Employees and bicycle delivery boy on steps of the Pierce County Court House. The Pierce County Court House was built in 1892. The three story building was a copy of the Courthouse in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. The plans contained everything Tacomans hoped for in this elaborate structure, including secret staircases and a hanging room, and suited their grandiose plans for their city. The grand structure was demolished in 1959 due to its poor condition and replaced by a parking lot for the modern County-City building. Here employees pose with bicycles on the steps of the structure. The man behind what is believed to be a bicycle delivery boy or courier is holding a baby. The women on the left are most probably clerical staff, although two of them are posing with bicycles.

Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma); Historic buildings--Tacoma; Bicycles & tricycles--Tacoma--1890-1900; Clothing & dress--1890-1900;

ca. 1898. Copy of an 1898 photograph of the R.E. Anderson Insurance and Real Estate office. The office was then located on the first floor of the Berlin Building, 1021-23 Pacific Ave. Its street address was 117 So. 11th St. Mr. Anderson, the founder of the company, was seated in the private office on the left. The remaining group consisted of, left to right, an unidentified Western Union messenger boy, an unidentified female secretary, W.H. Van Horn, William H. Miller (later president of the company) and A.Gehri, contractor and head of a roofing firm. Originally Anderson & Co. handled mortgage loans and insurance; they got into the real estate business in the aftermath of the panic of 1893. The room decor featured a wood stove with its pipe running across the ceiling, unshaded light globes, marble paneling and art glass. Copy made for Mr. Short, columnist for the Tacoma Times. (Argentum) (T. Times 4/23/1937, pg. 11)

R.E. Anderson & Co. Inc. (Tacoma); Anderson, R.E.; Van Horn, W.H.; Miller, William H.; Gehri, A.;

ca. 1898. Homeward - "On Puget Sound". Photograph by Edward S. Curtis. Scanned from Asahel Curtis lantern slide. Original photograph published in "The North American Indian, v.9" Plate # 318. Canoes of various sizes and designs were used by all the Salishan tribes of the Coast, ranging from a tiny two person river craft to a seaworthy vessel which could hold up to thirty persons. This is a medium sized craft, intended to hold up to five or six people and to be used on large streams or protected arms of the sea. It was capable of rapid travel or for fishing with nets, spears or hooks. The canoe was constructed from a half log, with the center burned out and the interior and exterior worked down and rubbed smooth. The outside is charred black and the inside is painted. TPL-9233

Indians of North America--Canoes;

ca. 1898. Johnson Nickeus, Mayor of Tacoma 1898 and 1899. Mr. Nickeus came to Washington around 1892, an already elderly man seeking milder weather. He brought with him the experience garnered in his long political and legal career; having served from 1883-86 in the Dakota legislature, as well as the Attorney General of that area and two years as a Consul to South America under President Benjamin Harrison. He was elected Mayor of Tacoma in April of 1898. In August of 1899, he was charged by a grand jury with "attempting to receive" a sizable bribe from C.P. Hurley, manager of the Tacoma Gas and Electric Light Co., in connection with a compromise of a million dollar suit against Light and Water. He went to trial on September 10, 1899. On the morning of September 14th, after arguing all night, the jury declared itself deadlocked 6 to 6. In April of 1900, Tacoma selected a new Mayor. (TDL 8/18/1899, pg. 1; 9/12/1899, pg. 1; 9/15/1899, pg. 3)

Nickeus, Johnson; Mayors--Tacoma--1890-1900;

Washington : Geological Survey
1 map : col. ; 45 x 31 cm. on sheet 56 x 47 cm. "Surveyed in 1894-95." Scale: 1:125,000 Contour interval 50 feet. Relief indicated by contours and spot heights. Datum is mean sea level. "Edition of Nov. 1898" Engraved April 1897 by U.S.G.S. Henry Gannett, Chief Topographer. R. U. Goode, Geographer in charge. Control by W.T. Griswold and U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Topography by G.E. Hyde and R.H. McKee. Diagram depicts which topographers were responsible for which areas of the map.

