ca. 1920. Aerial view of downtown Tacoma in 1920

ca. 1920. Aerial view of stadium area of Tacoma in 1920

On November 5, 1899, over 50,000 admirers lined the tracks of the Northern Pacific Railroad to welcome home the First Washington Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the "Fighting First," from their battle service in the Philippines. The crowd was so thick that it lined the track for miles, stretching upward to cover rooftops with a mass of humanity. The soldiers had been absent for 18 months, a year spent training and six months spent fighting Filipino insurgents in Manila and Luzon. Over 1,125 men left for the Philippines of which 129 never returned, felled by battle or disease. The Regiment was made up of 12 companies, mostly National Guard, from Seattle (2), Spokane (2), Walla Walla, Vancouver, Centralia, Dayton, Yakima, Waitsburg, Ellensburg and Tacoma. Picture of the crowd awaiting the arrival of the volunteers' train. On the left of the track were, front to back, 1701 Commerce (built 1892), a building at the corner of Jefferson and So. 17th St. and 1511-41 Pacific Ave. The street running along the left side of the track is Hood St.; the track is the Northern Pacific Portland branch.

First Washington Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Wash.); Philippine Insurrection, (1899-1902); Crowds; Homecomings;

ca. 1923. "Mastery," sculpture by Allan Clark located over the main doorway at the Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington, Seattle. In 1923, at the age of 27, sculptor Allan Clark of Tacoma was given his biggest commission, 21 statues intended for the new library at the University of Washington. Eighteen were terra cotta figures of famous men who had influenced history. The three largest statues were cast stone figures designed to embody the concepts of "Mastery, Inspiration and Thought." Photograph courtesy of Mrs. Harry P. Clark

Clark, Allan, 1896-1950--Associated objects; Sculpture--Seattle;

ca. 1923. Photograph of a sculpture of a young woman by Allan Clark, representing "Inspiration." The statue is one of three located over the front entrance of the Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington, Seattle. Sculptor Allan Clark was born in Montana, but spent many of his years as a youth in Tacoma. He attended Stadium High School and the College of Puget Sound. At the age of 27, in 1923, he received his largest commission, 21 statues for the new library at the University in Seattle. Eighteen were of historical figures cast in terra cotta, but the the three largest were of cast stone. The three statues were to symbolize the concepts of "Mastery, Inspiration, and Thought." Photograph courtesy of Mrs. Harry P. Clark

Clark, Allan, 1896-1950--Associated objects; Sculpture--Seattle;

ca. 1923. Sculpture by Tacoma artist Allan Clark representing "Thought." This sculpture is one of three over the main entrance of the Suzzallo Library, University of Washington, Seattle. The trio personify the concepts of "Mastery, Inspiration and Thought." In 1923, 27 year old sculptor Allan Clark received a commission for 21 statues for the new library. The other 18 are figures cast in terra cotta of famous men. Photograph courtesy of Mrs. Harry P. Clark.

Clark, Allan, 1896-1950--Associated objects; Sculpture--Seattle;

ca. 1890. John N. Conna, wealthy real estate agent and head of first Black family in Tacoma. John Newington Conna had accomplished much in his 85 years before his death in Alaska in 1921. Born of a mixed marriage in San Augustine, Texas in 1836, Mr. Conna fought in the Civil War as part of the famed 1st Louisiana Native Guards before migrating north to Hartford, Connecticut and then west to Kansas City, Kansas. In 1883 Mr. Conna journeyed to the "City of Destiny," Tacoma, and became a leading seller of real estate. The father of 14 children, he was married to Mary (Davis) Conna. Mr. and Mrs. Conna would donate to the City of Tacoma some 40 acres of land as a Christmas gift in 1889. He held numerous offices including president of the John Brown Republican Club and president of the Washington State Protective League. He was, in a sense, the titular leader of Tacoma's black community and highly influential in the city's black social and political activities. Mr. Conna was also an attorney authorized to practice before the Treasury Department; Conna family lore suggests that he was also an attorney for railroad magnate James J. Hill. John Conna was appointed as Asst. Sergeant At Arms for the Senate in 1889, Washington's first Territorial Legislature. He was the first black political appointee in the history of Washington Territory. Mr. Conna was also a delegate to the 1896 National Republican Convention. At the age of 64 and not ready for retirement, Mr. Conna traveled to Alaska on the S.S. Seattle with Federal Judge and close friend, James Wickersham. Mr. Conna, like thousands of others, had been attracted by the huge gold rush and opportunities in Alaska. Mrs. Conna and family remained behind while Mr. Conna set up his own real estate, mines and mining property company a few years later. John Conna, age 85, stricken with diabetes, a heart condition, and the loss of a leg, died on October 21, 1921. He is buried in Fairbanks. (Tacoma Morning Globe Annual Review, 1-1-1891; www.historylink.org) (Additional information provided by Douglas Q. Barnett, grandson of John N. Conna)

