bergersen-Sherman." An alternate photograph ran in the November 14, 1929, Tacoma Times indicating that these four flying enthusiasts recently soloed at Mueller-Harkins Airport. Unfortunately, their names were not listed but their occupations were given as "tugboat man," "auto man," school teacher and doctor's assistant. TPL-8074; G12.1-008 (T.Times 11-14-29, p. 2)

Biplanes; Airplanes; Airline industry;

In September of 1928 the Tacoma News Tribune in partnership with the Colonial and Rialto Theaters sponsored a promotional contest in conjunction with the release of Bebe Daniels newest movie, "Hot News." Nine pretty young Tacoma misses posed with a new Durant-Star coupe, one of the contest prizes, in front of the Central Motors building at 605 Saint Helens Avenue. Prizes in the contest totaled $2,600, a tidy sum in 1928. The girl standing in the rumble-seat of the new car (third from the left) has her hand on the crank of a newsreel movie camera. As a side note, a new 2-door Durant Star could be purchased in 1928 from Central Motors, a Star and La Salle dealership, for $628 with delivery in Tacoma.

Automobiles--Tacoma--1920-1930; Signs (Notices); Contests--Tacoma--1920-1930;

A longshoreman keeps a careful eye on cargo being unloaded from a ship docked at the Port of Tacoma in November of 1931. G50.1-009

Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940; Longshoremen--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hoisting machinery;

St. Regis' floating log dump as viewed in early May of 1937. Docked nearby is the Japanese vessel, "Gyokoh Marudairen." In the distance are prominent city structures: the towers of City Hall, Pierce County Courthouse, and Central School and the Art-Deco styled Medical Arts Building. The floating logs will eventually be pulped and the product shipped via water to St. Regis' eastern paper mills and exported to foreign countries, including Japan. Japan was St. Regis' best customer at 35,000 tons annually. G37.1-010 (T.Times 1-27-37, p. 1-article on St. Regis)

Logs; Cargo ships--Japanese; Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940; Cityscapes;

Legendary fighter pilot and race car driver, Eddie Rickenbacker, established his own automobile manufacturing company for a short time which produced coupes and sedans named after himself. To drum up publicity for his new car, three local women drivers were used to handle a seven-day continously run endurance marathon as pictured above in December of 1923. Margaret Hickey was the first driver when the endurance run began at 12:31 p.m. in front of City Hall on December 3, 1923. Irma Mottau and Helen Selden would take over at 4-hour intervals. The women did not break speed limits and were not limited to particular routes so drove from Des Moines to Olympia and points between in often rough weather. To ensure that the motor was not tampered with, and not turned off, Sheriff Tom Desmond and Police Captain Fred Gardner sealed the hood of the Rickenbacker coupe prior to the start of the run. The seal would not be broken until the end of the run, at 12:31 p.m. on December 10th. The three women, with Helen Selden as the finishing driver, were greeted at the finish line by over 500 people at the conclusion of the 2,642 mile marathon. A classic 4-passenger coupe like the above sold for $2325 at the time of the race. Local distributor of the Rickenbacker was the Sound Motor Co., Sixth & Tacoma, who sponsored the race. G11.1-006 (photograph is also labeled B9060) (TDL 12-11-23, p. 5)

Rickenbacker automobile; Signs (Notices);

Bow-view of the ferry "Wollochet." Date of original print is not known; copy made on May 23, 1927. The "Wollochet" was built by the Skansie Shipyards in 1925 for service between Tacoma and Wollochet Bay and Fox Island. Her name would be changed to "Fox Island" while still under service with the Washington Navigation Co. TPL-7914; G66.1-087

Ferries--1920-1930;

ca. 1915. Firestone tire service truck at Tacoma Speedway circa 1915. The location was the Tacoma Speedway, about seven miles from Tacoma. The occasion was probably the three auto races which composed a great part of the summer Montamara Festo. The Firestone service vehicle was there in all likelihood to supply replacement tires to the cars which raced 100, 200, and 250 miles respectively. A new "lattice" track was in use. It had replaced the old dirt track in 1914 but racers still had to deal with unexpected difficulties such as splinters. Two million feet of lumber, board measure, consisting of Washington fir, were used for the new track. Speedway construction was a relatively new process at that time. (speedway construction information: Standard Oil Bulletin, Vol. 3, ca. 1915)

Firestone Tire; Trucks--Lakewood--1910-1920; Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Racetracks--Lakewood--1910-1920; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1910-1920;

Display of Maxwell automobiles. Hoisted on top of a small stage is a Maxwell touring car. The Maxwells were distributed in Southwest Washington by the American Automobile Co. The tops were removable if so desired and the new "California" or all weather top, dark maroon in color, was guaranteed to last the lifetime of the car. The Maxwell automobile also came in enclosed models. This display of automobiles may have been in preparation for the Wesern Washington Fair, October 2-9, where new 1923 cars would be exhibited at the Auto Show. G32.1-135 (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 4-30-22, C-3-article; Tacoma Sunday Ledger 4-23-22, C-5-article)

