ca. 1943. Built in 1924, the Henry Mill & Timber Company occupied the site on Ruston Way just south of North Starr St. for almost 20 years. Originally a sawmill, they started fabricating structures when they built the caisson panels for the first Narrows Bridge. Their expertise in designing and building prefabricated structures from heavy timber won them contracts during WWII for giant store houses and hangers that could be broken down into small sections, shipped, and re-assembled with a minimum of effort. After the war they were taken over by the Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. which closed in the early 1950s.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Prefabricated buildings--Tacoma; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma);

Magic Foods Store. Chef Ray Seger and another employee at work in the commercial kitchen both wearing white uniforms. The woman is cutting meat from a large roast and the man is cutting potatoes. Large electric ovens are seen behind them. This is a new plant preparing frozen, ready cooked dishes. (T.Times, 7/30/1943, p.11)

Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Magic Foods, Inc. (Tacoma);

Magic Foods Store. Employees at work in the commercial kitchen. Three stations are shown. One man is checking on a large cooker, two are stirring large pots, another is moving beans down a slanted tray, one is cutting potatoes, a woman cuts meat and another man is moving a tray. Large windows line one wall of the kitchen. (T.Times, 7/30/1943, p.11)

Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Magic Foods, Inc. (Tacoma);

ca. 1926. Wenatchee Apple display in window at Great Northern Railroad ticket office, located at Transportation Row. (alternate address 112-18 So. 9th St.) Placards in the window offer the information that "over 15,000 car loads of apples are shipped annually over the Great Northern Railway" and that "National Apple Week" is "October 31 through November 7th." The sign board below the "Tickets" neon sign has pictures of Paramount stars Jack Holt and Billie Dove eating Wenatchee apples while in the Cascades filming "Ancient Highway." (filed with Argentum)

Railroad companies--Tacoma; Offices--Tacoma--1920-1930; Facades--Tacoma--1920-1930; Ticket offices; Window displays; Great Northern Railway Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1926. Wenatchee Apple display in window at Great Northern Railroad ticket office, located in Transportation Row. (alternate address 112-18 So. 9th) Two unidentified men pose in the window along with the apples advertising National Apple Week, October 31 to November 6. (filed with Argentum)

Railroad companies--Tacoma; Offices--Tacoma--1920-1930; Facades--Tacoma--1920-1930; Ticket offices; Window displays; Great Northern Railway Co. (Tacoma);

General Mills, South Tacoma, Farm service Division. A granary, feed mill, wholesale and retail feed and farm supply store buildings are shown. Cars are parked along the storage building.

General Mills, Inc., Farm Service Division (Tacoma); Agricultural facilities--Tacoma;

This photograph, taken in December 1943, shows the sales office and loading dock of the General Mills, Inc. Farm Services Division at 5440-48 So. Washington St. in South Tacoma. The old brick grain wherehouse was built before 1908 by W.H. Kenworthy to take advantage of the proximity of this area to the Northern Pacific Shops were Mr. Kenworthy had worked before opening the granary. Part of the Kenworthy complex is currently used by X-Cel Feed Inc. One of the other building recently opened at the Brickyard Bar &Grill. TPL-6516

General Mills, Inc., Farm Service Division (Tacoma); Agricultural facilities--Tacoma;

Tacoma Boat Facilities. Tacoma Boatbuilding Co. was started in 1936 by H. Dahl and A. Strom. The partners wanted to build fishing vessels for North Pacific Fishermen. In 1941 they signed a contract to build government boats and moved to a larger, newly expanded plant at the head of the City Waterway. Interior view of workshop and laborer. TPL-6645

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

Tacoma Boat Facilities. A view of the exterior of Tacoma Boat Building Company situated along City Waterway. TPL-6646

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Waterfronts--Tacoma;

Tacoma Boat Facilities. Tacoma Boat Building Company is working on its 18th minesweeper for the government. They are one of two shipyards in Tacoma to be honored with the Army-Navy "E" pennant. Interior view of workshop showing laborers at work. TPL-6647

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); World War, 1939-1945--Economic & industrial aspects--Tacoma;

New home for the Whistle Bottling Works, built in 1926 by the Cammarano Brothers. Interior showing machinery and potted plants. The new $50,000 plant was filled with modern equipment. After being "mixed" according to preset formulas, flavored syrups were poured into sterilized bottles on a conveyor belt. They travelled from machine to machine, where they were filled with carbonated water, capped and labelled. The plants and flowers were probably sent by well wishers for the plant's opening. (TDL 8/22/1926, pg. A10-14) (filed with Argentum)

