Lynden's canned chicken and chicken with noodles were among the first Tacoma-made products carried in the inaugural air express service flight from Tacoma on March 1, 1930. Varney Air Lines, piloted by Al Davis, made a brief stop in his large cabin Boeing plane at Mueller-Harkins Airport, 4500 Steilacoom Blvd. S.W., before he flew on to Portland and Pasco. R.E. Darling, manager of the Washington Cooperative Association, is pictured handing a can of Lynden Brand chicken to pilot Davis; it and the larger can of chicken and noodles were destined for New York. San Tex cigars for President Hoover, Brown & Haley chocolates for the First Lady, shipments from Rhodes Bros. bound for New York, and packages to Chicago (from Wheeler-Osgood) and to Utah (from the smelter), were just some of the express cargo on the first flight from Tacoma. The cargo was transferred upon arrival in Pasco to planes heading eastward via Salt Lake City. (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 3-2-30, p. 1) TPL-5544

Varney Air Lines; Airline industry; Airplanes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Davis, Al; Darling, R.E.; Canned foods;

Sunday, April 15, 1928, saw the inauguration of the new American Railway Express Co. air transport service, provided for Tacoma in conjunction with the Pacific Air Transport Co. fleet of mail carriers. It would be the first outgoing air parcel service under this new arrangement. The pilot pictured above smilingly accepts delivery of a slender box from an unidentified official before his northbound departure. Hundreds of people had gathered at the Mueller-Harkins Airport to celebrate this new service. (TNT 4-16-28, p. 7, TDL 4-15-28, 8-A) BGN-186, TPL-1597

Transport planes--Tacoma; Air pilots--Tacoma; American Railway Express Co. (Tacoma); Shipping--1920-1930; Air mail service--1920-1930;

On September 7, 1927, direct airmail and passenger service was inaugurated at Tacoma's Mueller-Harkins airport. After the first bag of air mail arrived, Postmaster Clyde J. Backus, right, turned it over to department employee Alfred Bottiger, left, who carried it to the city by automobile. Pictured in the center is R. A. Mueller. Over 2500 people waited two hours at the airport to cheer the arrival of the first airmail plane of the Pacific Air Transport Co. (TDL 9/8/1927, pg. 1 & pg. 3- picture) (photograph courtesy of Ted Bottiger, Port of Tacoma Commissioner)

Backus, Clyde J.; Bottiger, Alfred; Mueller, Rudolph A.; Mueller-Harkins Airport (Lakewood); Air mail service--Tacoma--1920-1930;

ca. 1930. Birds eye view of Harold Bromley's fourth airplane, NR153W, also called the "City of Tacoma." Bromley planned to fly from Tokyo to Tacoma in this red Emsco single engine monoplane. His September 14, 1930 attempt at the flight with Harold Gatty as navigator was foiled by a failed exhaust system on the plane. The fumes forced the pair to land and almost cost them their lives. The plane was abandoned by Bromley for this flight as too heavy and slow. TPL-8799

Bromley, Harold--Associated objects; Airplanes--Tacoma--1920-1930; Aeronautics--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Members of Tacoma's Drama League spend a lazy August day in 1925, paddling an Indian dug-out at the Olympus Manor on Hood Canal. A float plane rests on the water behind them. The Olympus Manor was begun in 1918 by local art instructor, world traveler and friend of the famous Orre N. Nobles. It was located on Hood Canal two miles northeast of Union. By the 1920's, the 16 room retreat was frequented by the local summer art colony and scores of the famous. It was decorated with Nobles' invaluable collection of Tibetan and Oriental art, furniture and artifacts. The two story retreat was destroyed by fire in 1952. No one was hurt, but the building and its priceless collection was destroyed and never rebuilt. (Shelton-Mason County Journal 7/31/1952; 8/7/1952) (photograph from the Erna Tilley Collection)

Olympus Manor (Hood Canal); Tacoma Drama League (Tacoma); Canoes; Nobles, Orre--Homes & haunts;

Moonlight on Puget Sound - U.S.S. Nipsic in fore ground.

ca. 1907. Dorcas Spalt rides through Wright Park in her 1906 Cadillac, driven by her son, Worthy Morris. Purported to be the first Cadillac in Tacoma. Man standing next to car was not identified except as a friend of Mr. Morris. (Original print owned by Allen Morris. No print copy on file.)

