On August 17, 1918, Mrs. M. Ristig was photographed while repairing tires at the M.K. Martin Company, 750 Broadway. She was one of thousands of women worldwide, as the photo's headline in the Tacoma Daily Ledger stated, "Taking the Places of Those Over There." World War I, 1914-1918, proved to be a turning point for women's employment. With the men away at war, women were called upon to fill non traditional jobs, providing them the opportunity to prove that women could fill jobs outside the office or the home. The women performed admirably in many jobs previously denied to them, many of them physically demanding or dangerous. As Mrs. Ristig's employer, Mr. Martin, stated "She can do every bit as much work as a man and do it just as well." TPL-1656, Boland B1306 (TDL 8/25/1918, pg. C-1)

Tires; Women--Working class--1910-1920; M.K. Martin Co. (Tacoma); World War, 1914-1918--Women--Tacoma;

ca. 1916. Around 1916, the exhibition prison ship "Success," from Melbourne, Australia, was docked at the Tacoma Municipal Dock Landing and open for tours. Between 1895 and 1942, the ship was seen by millions on three continents. She was also considered a bit of a hoax, since she was exhibited as a convict ship, when in fact she had been used not to transport convicts but as a floating prison. Built in 1840, she was sold to a London company in 1842 and was used to carry emigrants from England to Australia. After being abandoned by her crew in 1852 during the Australian gold rush, she was purchased by the Victorian government to serve as a floating prison. Ordered to be destroyed in 1885, the "Success" escaped this fate, and was purchased by Alexander Phillips who saw her potential as a money making floating museum. She toured Australia, the British Isles (1895-1912) and the U.S. (1912-1943.) After 106 years, she burned to the waterline on Lake Erie on July 4, 1946. (http://home.gci.net; www.nla.gov.au) Ships-071, TPL-1787

Sailing ships--Australia;

Exhaust fills the air as the speed kings prepare to race at the Tacoma Speedway. The InterCity 100-mile and Golden Potlatch 200-mile races were both run on the same day, July 3, 1914. This is believed to be the start of the Golden Potlatch with Californian Billy Taylor in his #12 Alco and "Terrible Teddy" Tetzlaff in his #3 Maxwell side-by-side and Jim Parsons of Seattle in his #7 Frantz directly behind the Maxwell. None of the three would win the race. Another Maxwell driver, Englishman Hughie Hughes, won the $1500 first place award with Art Klein in his King and Earl Cooper (the previous year's winner) in his Stutz coming in second and third. Mr. Hughes averaged 74.28 mph while beating Mr. Klein by 6 2/5th seconds. Mr. Parsons would finish in sixth place and Mr. Taylor in eighth. If the track looks a bit oily, it probably was. According to a Standard Oil Bulletin, some 1331 barrels of Richmond road oil were used on the two-mile track. (TDL 7-4-14, p. 1-results; Standard Oil Bulletin, Vol. 3, ca. 1915)

Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Racetracks--Lakewood--1910-1920; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1910-1920; Racing automobiles--1910-1920; Taylor, Billy; Tetzlaff, Teddy; Parsons, Jim; Alco automobile; Maxwell automobile; Frantz automobile;

ca. 1915. Bob Burman sails around a curve at the Tacoma Speedway behind the wheel of his Peugeot, #9. The photograph was probably taken at the July 4, 1915 Montamarathon Classic in which Burman finished fourth. Burman broke into racing as the driver of a Buick, part of a team including Louis Chevrolet and Lewis Strang. The trio won more races and broke more records than any team racing. After Chevrolet retired and Strang was killed, Burman struck out on his own. He set the speed record on Daytona Beach, one mile in 25 2/5 seconds at 141 mph, earning the title "Speed King." His most prominent characteristic as a driver was his fearlessness. He was killed in a crash in Corona, California in 1916. TPL-2949 (Tacoma Tribune 7/4/1915, pg. 12)

Burman, Bob; Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Racetracks--Lakewood--1910-1920; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1910-1920;

ca. 1915. Harry O'Brien and his "mechanician" zipping around the $100,000 Tacoma Speedway in their "Great Big Baked Potato Special" during the July, 1915, Montamara Festo races. #33 was believed to be in reality a Stutz. Mr. O'Brien had planned to race both the InterCity Century 100-mile and Golden Potlatch 200-mile events on July 5th. How he placed in the InterCity was not known but his "Baked Potato" did not run in the Potlatch. Only eight cars started in the Potlatch, the final race of the festival, as the others were too damaged by the previous races to compete. The InterCity was won by Jim Parsons for the third time in 1:15:27 while Mercer ace Eddie Pullen shattered Earl Cooper's chances of repeating as champion in the Potlatch. (TNT ad 7-4-15, p. 2; TDN 7-6-15, p. 5-results)