Beverage industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Whistle Bottling Co. (Tacoma); Bottling industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Cammarano Bros. (Tacoma);

The second floor laboratory, or "mix" room, in the new $50,000 Whistle Bottling Co. plant. Interior shot showing vats, gallon bottles on shelves. The room had a long testing bench or counter with shelves above it filled with graduates, filters and a large assortment of concentrated syrups. A 100 gallon mixing tank was used for compounding "simple syrup" from boiling water and pure cane sugar. This tank was connected with mixing tanks, where the simple syrup was mixed with the concentrated syrups that gave the beverage its distinctive taste. The mixed syrup flowed down a pipe into the first floor machine room where it went into sterilized bottles that were topped off with carbonated water. (TDL 8/22/1926, pg. A10-14) (filed with Argentum)

Beverage industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Whistle Bottling Co. (Tacoma); Bottling industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Cammarano Bros. (Tacoma);

Photograph from the August 1926 grand opening of the Whistle Bottling Co.'s new $50,000 plant. The plant could turn out 30,000 bottles of soda a day thanks to modern machinery, such as the one shown in the picture. Filled bottles travelled around the plant on a conveyor belt, into machines which capped the bottles and labelled them. The factory produced beverages for Whistle, Nu-Grape, Hires, Green River and others. It was owned by the Cammarano Brothers. (TDL 8/22/1926, pg. A10-14) (filed with Argentum)

Beverage industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Whistle Bottling Co. (Tacoma); Bottling industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Cammarano Bros. (Tacoma);

This was how the new Whistle Bottling Company factory, built for the Cammarano Brothers by Mcdonald & Michael contractors and located at 2314-18 A Street, appeared in August of 1926. At that time, the 5 year old company was moving to its new white $50,000 modern concrete plant. The two-story, 75 x 100 foot building was three times larger than the company's previous location at 301 East 25th. The new plant could turn out 30,000 complete bottles of "soda pop" a day: manufactured, bottled, capped and labeled. The company bottled Whistle, Nu-grape, Hires, Green River and others. The Cammarano Brothers, Phil, James, William and Ed, were self-made men; progressing from odd jobs to being the heads of their own factory. (filed with Argentum) (TDL 8/22/1926, pg. A10-14, TDL 7/11/1926, pg. E8)

Beverage industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Whistle Bottling Co. (Tacoma); Bottling industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Cammarano Bros. (Tacoma);

Pacific Carbide shot of screen pulled loose. In 1943, the Pacific Carbide & Alloys Co. plant was opened here because of cheap water transportation, an abundance of low cost water in Tacoma and cheap electricity. The plant was part of a defense plant corporation project. View of plant machinery, Link-Belt Company.

Coke industry--Tacoma; Pacific Carbide & Alloys Co. (Tacoma);

Pacific Carbide exterior and interior for record. Interior view of the Pacific Carbide & Alloys Co. plant a few days after plant was shut down. Congressman Coffee intends to write a letter to R. R. Sayre of the Bureau of Mines, opposing the closing of this plant.

Coke industry--Tacoma; Pacific Carbide & Alloys Co. (Tacoma);

Pacific Carbide exterior and interior for record. The Pacific Carbide & Alloys Co. was shut down due to recent explosions in a Tacoma shipyard that uses carbide products. The explosions are not linked to plant, but the War Production Board decided to shut down this carbide producing plant. Interior view of production area in plant.

Coke industry--Tacoma; Pacific Carbide & Alloys Co. (Tacoma);

Pacific Carbide exterior and interior for record. The Pacific Carbide & Alloys Co. plant used a new system of production that was highly efficient. Interior view of plant.

Coke industry--Tacoma; Pacific Carbide & Alloys Co. (Tacoma);

In 1922 the Henry Mill & Timber Comany bought 26 acres of land where the old Tacoma Mill Company used to stand to build a new company. The Henry Mill & Timber Company began in July 1925. On June 15, 1942 a major fire destroyed most of the plant. Only the planing mill and lumber piles were saved. When this picture was taken in 1944, they were still in the process of re-building. In 1945 the company was bought out by the Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Company.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trusses--Tacoma; Structural frames--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma);

Henry Mill miscellaneous shots. The Henry Mill & Timber Company was one of the first lumber companies to prepare for the demand of pre-fabricated lumber products. They later became a pre-fabrication company rather than a lumber mill company. Interior view of construction using Henry Mill & Timber Co. pre-fabricated products.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building construction--Tacoma; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma);

Interior view of Tacoma plant with General Electric Company machinery.