Cadillac automobile; Spalt, Dorcas; Morris, Worthy; Wright Park (Tacoma);

ca. 1888. Two ships sit at dock next to the Tacoma coal bunkers while three more ships lay at anchor in Commencement Bay in this photograph from 1888. The enormous bunkers along the waterfront enabled Tacoma to become, briefly, the leading coaling station on the Pacific Coast. In 1879-180, the Northern Pacific built a branch railroad up the Puyallup River valley and opened the Pierce County field in Wilkeson, Carbonado, and Fairfax. The first commercial coke plant was established and put into operation by the Tacoma Coal and Coke Company in 1888. TPL-8327

Ore industry--Tacoma--1880-1890; Coal--Tacoma--1880-1890; Cargo ships--Tacoma--1880-1890; Sailing ships--1880-1890

ca. 1894. The whaleback steamer "City of Everett" under construction in Everett, Washington, circa 1894. Her revolutionary design, reminiscent of both a cigar with tipped ends and the body of a whale (when fully loaded only the curved part of the hull was above water), was created by Alexander McDougall, a captain on the Great Lakes. He managed to bring forth a vessel that could carry heavy loads but also be fast, cutting through water with little resistance. His body of work totaled 40, 24 barges and 16 steamers, all whalebacks. The "City of Everett," which was launched in 1894 but not completed until 1895, was the only whaleback steamer built in Everett. She measured 346 feet long with a 42-foot beam. Truly a workhorse, she was in service for 29 years, including such memorable trips as sailing to India for famine relief, at which time she became the first American steamer to navigate the Suez Canal and continuing on to Spain, becoming the first American steamship to circumnavigate the world. The "City of Everett" had survived collisions at sea and a fire in port but on October 11, 1923, she went down with all hands during a storm in the Gulf of Mexico. The wreck was not found until September 10, 2010, in 400 feet of water about 150 miles due west of Naples, Florida. The whaleback steamship was nearly intact and appeared to have sunk stern first. (St. Petersburg Times, "Fishermen find big one that didn't get away: a steamship resting miles off Naples," 12-12-2010; Armitage, "Alexander McDougall and the Whaleboat," 6-8-2008)

Steamboats--Everett; Boat & ship industry--Everett;

ca. 1905. The steamer Fairhaven is in drydock for repairs at Quartermaster Harbor, Vashon Island, circa 1905. Built in Tacoma in 1889 and launched from the yards of Cpt. John Holland, the stern-wheeler was 130 feet long with 26-foot beam. She was built at a cost of $30,000 for the Fairhaven Land Co., of which Nelson Bennett was president. The wooden stern-wheel steamer was used by more than one company including the La Conner Trading & Transportation Co. and the Island Transportation Co. She had suffered several accidents during her long tenure on local waters including sinking in ten feet of water after striking a rock near Utsalady in 1902 and smashing her bow while caught by strong gales at Coupeville in 1907. Here the Fairhaven is undergoing repairs circa 1905 at Quartermaster Harbor, a nearly five-mile-long inlet which is formed by Vashon Island on the west and Maury Island on the east. The drydock was one of the largest in the Puget Sound. It could lift several large ships at a time and was in place until 1909. The Fairhaven was beached in 1918 after a fire and ended her days as a quasi-houseboat. (Carlaw, 'The Pickrell Brothers recall the Fairhaven,' The Sea Chest, XV1 (Dec. 1982-article)

Stern wheelers; Steamboats; Boat & ship industry; Quartermaster Harbor (Wash);

A sleek Blue Line bus, operated by Peter Conlon and his brother John W. Conlon, is parked outside the 12-unit Electric Apartments, 2510 Fawcett Avenue, in the early 1930s. The Conlons owned the Sumner Tacoma Stage Co. which carried passengers between Sumner and Tacoma. A small American flag is jauntily attached to the hood perhaps in honor of a holiday. (Photograph courtesy of the Jack Conlon collection)

Buses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Buses--Sumner; Sumner Tacoma Stage Co. (Sumner); Electric Apartments (Tacoma); Apartment houses--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Three drivers and four trucks in this undated photograph believed to have been taken post-1925 at the Sumner Garage. The trucks are part of the Conlon Bros. fleet of vehicles. The firm handled long distance moving and appeared based in Sumner. John W. Conlon and his brother Peter also operated the Sumner Tacoma Stage Co. in the 1920's and 1930's. John Conlon would pass away in March of 1935. (Photograph courtesy of the Jack Conlon collection)

Trucks--Sumner; Moving & storage trade--Sumner; Sumner Garage (Sumner);

ca. 1896. A two-masted sailing ship is docked on Tacoma's waterfront circa 1896 at the Northern Pacific Railroad's Ocean Freight warehouse to take on cargo. In the background to the left is the Crescent Creamery at what is now 100 Schuster Parkway. The creamery was built in 1890 and demolished about 1920.