O'Brien, Harry; Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Racetracks--Lakewood--1910-1920; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1910-1920; Racing automobiles--1910-1920;

On July 4, 1915, Earl Cooper approaches the checkered flag in his Stutz racing car at the Tacoma Speedway, finishing second in the Montamarathon. The crowd of 20,000 spectators stands and cheers. Cooper had won the 250 mile race in 1913 and 1914 and had hopes of retaining the perpetual trophy for the Montamarathon, second only in importance to Indianapolis's 500. His hopes were dashed by his second place finish at 2: 58: 5. Grover Ruckstell finished first at 2:57. The track's split board planking consisted of 2 x 4 planks which were laid end to end and were a hazard to the car's tires. The race was also marked by the board track's first fatalities. Billy Carlson's Maxwell 17 blew a tire and left the track in the 60th lap, launching both Carlson and his mechanic in the air. The mechanic, Paul Franzen, was killed instantly and Carlson died later that day of injuries. TPL-130, Speedway glass- 040 (Tacoma Tribune 7/5/1915, pg. 1 & 2)

Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Racetracks--Lakewood--1910-1920; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1910-1920; Cooper, Earl;

This is believed to be the Velie Special driven by T.F. Barsby who finished third in the July 5, 1915, InterCity 100-mile race at the Tacoma Speedway. The race was won by Jim Parsons of Seattle for the third consecutive year. Frank Elliott in his Gordon Special came in second. Twelve cars were entered but only six finished. TPL-3166 (TDL 7-6-15, p. 1,2 -results)

Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Racetracks--Lakewood--1910-1920; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1910-1920; Racing automobiles--1910-1920;

ca. 1914. In 1914 Charles Webster Latta of Seattle returned to the Tacoma Speedway for the annual July Montamarathon Festo races. He had competed in the Golden Potlatch 200-mile race in 1913 at the Speedway and finished a very respectable third behind eventual winner Earl Cooper and well-known national star Bob Burman. In 1914 he captured third place in the InterCity 100-mile race with a Lozier, rather than the Interstate he had used in the Potlatch the year before. Jim Parsons repeated as winner of the InterCity with S.F. Brock of Portland in second place. (Local newspapers referred to Mr. Latta as "N." Latta) (TNT 7-3-14, p. 1-results) TPL-1646

Latta, Charles Webster; Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Racetracks--Lakewood--1910-1920; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1910-1920; Racing automobiles--1910-1920; Lozier automobile;

ca. 1914. Herman C. Terrien of Tacoma sits behind the wheel of his small Regal along with his "mechanician" Oscar Soderburg as the duo prepares for their entry in the InterCity 100-mile race scheduled for July 3, 1914 at the Tacoma Speedway. The car, dubbed the "Pacific Car Special," was altered at the Pacific Car Co., hence its name. As with racing cars of the time, the tires and steering wheel seem exceptionally large. The "Pacific Car Special" was one of twelve cars entered in the first race of the 1914 Montamara Festo which was restricted to cars from the Pacific Northwest. The InterCity race was won again by Jim Parsons of Seattle in his Frantz car. TPL-1638 (See Speedway 002 for close up of drivers)

Terrien, Herman C.; Soderburg, Oscar; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1910-1920; Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Regal automobile;

ca. 1914. Frank Verbeck and his "mechanician," Forrest C. Smithson are pictured in their Fiat "70" which had been entered in the 200-mile Golden Potlatch and 250-mile Montamarathon races at the Tacoma Speedway in early July of 1914. Mr. Verbeck had raced in Tacoma in 1912 but not the following year. He held the 24 hour record on the Los Angeles motordrome. The Fiat had been the car of Mr. Verbeck's former teammate, "Terrible Teddy" Tetzlaff, who this year would run in a Maxwell. Mr. Verbeck along with several other notable racers showed up about two weeks before the race along with their cars. Forrest C. Smithson, the "mechanician," was a world class hurdler who was making his first appearance in Tacoma. He was an Olympic champion in 1908 and held numerous American records. TPL-10151 (TNT 6-21-14, 2-B-article; TNT 6-28-14, 3-D-alt. photograph & article)

Verbeck, Frank; Smithson, Forrest C.; Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Racetracks--Lakewood--1910-1920; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1910-1920; Fiat automobile;