Conna, John N.; African Americans--Tacoma--1890-1900; Pioneers--Tacoma; Real estate development--Tacoma;

ca. 1906. John Mason house. John Mason and family including: (l to r, standing) Robert Mason, and Lyde Wilson Wray; (l to r, sitting) woman believed to be Robert Mason's wife, John Paul Mason, Virginia (Mrs. John Quincy) Mason, Anita Noel Mason (with Ted Mason on her lap), and John Quincy Mason. Anita Noel Mason was the wife of Thomas Mason, who is not pictured. This family portrait was taken circa 1906. Mrs. John Quincy Mason had designed this Colonial home which was built in 1905. Her pioneer husband would pass away in 1920 and she died in 1936. (From the collection of David Kenworthy) (Additional identification provided by a reader)

Mason, John--Homes & haunts; Mason, John--Family; Mason, Virginia; Mason, Robert; Wray, Lyde Wilson; Mason, John Paul; Mason, Anita Noel; Mason, Ted; Mason, John Quincy; Families--Tacoma--1900-1910;

Gig Harbor from head of the bay (near Shoreline Restaurant). This photograph is undated, but likely taken in the sixties. The "All Roads Lead to Rhodes" mileage sign was one of many throughout the state pointing to the downtown Tacoma store. The well-known department store closed in December, 1974. The majority of waterfront homes from this viewpoint seem to be located at right with the more heavily forested areas at left. TPL-1391 (Doecher Collection DOE-128)

Signs (Notices); Bodies of water--Gig Harbor;

West Side Grocery (now the Tides Tavern), 2925 Harborview Dr., Gig Harbor . Docked beside it is the "Florence K," a passenger steamer built in Tacoma by Crawford & Reid in 1903. The "Florence K" would end her service career as a ferry called the "Beeline." Buildings to the right in this undated photograph are part of the Skansie Brothers shipyard. TPL-191, BU-12833 (Doecher Collection DOE- N001)

West Side Grocery (Gig Harbor); Grocery stores--Gig Harbor; Skansie's Shipbuilding Co. (Gig Harbor); Steamboats--Gig Harbor;

ca. 1912. This unidentified boy is seated on a Flanders 4 motorcycle parked outside on grass while a man, several feet away, looks on in this circa 1912 photograph. The Flanders 4 was built for "all-round serious service, day in and day out, and especially on rough roads." The motorcycle was not meant for kids nor for speedsters but for those desiring a safe and dependable ride. The Flanders Mfg. Co. of Pontiac, Michigan, sold this model "4" motorcycle to RFD carriers who were certain to encounter errant road conditions or bad weather while on their carrier routes. The price was $175 at the factory and it was guaranteed unequivocally. (scanned from negative, no print on file) GDOE-168 (www.postalmuseum.si.edu/rfdmarketing) TPL-10532

Motorcycles; Houses--1910-1920;

In 1905, Sarsaparilla, the pampered pooch of the Tacoma police force, was famous for using his ugly mug to "sweat" a confession out of suspects. "Sas," as he was known, had been left at the police station when only a few days old and was raised on a bottle. The bull dog was soon known as the ugliest dog in Tacoma. When a suspect was brought into Police Chief Malony's office for questioning, "Sas" only had to be called from his blanket in the Chief's office, fix his slanted eyes on the criminal and the information began to flow. (TDN 10/28/1905, pg. 17)

Bulldogs; Dogs--Tacoma--1900-1910; Police dogs;

W.L. Feeney, the manager of the RKO Pantages Theater, organized a very special "real old fashioned mutts" dog show on April 19, 1930 to welcome the Weaver Brothers comedy team to Tacoma. The winners of the show were: (l to r) Earl Robinson with his two month old puppy Spot, second place; Dickie Dale Simmons with first place winner Bud; and Harold Hilderman with his $1.00 cash prize winning pooch Jiggs. Four year old Dickie made sure that no one could run off with his prize winning pet; Bud was tied to his arms with a thick rope. The dog show was followed by a blackberry pie eating contest and a parade down Broadway. The Weaver Brothers, Charlie, Abner and Cicero, were most famous for introducing the musical handsaw to vaudeville as a musical instrument. They were appearing in Tacoma on a bill with the Richard Dix all talking comedy "Lovin' the Ladies." Seats were 25 cents before 1p.m. (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 4/20/1930, pg. A-7)

Robinson, Earl; Simmons, Dickie Dale; Hilderman, Harold; Dogs; Dog shows--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Tacoma Mayor Gordon Johnston gets a helpful push from a young constituent as he pedals along on a tiny tricycle. A small child on another trike leads the way for the mayor in this September, 1973, photograph. ALBUM 16.