Shipping--Tacoma--1890-1900; Sailing ships--Tacoma--1890-1900; Warehouses--Tacoma--1890-1900; Crescent Creamery (Tacoma); Waterfronts--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1906. A small crowd scattered on the sidewalk pauses to admire a fleet of new Fords lined up outside the Washington Automobile Co., 710-12 Pacific Ave., circa 1906. The Washington Automobile Co. was the first car dealership in Tacoma. It was operated by car enthusiast and entrepreneur W.W. Pickerill. The brick building housing the dealership had previously been home to the Chas. W. Langert Liquor Co. and the Tacoma Athletic Club and later became the Odd Fellows Lodge. The Washington Automobile Co. was in business there from 1905-1909.

Ford automobile; Washington Automobile Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1906. A fleet of new Ford automobiles is lined up outside the Washington Automobile Co., 710-12 Pacific Ave., circa 1906. The firm, operated by W.W. Pickerill, was the first automobile dealership in Tacoma. Prior to being occupied by the Washington Automobile Co., the building had been the home of the Tacoma Athletic Club and also served later as the Odd Fellows Temple.

Ford automobile; Washington Automobile Co. (Tacoma);

This is an undated photograph of the towboat, "Vigilant," prior to being purchased by the Foss Launch & Tug Co. and renamed the "Anna Foss." She was a wood two-deck boat with 75-hp steam engine with a 69-foot length and 18-foot beam when built in 1907 in Tacoma for the WallaceTowboat Co. The "Vigilant" put in thirteen years of hard work for Wallace before being sold to the Cascade Tugboat Co. in 1920. Cascade sold her two years later to the Gilky Bros. of Anacortes for log towing in northern Puget Sound and British Columbia. Once more ownership changed hands when Cpt. C.C. Croft traded his tug for her about 1925. Now part of the Vigilant Towing Co. of Seattle, she substituted her steam plant for a 200-hp 2-cycle Worthington diesel in 1926, enabling her to tow heavy gravel scows. In 1930 the "Vigilant" was sold to the Anchor Tugboat Co. of Portland for use on the Columbia River. The Foss Co. acquired her in 1933 for $5,300 at a U.S. Marshal's sale. Her primary job was to bring down millions of feet of Canadian logs for mills operating in Salmon Bay and Elliot Bay. In 1938 the "Vigilant" became the "Anna Foss" after the wife of Peter Foss, Andrew Foss' brother. She would complete more than 50 years of service before being retired on August 2, 1968. The boat would have one final owner, former Chief Engineer Everett Atkinson, who purchased her in May of 1969. Her name reverted back to the "Vigilant" and she was anchored in Colvos Passage in front of Mr. Atkinson's Vashon Island home. She sank in 40 feet of water on September 16, 1969 when her pump apparently failed. (Skalley, "Foss Ninety Years of Towboating," p. 90-92)

Tugboats;

Undated photograph of the stern-wheeler "Telegraph" docked at The Sumner Iron Works in Everett, Washington. She was built in Everett in 1903 for use in the Seattle-Tacoma run. The "Telegraph" was one of the last stern-wheelers built in Puget Sound. The slender vessel was 153.7 feet long. She was purchased by the Puget Sound Navigation Co. in 1910 and used regularly in routes from Seattle to Bremerton. On April 25, 1912, she was sunk by an errant steamer, the "Alameda," while docked at Seattle's Colman Dock. The "Alameda" had struck the dock, knocking its famous 72-foot tower into Elliott Bay and driving the "Telegraph" as far as the Grand Pacific Dock before sinking the stern-wheeler. The "Telegraph" would live to float another day; it was raised and repaired and remained in service for two more years before laying up. (Dorpat, "Steam Rolled," Seattle Times 3-17-2002; Findlay, Mosquito Fleet of South Puget Sound, p. 107)

Stern wheelers; Steamboats; Sumner Iron Works (Everett);

Undated photograph of gas powered ship the "Fossberg" in City Waterway (now Foss Waterway.) 11th Street bridge at left. This is believed to be the largest of Foss Launch & Tug Co.'s launches, a 15 ton, 100-hp engine and 64-feet in length. She was built in 1912 in Gig Harbor as a combination passenger and freight boat. Passengers and freight were able to be transported to and from ships. In addition, excursion parties and groups of workers were carried to destinations around the Tacoma area. The "Fossberg" also put in extra duty as a tug. (Skalley, Foss Ninety Years of Towboating, p. 32-article)

Foss Launch & Tug Co. (Tacoma); Launches--Tacoma; Boats--Tacoma; 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma);

ca. 1903. Noted Northwest marine photographer Wilhelm Hester photographed the crew of the "Buckingham" circa 1903 with grain elevator A on Tacoma's waterfront in the background. The men were under the command of William Roberts and all were neatly dressed in suits. There was also one woman in the center of the group, perhaps a family member of one of the crew. Wilhelm Hester, a Seattle resident, had offices in Tacoma's Bernice Building at 1106-08 Pacific Ave. for several years in the first decade of the 20th century. He took photographs of ships and sailors on the Tacoma, Seattle and Port Blakely waterfronts. This ship was probably in port to pick up a cargo of flour.