The Red Cross Salvage Department headquarters at 1123 A Street was built in one day on April 7, 1918, with materials donated by local businesses and labor donated by local unions. Over 75 union carpenters worked from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to erect the structure, with the finishers, electricians and plumbers to report later in the week. The Salvage Department was an auxiliary of the Red Cross and this building served as its warehouse and office. The community was asked to donate to the Department any waste items of value that could be salvaged for cash. The money raised went to the Red Cross for their work at the front overseas. The motto of the Department was "Ask for no money, Pay no money." TPL-742, BU 13188, Boland #B1151. (TDN 4/5/1918, pg. 1; 4/8/1918, pg. 14)

American Red Cross Pierce County Chapter (Tacoma); Salvage; World War, 1914-1918--Scrap drives--Tacoma;

ca. 1918. The Puget Hotel Annex, circa 1918, in Port Gamble, Wa. Port Gamble, located in Kitsap County about 35 miles from Seattle, is one of the few surviving examples of a company town. It was founded in 1853 by partners Josiah Keller, William Talbot, Andrew Pope and Charles Foster who formed the Puget Mill Co. In 1907, the company built a luxury hotel called the Puget Hotel for visitors, but this did not solve the housing problems of transient workers; the loggers, sailors and longshoremen who did not work for the company and qualify for company housing but could at times make up 1/3 of the town's population. The Puget Annex was built to provide low cost rooms for these boarders. ("The Coast" magazine, Jan. 1909, Vol 17 No. 1, pg. 92; online Historylink.org Port Gamble cybertour) Boland #25

Puget Hotel (Port Gamble); Lumber industry--Port Gamble; Puget Mill Co. (Port Gamble);

ca. 1918. The view down Rainier Ave. in Port Gamble, circa 1918. Port Gamble is one of the few surviving examples of a company town. It was built by the Puget Mill which, when it closed in 1995, was the oldest continuously operating mill in the nation. On the left is the mill office and general store, built in 1916. The store sold groceries, supplies and dry goods to the workers, as well as serving as their communication center by posting news of the world on their billboards. It is still in operation today, although the store now caters to tourists and a museum occupies the basement. Further down the street can be seen the water towers that supplied the town. (Historylink.org) Boland #22

Lumber industry--Port Gamble; Puget Mill Co. (Port Gamble); General stores--Port Gamble;

ca. 1918. View of the Puget Mill, left at water line, with its piles of logs and the town of Port Gamble from the Port Gamble Bay, circa 1918. The mill operated from 1853 - 1995, making it the longest continuously operating mill in the nation. The town of Port Gamble was built by the company for the use of its workers. It is one of the few remaining examples of a lumber town. In 1966, the entire town was declared a national historic site. In the background of the photo can be seen, left to right, the spire of the St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the town's twin water towers, the Queen Anne Walker-Ames House, the mill company offices & store and the Community Hall. (Historylink.org) Boland #32

Lumber industry--Port Gamble; Puget Mill Co. (Port Gamble);

ca. 1918. Puget Mill company owned worker housing in Port Gamble, circa 1918. On the whole, Puget Mill workers were treated better than those at other lumber mills. They were paid a fair wage and housed in modern housing with all the conveniences. These homes cost about $587.59 each to build and a three bedroom version rented for around $7.00 a month. They were surround by pickett fences to protect them from wildlife and had a fireplace, electric lights, bathroom and a water closet. (Historylink.org)

Lumber industry--Port Gamble; Puget Mill Co. (Port Gamble);

ca. 1918. A view of the Puget Hotel (left), circa 1918, built in 1907 on a bluff above the Puget Mill. The Puget Mill, identified by the smoke in the background, was established in 1853 and closed in 1995, making it the longest continuously operating mill in the nation, clocking in at 142 years. The entire town of Port Gamble was owned by the mill company, including the hotel. In the center of the photograph is a band stand where concerts were played on Sunday afternoons. Boland #26

Puget Hotel (Port Gamble); Lumber industry--Port Gamble; Puget Mill Co. (Port Gamble);

ca. 1919. Tacoma architect C. Frank Mahon drew this delineation of Holy Rosary Church before construction began on the Catholic church in 1920. Located at 520 South 30th Street, its Gothic steeple has long been a Tacoma landmark. Mahon's architectural work for the Catholic Diocese included many schools and churches in Tacoma in addition to Marymount Boys School in Spanaway and St. Martin's College in Lacey. (B2308)

Holy Rosary Church (Tacoma); Catholic churches--Tacoma; Architectural drawings;