Machinery;

Pictures of assembly line at Nelson Boiler for Pacific Iron & Steel. Nelson Boiler Co. strengthened the company by consolidating with the iron and steel industry. They relocated into expanded facilities in order to fill Navy orders for steel barges. Interior view of covered plant while laborers are working.

Steel industry--Tacoma; Iron & steel workers--Tacoma; Defense industry--Tacoma; Nelson Boiler Co. (Tacoma);

Pictures of assembly line at Nelson Boiler for Pacific Iron & Steel. Nelson Boiler Co. strengthened the company by consolidating with the iron and steel industry. They relocated into expanded facilities in order to fill Navy orders for steel barges. The new facilities enabled the company to keep Navy barges covered during building process. Interior view of covered plant.

Steel industry--Tacoma; Defense industry--Tacoma; World War, 1939-1945--Economic & industrial aspects--Tacoma; Nelson Boiler Co. (Tacoma);

Exterior of the Royal Ice Cream Co. facility, 2413-21 Pacific Ave., during its Grand Opening in October of 1927. The architectural firm of Hill & Mock designed the building. The company called it the "Sanitary Sunlight Plant" and boasted how it combined utility with economy. The large windows were designed for ventilation and sunlight. It was later home to Medosweet and Foremost Dairies. (WSHS) (TDL 10/2/1927, pg. 8-A)

Royal Ice Cream & Milk Co. (Tacoma); Dairy products industry--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Royal Ice Cream Company. Display of products in a glass case with many flowers on top. Narrow room with windows on both sides. Royal Ice Cream was well known by its slogan "It's the cream." From 1900-1927, its plant was located at 912-14 A St. In October of 1927, they opened a new factory at 2413-21 Pacific Ave. A complete dairy store was included in the new plant, selling milk, ice cream and dairy products plus fine candies. (filed with Argentum) (TDL 10/2/1927, pg. 8a)

Royal Ice Cream & Milk Co. (Tacoma); Dairy products industry--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Royal Ice Cream and Milk Co. Interior of plant showing equipment during Grand Opening. Flowers in vases sitting on machines. Royal Ice Cream was well known by its slogan "It's the cream." From 1900-1927, its plant was located at 912-14 A St. In October of 1927, they opened a new factory at 2413-21 Pacific Ave. The plant bottled milk and manufactured ice cream and other dairy products. The milk was pumped into receiving tanks on the top floor where it was heated and then syphoned into glass lined tanks. It then passed over coolers into the filling and capping machine and from there to the milk storage room. The process for ice cream was similar, after being prepared and aged in holding tanks, it dropped by gravity into the freezers, where it was drawn into cans and carried by conveyor belt to large sharp temperature rooms for hardening. (TDL 10/2/1927, pg. 8A) (filed with Argentum)

Royal Ice Cream & Milk Co. (Tacoma); Dairy products industry--Tacoma--1920-1930;

ca. 1926. Northern Pacific Railway, No. 1. Railroad crossing with man by stop sign, "Stop RRX" painted on street, tall industrial stack belching smoke in background. (filed with Argentum)

Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Railroad signals;

ca. 1926. The Northern Pacific Railway yard at "D" St., Tacoma, circa 1926. Two men were posed in front of the roundhouse office locker room, left. The two boxes with stacks on opposite sides of the tracks were "blow-down boxes." The Hostlers or the Engineers would pull the steam locomotives up to the boxes, lining up the blow down pipe at the bottom of the boiler and would release a strong jet of steam to clean out any debris in the boiler. The boxes served to protect anyone nearby, the steam being directed into the box and up the chimney to vent where it could not scald anyone. The coaling tower is in the background. Photograph is labelled "NO. 2." (WSHS) (identifying information supplied by a former railroad employee) image NO. 1 scanned as A1867 image 1

Railroad tracks; Railroads--1920-1930; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Railroad locomotives;

ca. 1926. Northern Pacific Railway Yard at "D" St., Tacoma, circa 1926. Photograph is labelled "NO. 3." A bridge and a factory can be seen in the distance. The roundhouse office locker room can be partially seen on the left. The boxes with stacks next to the tracks left are "blow-down boxes." The engineer would pull the locomotive up next to the boxes, so that the blow down pipe of the steam engine lined up with the box and release a strong jet of steam to clean out any debris in the boiler. The steam would be directed into the box and out the chimney, preventing anyone being scalded. (WSHS) (information provided by a former Northern Pacific employee) Image #1 scanned as A1867 image 1)

Railroad tracks; Railroads--1920-1930; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Railroad locomotives;

ca. 1926. A railroad crossing. A factory belches smoke in the distance. Photograph is labeled "No. 4." (WSHS)

Railroad crossings--1920-1930;