ca. 1898. Bertha Snell sitting in a lawyer's office - probably that of her husband, prominent attorney Marshall K. Snell. In 1898 Marshall K. Snell's office occupied rooms 301-02-03 and 04 of the Equitable Building, 1102-04 Pacific Ave, the former site of the Merchants National Bank. Mrs. Snell passed the bar exam in 1899 to become the first woman lawyer in the new State of Washington. She became a partner in Marshall Snell's firm and worked with him throughout the rest of his professional career. Although Mr. Snell died in 1939, Bertha Snell continued to practice law until 1953 and died four years later in Tacoma at the age of 88. (Perreault, Haskell, "History Lesson: Bertha Denton Snell was a true pioneer," Saratogian, 3-27-2011)

Snell, Bertha; Law offices--Tacoma;

On Wednesday July 12, 1899, 375 members of the National Editorial Association and their wives arrived in Tacoma for a short visit. They were met at the Tacoma depot by a reception committee consisting of members of the Tacoma Press club, various citizens, and the Tacoma Military Band. After breakfast at the Hotel Tacoma, the editors were taken by barge to the Point Defiance waterfront where their visit included a clambake. It was anticipated that entertaining the newspaper men and their wives would cost a substantial amount of money, and plans were made to raise the required $700. The Military Band was directed by Julius Adler and played daily concerts at Tacoma Parks, travelling from site to site on a tiny private streetcar. Their uniforms consisted of dark trousers and scarlet coats with bright blue trim. This photograph was recently donated by Ann Jorgensen and is from the Alta Scofield Collection/TPL (TNT 6/25/1950, PG. D-11, names of band members in caption)

Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Tacoma Military Band (Tacoma); Military bands--United States;

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. 1899. Engine Co. No. 6 opened on 9th & A Street in 1891. The station also housed Chemical Engine Co. No. 1. The headquarters station cost approximately $24,400. Captain William J. Chisholm led his company of five men; he may have been one of the men standing next to the horse-drawn engines in this sepia photograph. View of flower bedecked wagons and engines outside the two-story brick station; this is probably the 4th of July celebratory parade. (100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 22)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1890-1900; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1899. View of the stores on the west side of Pacific Avenue, in Tacoma, looking south from 9th and Pacific. At 902 Pacific is the Palace Grocery Co.

City & town life--Tacoma--1890-1900; Business districts--Tacoma--1890-1900

ca. 1899. Deer at Point Defiance Park, Tacoma. From the collection of Don Cooper. TPL-9635

Deer; Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Parks--Tacoma--1890-1900;

The first Laundrymen's Ball was held at Germania Hall, 1308-10 Fawcett Ave., on February 24, 1900. The ballroom is filled with men, women and children dressed in their best. There are many mustaches in evidence along with men's hairstyles parted in the middle. Many women wore long black dresses with white collars, dark skirts with white blouses, or long white gowns. There appear to be two bundles of folded laundry on the two chairs at the foreground, perhaps denoting the occupation of the dancers. On the stage in the back is a grand piano and painted backdrop. Germania Hall was later occupied by the Moose Lodge and was called the Tahoma Hall when destroyed by fire in 1921.

Balls (Parties)--Tacoma--1900-1910; Germania Hall (Tacoma); Laundresses--Tacoma; Women--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1900-1910; Men--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1900-1910;

Tacoma ushered in the new decade of 1900 with a huge 4th of July celebration. It was estimated that 50,000 people poured into town for the big event. Festivities turned to disaster on the morning of the 4th when an overcrowded streetcar plunged into the ravine at South 26th and C Streets instantly killing 37 passengers and maiming many others on board. Some of the planned activities proceeded including this military drill on July 5th. Members of the Washington National Guard, Co. H, 1st Regiment, Spokane, under Capt. M. M. Richardson, receive the silver loving cup for the best drilled company in the regiment from Colonel Weisenberger. Guardsmen stand at parade rest along the 1100 block of Tacoma Avenue South where a crowd has gathered for the award ceremony. (TDL 7/6/1900, p. 8).

Military training; Military parades & ceremonies--Tacoma--1900-1910; Fourth of July celebrations; Washington State Guard (Tacoma);

Members of the Washington Guard, Company H, First Regiment, stand at attention for a crowd gathered along the 1100 block of Tacoma Avenue South on July 5, 1900. Two notable large buildings are in the background: Parker Hall, 1111-17 Tacoma Avenue South at left and Alpha Hall, 1131-33 Tacoma Avenue South on the right (with furniture advertisement) . Tacoma had planned a huge celebration for the first 4th of July in the 1900s. It was estimated that 50,000 people poured into town for the big event. Festivities turned to disaster on the morning of the 4th when an overcrowded streetcar plunged into the ravine at South 26th and C Streets instantly killing 37 passengers and maiming many others on board. Many of the planned activities proceeded including this military drill on the 5th.