Andrews Pool Hall/Greene Park Photograph of large, empty pool hall taken in June of 1918. There are at least two rows of pool tables set up and ready for players. Cue sticks are mounted on pillars. Room is well-lit. Greene Park, a recreation center created during the Great War, was located across Pacific Highway from Camp Lewis. It was designed to keep troops from off-limit attractions and included an ice cream parlor, theatres, restaurants, tailors, a bank and this billiard hall. The recreation center was named after Camp Lewis commander Major General Henry A. Greene. The only surviving feature of Greene Park in the 21st century is the Red Shield Inn, opened in 1919, to house relatives visiting soldiers. It is now the Fort Lewis Museum. G53.1-094 (www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=8455--article on Fort Lewis) TPL-10305

Billiard parlors--Camp Lewis;

Camp Lewis' 44th Infantry was noted for its fine athletes. Their tug-of-war team, under the direction of athletic officer Capt. Booth, had defeated teams from the Navy, Marines and the Bremerton Naval Shipyard in recent contests. In August of 1918 the 44th Infantry tug-of-war team posed with one of their many trophies. The shiny trophy is displayed on a large, thick coil of rope. Camp Lewis was host to a big track and field meet August 21-22nd, 1918. Although tug-of-war was be one of the events in competition, the outcome was not published in the News Tribune. The 44th Infantry was, however, the top point holder at the end of the meet with 59 points overall. (TNT 8-6-18, p. 11-article; TNT 8-22-18, p. 11-article) G69.1-156

Soldiers--Camp Lewis; Awards; Tug of war; Ropes;

Employees of Star Iron Works posed aboard their patriotic "float" for the 1918 Labor Day Parade. The float was stopped just south of the Union Station at 1717 Pacific Avenue. They were part of the nearly 20,000 representatives of organized labor who marched in the largest Labor Day parade the city of Tacoma had seen to that date. There were eight large divisions of labor, 12 bands including two from Camp Lewis, floats and pretty girls on display. Working men and women, from boiler makers to cigar makers to cooks, all marched in countless lines during the hour-long parade which ended at Wright Park. Industries were booming during the war years as noted by the increase of shipworkers marching in the parade - 4,700 compared to the 47 the year before. G38.1-041 (TDL 9-2-18, p. 1-article; TDL 9-3-18, p. 1-article; TNT 9-2-18, p. 1-article)

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1910-1920; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1910-1920;

Tacoma Street Scene. This is Tacoma Avenue North at 2nd looking north. This photograph was taken in February of 1919 and shows bare trees and wide empty streets. There are only two cars in view and both appear to be parked. Houses in view are large and there is a four-story apartment building on the right. G62.1-070; TPL-858 (print is speckled)

Residential streets--Tacoma--1910-1920; Houses--Tacoma--1910-1920;

Daily operations at Todd Shipyards as photographed in March of 1919. Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corporation had bought land along Commencement Bay in 1917 and built a modern shipyard. They delivered eleven cargo ships in 1919. TPL-1526; G37.1-176 (www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/toddtacoma.htm--list of ships built)

Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1910-1920;

Miss Vera Jedlick proudly posed on March 21, 1919 with her new Essex automobile. She boasted of being the first Essex owner in Tacoma. The Essex first appeared on the market in 1919 and Miss Jedlick thought it was the finest car around. It took her five minutes after driving the Essex five blocks to decide to buy it. The Essex was a lighter and less expensive Hudson auto and was sold in Tacoma by the Pacific Car Co., at No. 2nd and G St. Miss Jedlick donated her car and her considerable driving talents two days a week to the Red Cross Motor Corps. She is wearing the Motor Corps uniform; the long coat and overseas cap. In the background is the large stone drinking fountain donated by Mayor Angelo Vance Fawcett to the city of Tacoma in 1908. It was originally installed at the intersection of 9th, Broadway and St. Helens Ave., but was later moved by another administration to 8th and A St. on a corner of Fireman's Park. It eventually obtained the euphonious nickname "Fawcett's Faucet." TPL-1681; G11.1-071 (TDL 3/30/1919, pg. C-13; TDL 3-16-19, "Pacific Car Company Chatter," Automotive section-small article)

Automobiles--Tacoma--1910-1920; Jedlick, Vera; Essex automobile; Community service--Tacoma--1910-1920; American Red Cross Pierce County Chapter (Tacoma); Drinking fountains--Tacoma--1910-1920;