Maxwell automobile; Automobile shows;

Stacks of lumber are being loaded onto the "Commercial Pathfinder" while docked at the Tidewater Mill on December 6, 1922. The mill was located on the east side of the Hylebos and most of its timber was exported. G49.1-201 (print has deteriorated)

Cargo ships--1920-1930; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tidewater Mill Co. (Tacoma);

Three Nalley's delivery trucks are lined up outside the company plant on July 7, 1923. Two of the three drivers are visible behind the steering wheels. Nalley's trucks were decorated with the company's slogan, "If it's Nalley's it's Good." An uncropped version of this photograph ran in the Tacoma Sunday Ledger on July 15, 1923. Nalley's had added more Dodges to their fleet including a touring car and a panel business car (not pictured above) . They had accepted delivery from the Pierce County distributors of Dodge Bros. vehicles, Griffith Motor Co. Low upkeep expense and proven dependability were factors in choosing the Dodge Bros. brand. (print has been damaged) (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 7-15-23, 6-G)

Trucks--Tacoma--1920-1930; Nalleys, Inc. (Tacoma);

Foss Launch crew involved in the raising of the sunken 80-ton steamer, "Rubaiyat," which had foundered on September 29, 1923. The 65-foot vessel had left Municipal Dock at 6 p.m. on her way to Seattle. She was heavily loaded with hundreds of cases of canned goods and capsized in Commencement Bay. Four persons died including one woman. The "Rubaiyat" sank within 30 seconds of capsizing and lay in 35 fathoms of water. Foss Launch immediately came to the rescue, putting five boats in the water, and reached the area at the same time as the lifeboat launched by the steamer "Fulton." Previous attempts in 1923 to raise the "Rubaiyat" had failed and the vessel was thought unsalvagable. The men pictured above on March 12, 1924, were successful in raising the ship from Commencement Bay's bottom: (L-R) Walter McCray, diver; H.F. (Fred) Berg of Foss Launch & Tug; Otto Kraus; William McDaniels; George Westerman, engineer; and O.F. Currey. McCray and Berg had obtained title to the hull since the sinking. G50.1-138 (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 9-30-23, p. 1-article); TDL 3-13-24, p. 10)

Foss Launch & Tug Co. (Tacoma)--employees; Foss Launch & Tug Co. (Tacoma); Tugboats--Tacoma--1920-1930; McCray, Walter; Berg, H.F.; Kraus, Otto; McDaniels, William; Westerman, George; Currey, O.F.;

An unidentified woman is pictured on March 23, 1924, hopping from one Rickenbacker coupe to another. The coupes came with 4-wheel brakes, a relatively new idea. Photograph ordered by Sound Motor Co. G32.1-065

Rickenbacker automobile;

A new Dodge delivery truck from Griffith Motor Co. has been purchased by the Tacoma Fish & Packing Co. in March of 1924. The Dodge was selected for its fine qualities of appearance, dependability and economy. Tacoma Fish & Packing was located at 1107 Dock St. and were wholesale dealers in fresh, smoked and frozen fish. The occupant in the vehicle was not identified. Photograph ordered by Griffith Motor Co., Dodge dealership. G34.1-056 (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 4-13-24, G-7)

Dodge trucks; Tacoma Fish & Packing Co. (Tacoma);

The tug, "Andrew Foss," flagship of the Foss Launch & Tug Company fleet, was undergoing painting and general repair for the summer season on April 27, 1924, along with the 57-foot purse seiner "Mercury of Tacoma." Both ships were on the ways at Western Boat Building. Henry Foss, son of Andrew and Thea Foss, is believed to be standing on the left below the tug's stern along with an unidentified man. Photograph ordered by Foss Launch & Tug Co. TPL-3681; G50.1-149 (TNT 4-26-24, p. 11-article only)

Tugboats--Tacoma--1920-1930; Foss Launch & Tug Co. (Tacoma); Fishing boats--Tacoma--1920-1930;

The ferry, "Gig Harbor," and other vessels moored at the finishing docks of Western Boat Building on the Wapato Waterway next to the Western Lumber Mfg. Co., on April 16, 1925. Western Lumber and Western Boat Building shared the same address of 2505 E. 11th St. The "Gig Harbor" was launched from Western Boat facilities on Friday evening, April 10th. It is a 30-car craft, the same size as the original "City of Tacoma" now operating. Like the "City of Tacoma," the "Gig Harbor" can be lengthened to a 50-car craft if necessary. Photograph ordered by Western Boat Building. G66.1-098 (TDL 4-10-25, p. 7-article on launching; TNT 4-21-25, p. 1)

Ferries--Tacoma--1920-1930; Western Lumber Manufacturing Co. (Tacoma); Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Trucks parked by electric power plant. These trucks, probably White, were transporting equipment to this city power plant in late April of 1925. Four men are posed on or standing next to the vehicles. Photograph ordered by the Hickey Motor Co., local distributors of White trucks.

White trucks--Tacoma; Power plants--Tacoma;