Mayors--Tacoma--1970-1980; Johnston, Gordon N.; Bicycles & tricycles;

ca. 1924. The Rt. Rev. Frederic W. Keator, Bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Olympia from 1902-1924, embracing all the territory of Washington west of the Cascades. Rev. Keator was born October 22, 1855. He was a lawyer in Chicago before he was called to enter the ministry. He served for 22 years in our state, during which time he resided in Tacoma. Aside from his duties as a prelate, he was also active in several civic and social positions. He was president of the Tacoma Public Library Board from 1907-1910 and 1912-1923, as well as serving on the boards of Annie Wright Seminary and Whitman College. He was an honorary chaplin for the Washington State Guard and a dedicated Mason, instrumental in the founding of the Shriners Hospital for Children in Portland. He died January 31, 1924 of heart trouble in a hospital in New Haven, Conn., where he had gone to visit his son. (TNT 2/1/1924, pg. 1)

Keator, Frederic W.; Bishops--Tacoma; Prelates--Tacoma;

ca. 1910. Jacqueline Noel joined the Tacoma Public Library staff in July of 1914 as an assistant in the Reference Department. She became head of the Reference Department and later City Librarian, after the departure of John Kaiser. She served as City Librarian from 1924 until her retirement in 1947. At that time, the Tacoma Public Library did not have a Director and the City Librarian ran the library. Miss Noel deserves much of the credit for raising the funds for the McCormick (now Wheelock) and the Mottet branch libraries. Both libraries were built entirely from donations; citizens raised the funds for the land and the buildings were donated by their namesakes. She was a member of the American Library Association and served as vice president of the Pacific Northwest Library Association. She died on May 19, 1964 at the age of 83.

Noel, Jacqueline; Public libraries--Tacoma--1910-1920; Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma); Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma)--Employees; Librarians;

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;

United Airlines office on Broadway at the Winthrop Hotel TPL-5541

Airlines--Offices--Tacoma--1940s; Winthrop; Broadway--Tacoma;

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;

ca. 1913. A crowd estimated at 10,000 cheered on February 15, 1913 when Miss Enola McIntyre christened Tacoma's new 11th Street bridge by smashing a quart bottle of champagne against one of its shiny, black steel girders. Speakers at the official opening for the $600,000 vertical lift bridge included Governor Ernest Lister and Mayor W.W. Seymour. A 20 piece band kept the crowd in high spirits, and souvenir postcards bearing pictures of both the new bridge and its predecessor were handed out to all. The huge 2,100 foot steel bridge made the Tideflats more accessible, connecting it to the downtown business district, and allowed taller and larger ships access to the south end of the city waterway. In 1997 the bridge was officially renamed the Murray Morgan Bridge to honor the local author and historian of that name. TPL-1792

Bridges--Tacoma; 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma);

Unidentified workers laying concrete at the foot of the first Narrows Bridge. Construction began on the first Narrows Bridge, better known as "Galloping Gertie," in November of 1938 and the bridge was open to the public on July 1, 1940. It collapsed in a fierce windstorm just four months later on November 7, 1940. It took ten years with WWII and lack of materials intervening, before the second Narrows Bridge was dedicated in October of 1950. TAC-326 ; TPL-2757

Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma); Bridge construction--Tacoma--1940-1950; Bridges--Tacoma--1940-1950;

ca. 1896. A view of Tacoma's Bicycle Bridge, also known as the Galliher Gulch bridge; for more than 25 years, the "longest, highest and only exclusive" bicycle bridge in the world. The bridge was built in 1896 by the Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club from funds raised by the sale of bicycle licenses. It was located near Holy Rosary Church and connected Delin St. with the paths leading to the Hood St. reservoir. With the bridge over the gulch, cyclists could bike undisturbed all the way from Tacoma's Eastside to South Tacoma. (TNT 9/5/1922; TNT 4-7-1953, E-4-alt. photo)

Bicycles & tricycles--1890-1900; Cyclists--1890-1900; Cycling--Tacoma; Bridges--Tacoma; Bicycle Bridge (Tacoma);

ca. 1900. View of Pierce County Court House from the corner of South 9th Street and Tacoma Avenue South looking southwest. The clock has yet to be installed in the court house tower.

Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma); Courthouses--Tacoma;