Exterior 1919 view of Babare Brothers Shipyards. The plant, located on five acres in Old Town, was one of Tacoma's pioneer shipbuilding facilities. The Babare Brothers consisted of George and Nick Babare, whose Croatian-born father Stephen was a master shipbuilder. Employing some 300 workers in 1918, the plant was busy building large wooden steamers for the government. The yard contained two building slips, each served by gantry cranes, a modern sawmill and in-demand machine shop. Prior to the Babare Brothers entry into government work, they built cannery tenders and purse seine boats for fishermen and canneries in Oregon, Washington and Alaska. They were prepared to return to this type of work after the government's demand for ships decreased. On November 30, 1919, the Tacoma Daily Ledger reported that the Babare Brothers had obtained a site along the Hylebos Waterway. (Pacific Marine Review, August, 1918, p. 90-article) G37.1-180

Babare Brothers Shipbuilding (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1910-1920;

The dining room staff at Todd Shipyards on the tideflats posed for a group portrait in February of 1919 in front of what is believed to be the shipyard's dining hall. The unidentified woman in dark dress and white collar in back row may be the supervisor. The massive $1,000,000 shipbuilding plant, covering a 30-block area located around 100 Alexander Avenue, required many workers in all categories. Known formally as the Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp., the shipyard provided a company hotel with room for over 600 men, a large dining facility, and began building modest homes for sale to shipyard employees in 1919. G33.1-132

Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp. (Tacoma); Employee eating facilities--Tacoma; Restaurant workers--Tacoma--1910-1920;

ca. 1919. Lindberg Grocery Co. delivery van circa 1919. The Lindberg Grocery Co. were wholesale distributors of "DelMonte," "Stadium," and "Linco" brands as well as cigars and candy. Their delivery van, parked along an unidentified street, had protective canvas over the sides and rear and the driver's cab was encased in tarp as well. Lindberg Grocery, owned and operated by Gustaf Lindberg, had been in Tacoma since about 1892. According to the 1920 City directory, the grocery store was located at South 23rd and "C" Streets and also imported Scandinavian specialties to serve the area's large Scandinavian population. TPL-1680; G34.1-141

Trucks--Tacoma--1910-1920; Lindberg Grocery Co. (Tacoma);

An unidentified party of four from Bremerton posed in front of a parked automobile on the east side of Pacific Avenue near South 8th St. in May of 1919. The well-dressed couples were perhaps out on a Sunday drive. In the background looking north are the Eau-Claire Apartments, Auto Parts Supply Co., D.C. Modrall & Co., Jim's Place (restaurant) and a tailoring establishment. TPL-1640; G61.1-009

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1910-1920; Business districts--Tacoma--1910-1920; Couples--Tacoma--1910-1920; Automobiles--Tacoma--1910-1920;

A man exits Tacoma Transit Co. bus #105 near the 900 block of Pacific Ave. on June 8, 1919. The bus ran on sturdy Goodyear Cord tires and was used on the Tacoma-Puyallup route. The Moose cigar and tobacco store is on the near left; the Eau-Claire Apartments and Auto Parts Supply Co. in right rear. Photograph ordered by Goodyear. G66.1-056, TPL-1630

Buses--Tacoma--1910-1920; Tacoma Transit Co. (Tacoma); Tires--Tacoma;

Funeral procession for Gov. Ernest Lister. Two-time Chief Executive Ernest Lister died of heart and kidney disease on June 14, 1919 in Seattle, the day before his 48th birthday. He was laid to rest on June 17th at Tacoma Cemetery after services at the First Methodist Church. Full military honors were accorded Gov. Lister as commander-in-chief of the Washington National Guard. 600 men from six companies of the regiment in the western part of the state marched as part of the funeral cortege. Some of the armed soldiers from the Third Washington Infantry are pictured above, heading south on "K" St. (now Martin Luther King Jr. Way) and turning at So. 8th St., at a slow march. Once at Center St., the soldiers and fraternal organizations in attendance boarded streetcars to the cemetery located in South Tacoma. Co. D fired three volleys as the casket was lowered into the gravesite. Other companies present included Companies A, B, C, and Headquarters Company, the regimental infirmary of Seattle and Co. F of Tacoma. (TNT 6-14-19, p. 1-article; TNT 6-17-19, p. 1+- article) TPL-5898; G1.1-109

Lister, Ernest--Death; Funeral processions--Tacoma; Washington National Guard, Third Infantry (Wash.);

Despite appearances, all the actors in this June 22, 1919, photograph are girls. Annie Wright seniors were practicing their senior class play on the school grounds at 611 Division Avenue. Since Annie Wright at that time was an all-female academy, all roles in theatrical productions were played by girls, including the male parts. Costumes and mannerisms indicate that this may have been a play occurring during Elizabethan times. G64.1-055

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1910-1920; Private schools--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1910-1920; Actresses; Theatrical productions--Tacoma;