Military training; Military parades & ceremonies--Tacoma--1900-1910; Fourth of July celebrations; Washington State Guard (Tacoma); Parker Hall (Tacoma); Alpha Hall (Tacoma);

ca. 1900. Copy of image Series 2215 image 1 pinned to a board: North Pacific Bank Note Company staff. Group of men in front of building. Copy of customer's photograph. (filed with Argentum)

North Pacific Bank Note Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1900. This is how Tacoma appeared from the south across the tideflats circa 1900 . Prominent early businesses identified in the foreground were: (left to right) the Pacific Match Co., the Tacoma Furniture Factory Bresemann & Klee, and the Pacific Lounge & Mattress Co. The Pierce County Courthouse with tower is at the far left background. The first 11th St. Bridge is at the far right. Copy made August 31, 1950.

Cityscapes; Pacific Match Co. (Tacoma); Tacoma Furniture Factory Bresemann & Klee (Tacoma); Pacific Lounge & Mattress Co. (Tacoma); Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma); 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma); Bridges--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1900. This is a copy of an early photograph of the Atlas Foundry & Machine Co., originally taken circa 1900. The copy was made in 1978. Atlas Foundry (since renamed Atlas Castings & Technology) was established in 1899 as a manufacturer of iron castings. Steel and brass were later added to its catalog of moldable metals. Its sprawling complex is still located between Center St. and South Tacoma Way.

Atlas Foundry & Machine Co. (Tacoma); Foundries--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1900. Frederick Weyerhaeuser, founder of the Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. Frederick Weyerhaeuser came to the U.S. from Germany as a penniless teenager. He ended up in Rock Island, Illinois, in 1856 working in a lumberyard. In the wake of the panic of 1857, he became the owner of a little sawmill. He expanded first northward and later westward, founding his family empire. He went into the lumber business with his brother-in-law Frederick Carl August Denkmann. In 1900, after long negotiations, the Weyerhaeuser syndicate purchased 900,000 acres of Washington timberlands from the Northern Pacific Railroad. Although a daring and adventurous businessman with boundless energy, Weyerhaeuser was also a painfully private and simple man. The patriarch of the Weyerhaeusers was devoted to hard work and the founding of a dynasty. At his death on April 4, 1914 of pneumonia, he left $30,000,000 and a empire of timberlands. ("Phil Weyerhaeuser Lumberman" by Charles E. Twining)

Weyerhaeuser, Frederick; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1900-1910; Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1900. Columbia Breweries remained proud of their beginnings in 1900 when Emil Kliese, William Kiltz and John Smith incorporated the Columbia Brewing Company. This photograph of the entire staff of the brewery in 1900 was used in several newspaper stories during the 1940's and 1950's when the company announced new additions to the brewery. Seated in the front are, L-R, William Kiltz, sales manager, and Emile Kliese, president and brew master. The five men in the back are not identified. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954. TPL-9625

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1900-1910; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma)--People; Kiltz, William; Kliese, Emile;

ca. 1900. Copy of customer print. Cheney family and friends at Lima Rocks in Montana. This ca. 1900 photograph lists Clint & Fannie Shull, Lott & Nettie Shake, Frank and wife "Beck" (Rebecca) Cheney, Will & Lelia and Sylvan, Dot Cheney as being present. Benjamin Franklin ("Frank") and "Beck" operated a family photography studio in Lima. "Will" in photograph is William T. Cheney, a brother of Frank's, and also a photographer. Frank and Beck were the grandparents of lumberman Ben Cheney who raised him after his mother's death.

Cheney, Benjamin Franklin; Cheney, Rebecca; Cheney, William T.; Cheney, William T.--Family;

ca. 1900. Copy from glass plate, Richards Studio. The docks are teeming with people in an unidentified photograph dating back perhaps to the late 1890's or early 1900's. Men are dressed in suits and hats while the ladies are covered from top to toe. The large crowd may have been disembarking after a pleasure cruise. Copy from glass plate was made on October 3, 1958.