Shipping--Tacoma--1900-1910; Cargo ships--Tacoma--1900-1910; Waterfronts--Tacoma--1900-1910; Grain elevators--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1915. Sepia photograph of a man, possibly J. Frank Hickey, standing next to Tacoma Transit Co. bus parked outside the Donnelly Hotel, 9th & Pacific, ca. 1915. The small bus apparently had a Puyallup-Tacoma route. Tacoma Transit was the first bus line in Tacoma and was started by J. Frank Hickey in 1913. Mr. Hickey would also become the president of the elegant Tacoma Hotel.

Buses--Tacoma; Tacoma Transit Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1904. U.S.S. Tacoma on maiden voyage to Tacoma after being commissioned on January 30, 1904. She was laid down on September 27, 1900, at Mare Island, California by Union Iron Works and launched on June 2, 1903. The ship was the second "Tacoma" and was Cruiser No. 18. She was under the command of Comdr. R.F. Nicholson. After her visit to Tacoma she voyaged to Hawaii in the spring of 1904 and then, after returning to San Francisco, proceeded to sail for Cape Horn. In the next couple of years the busy "Tacoma" voyaged to Hispaniola, Europe and the Mediterranean. She spent the next ten years providing service on the east coast and cruising the Caribbean and West Indies to protect American interests there. More cruising involving the Canal Zone, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras followed. After a short spell in reserve, she once again began patrolling in 1912 where she cruised the Gulf of Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. The "Tacoma" cruised the Mexican coast in 1914 and then to Haiti. After another stint in reserve in 1916 she was fully commissioned for patrol duty. The warship made five round trips to Europe protecting US convoys once the United States entered World War l. The "Tacoma" ran aground on January 16, 1924 near Vera Cruz. She was unable to be freed and her name was struck from the Navy list in February of 1924. (Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, p.7-8-article)

Cruisers (Warships)--United States--1900-1910;

Inside hanger at Tacoma Field. Four airplanes are clearly visible, a single-wing tri-motor passenger plane and three bi-planes. Two of the bi-planes are marked Bennett Air Transportation Inc. Photograph was taken in March of 1931.

Airplanes--Lakewood--1930-1940; Bennett Air Transportation Inc. (Lakewood); Tacoma Field (Lakewood);

Mooring mast built by the Navy in 1924 at Camp Lewis for the visit of the dirigible USS Shenandoah. The Shenandoah visited the Tacoma area October 18-19, 1924. The Shenandoah was one of four rigid airships constructed by the military during the 20's and 30's, after the design of the German Zeppelin. The Shenandoah was the first built in America. The 165 foot pole was built for the 1924 visit and dismantled 12 years later.

Mooring masts; Airships--Associated objects;

Officers of the dirigible USS Shenandoah stand in front of the mooring mast at Camp Lewis in October, 1924. The Shenandoah was the first rigid airship built on US soil. It was first airborne in September of 1922, one of a proposed fleet of German Zeppelin-like lighter than air craft. It came to a tragic end in September of 1925 when it broke apart during a thunderstorm, killing 14.

Military air pilots; Airships; Mooring masts;

Officers and crew of the dirigible "Shenandoah" pose in front of the mooring mast at Camp Lewis in October of 1924. The mooring mast was constructed by the Navy for this two day visit. The Shenandoah was the first rigid airship built in America. Commissioned by the Navy, it was a copy of the German Zeppelin that so impressed our military in World War 1. The Shenandoah was first airborne in 1922. It came to a tragic end in September of 1925 when it broke apart in a thunderstorm with 43 persons aboard, killing 14.

Military air pilots; Airships; Mooring masts;

ca. 1928. A man with a fuel can stands next to a Red Crown Gasoline truck as two men work at fueling a biplane.

Biplanes--Tacoma--1920-1930; Fuel tanks;

ca. 1928. A Texaco fuel truck is parked in front of a tri-motor airplane with a Texaco logo on its wing. Two men appear to be fueling the airplane.

Airplanes--Tacoma--1920-1930; Trucks--Tacoma--1920-1930; Fuel tanks;

ca. 1928. Two men stand next to a biplane with the name Tacoma painted on its side. A third man sits in the rear cockpit of the plane which sits in a grassy field. The plane may belong to the Tacoma Airways aviation school.

Biplanes--Tacoma--1920-1930;

ca. 1929. Two men work at filling a plane with fuel from a truck that has two signs on it that read Red Crown Gasoline. This photograph was taken circa 1929.

Airplanes--Tacoma--1920-1930; Fuel tanks;