Passengers; Boats; Crowds;

ca. 1900. Louis D. Campbell was elected mayor of Tacoma on April 3, 1900. Mr. Campbell, the Republican nominee, defeated A.V. Fawcett by a vote of 2,904 to 2,788. Mr. Fawcett was the candidate of the democratic-populist fusion. According to historian Herbert Hunt, Mr. Fawcett's record as county commissioner and mayor in the three years before was the issue in this campaign. Mr. Campbell would be re-elected mayor in 1902, defeating Democrat Frank R. Cole by a vote of 3,450 to 2,525. Herbert Hunt indicated in his "Tacoma Its History and Its Builders" that it was the first time in Tacoma's history that a mayor had succeeded himself. Born in 1852 in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Mr. Campbell had studied both at the Pennsyvlania State College and the law department of the University of Pennsylvania. He arrived in Tacoma in January of 1883 and began the practice of law, becoming city attorney in 1884 and 1885. Mr. Campbell would pass away in January of 1908 while on holiday in Santa Cruz, California. This picture is from William Prosser's "A History of the Puget Sound Country, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1903. opp p.176 ALBUM 16. (Hunt: Tacoma Its History and Its Builders, II, p. 199-200; Prosser: A History of the Puget Sound Country, II, p. 176-177)

Campbell, Louis D.; Mayors--Tacoma--1900-1910

ca. 1900. A bicycle leans against a young sapling at the north entrance to Wright Park in this photograph from around 1900. The road curving through the park is Yakima Avenue, which was closed to traffic by the Metropolitan Park Board in 1922. The two "dancing maidens" that stand at either side of the entrance were purchased by Clinton P. Ferry, the "Duke of Tacoma", in Brussels and presented to the city in 1891. Somewhat worse for wear after over 100 years, they still stand at the north end of the park. The tower at the far left is the tower on the old Pierce County Court House which stood at 1012 South G Street. (This image appears on the reverse of BU-10705)

Parks--Tacoma--1900-1910; Wright Park (Tacoma); Sculpture--Tacoma;

ca. 1900. Hood St. Reservoir during its construction circa 1900. Teams of horses were used to drag materials or debris at the site. The reservoir was located at South 32nd and Yakima Ave. South. TPL-1551

Hood Street Reservoir (Tacoma); Reservoirs--Tacoma--1900-1910; Horses--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1900. The West & Wert Store, Roy, Washington, circa 1900. Almon W. Wert was a prominent businessman who had arrived in Roy about 1892. Born in Ohio in 1860, he had married Mattie West who is pictured above along with her mother and himself. He had purchased the above store (later called Wolf's) and later bought the entire block. Mr. Wert started a mill that manufactured hoop poles and also built a large windmill tower. He sold the store and the block he owned to Kincaid & Dobler from Sumner. He later farmed and ran a livery stable before purchasing an interest in the Roy State Bank. Stays in Tacoma and California then followed before Mr. Wert passed away in March of 1932. He and his wife are buried in the Roy Cemetery. (Baccus, "Roy Area Pierce County, Washington," p. 29-30-article) (Photograph and identification courtesy of Ilma Swanson Kandle)

West & Wert Store (Roy); Wert, Almon W.; Wert, Mattie L.; Families--Roy;

ca. 1900. Around 1900, a young woman was photographed riding her bicycle across Tacoma's bicycle bridge, also known as the Galliher Gulch bridge. The bridge was constructed in 1896 by the Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club at the height of the national bicycling craze. It was near Holy Rosary Church, connecting Delin Street with the path leading to the Hood Street reservoir. For more than 25 years, it was the "longest, highest and only exclusive" bicycle bridge in the world. The narrow wooden bridge was perched on steel poles high above the gulch and provided a way for bicyclists to cross the ravine. The bridge measured in at 440 feet long, 127 feet high and 12 feet wide and was built with funds accrued from the sale of bicycle licenses. (TNT 9/5/1922- in clipping file; TNT 4-7-1953, E-4-alt photo of bridge) TPL-4459

Bicycles & tricycles--1890-1900; Cyclists--1890-1900; Cycling--Tacoma; Bridges--Tacoma--1900-1910; Bicycle Bridge (Tacoma);