On February 15, 1927, four of the presidents of the Northwest transcontinental railroads met at the Tacoma Hotel to discuss a new "fast" train from Tacoma to Chicago. The presidents were, left to right, Charles Donnelly, Northern Pacific; Ralph Budd, Great Northern; H.E. Bryam, Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, and Carl R. Gray, Union Pacific. They met with over one hundred business leaders from Tacoma, Seattle, Portland, Spokane and points between. The leaders wanted a 60 hour train from Tacoma to Chicago. Cost estimates from the railroad presidents ran from $750,000 to a million a year with little or no additional revenue. The presidents unanimously vetoed the faster train plan. (TNT 2/15/1927 p.1) BGN-093

Donnelly, Charles; Budd, Ralph; Bryam, H.E.; Gray, Carl R.; Railroad companies--1920-1930;

Retail Meat Dealers' Ball at the Greenwich Coliseum in Tacoma. The Coliseum was built in 1926 and was Tacoma's premier ballroom, as well as an athletic venue.

Retail Meat Dealers (Tacoma); Clothing & dress--1920-1930; Greenwich Coliseum (Tacoma);

Star Coal exhibit. This exhibit of Star and Burnsright Coal was one of several displayed at the Western Retail Lumbermen's convention held at the Winthrop Hotel, February 24-26, 1927. G31.1-099

Exhibits--Tacoma--1920-1930; Meetings--Tacoma--1920-1930; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

This small sample house was one of two built on the rooftop of the Winthrop Hotel overlooking the downtown business district in late February of 1927. In the background, near left, are visible parts of the Washington Building, Peoples Store and Puget Sound National Bank. The Pythian Temple and Rhodes Brothers Department Store are near right rear. This is believed to be the model building constructed by the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. to show how structures can be built using grades of local Washington woods not now in great demand. The other house, not pictured, was built by the West Coast Trade Extension Bureau to show that short lengths of lumber can be used for high-class construction work. Both houses were built for the annual three-day convention of the Western Retail Lumbermen's Association, opening Thursday, February 24, 1927, at the Winthrop Hotel. 600 retail lumbermen were expected to attend. G36.1-102 (TNT 2-23-27, p. 1, p. 7)

Model houses--Tacoma--1920-1930; Cityscapes; Business districts--Tacoma--1920-1930; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Meetings--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Members of the Western Retail Lumbermens' Association pose in February of 1927 in front of a little bungalow erected on the roof of the Winthrop Hotel in honor of the group's annual convention. The bungalow was made entirely of local wood and demonstrated its use in construction. When the 24th annual convention concluded February 26, 1927, new leaders had been elected for the coming year. Pictured leaders are, back row, left to right: George A. Heilman (Wyo.), H.J. Sawtelle (Mt.), W.B. Hussman (Idaho), I.G. Kjosness (Idaho), and R.O. Bushong (Ore.) Front row, left to right, F.C. Kendall (Spokane), J.W. Burt (Mt.), Robt M. Graham (Mt.), R.M. Cross (Utah) and E.J. Ostrander (Idaho.) (TDL 2/27/1927, pg. A-5; TNT 2/23/1927, pg. 7) (WSHS- negative A893-0)

Washington Lumber Dealers Association (Tacoma); Business people--Tacoma--1920-1930; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

This print from a damaged glass plate negative shows an aerial view of South Tacoma taken in February of 1927. The massive South Tacoma Shops, owned by the Northern Pacific Railway, are located in the center. The plant repaired all Northern Pacific railroad locomotives and cars west of the Mississippi. The shops were composed of 36 separate brick buildings spread out over 15 acres. The grounds were over 1 1/2 miles long, and the work force of 1,250 employees from 20 expert crafts commanded a payroll of $1,500,000 per year. Established in 1890 as Edison Car Shops, the shops closed in 1974. The body of water in the foreground just west of the "shops" was a wetlands area affectionately known to residents of the area as the "South Tacoma Swamp." The road at the right, near the south end of the swamp, is 56th Street. (TNT 02/18/1927, pg. 2)

L.C. Smith & Co. banquet held at the Olympic Hotel, Seattle. February 1927. (WSHS)

Banquets--Seattle--1920-1930; L.C. Smith & Co. (Seattle); Hotels--Seattle;

This is the Eells St. State Highway Bridge and adjacent eastside homes as pictured from on top of McKinley Hill on March 6, 1927. 1927 maps listed the bridge as above although local newspapers called it simply the Puyallup River Bridge which opened about the time of this photograph. The group of large buildings left of the bridge have been identified as the George M. Harty Lumber & Mfg. Co. The Seattle-Tacoma Interurban line, barely visible, runs next to the bridge. G9.1-015 (Additional information provided by a reader)

Eells St. State Highway Bridge (Tacoma); Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1920-1930; Bridges--Tacoma--1920-1930; George M. Harty Lumber & Mfg. Co. (Tacoma);

View of Cushman Hospital and neighborhood taken from McKinley Hill on March 6, 1927. This hospital for veterans was located in Tacoma's east side. It originally housed the Puyallup Indian School. In January of 1929, Cushman would close as a veterans hospital and reopen as a tuberculosis unit for the U.S. Indian Service. G8.1-097

Cushman Hospital (Tacoma); Hospitals--Tacoma--1920-1930; Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1920-1930;

These homes on Borough Road east of the Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club in 1927 had splendid views of Commencement Bay. The substantially built houses were located in the city's north end. TPL-6475; G9.1-075

Houses--Tacoma--1920-1930; Commencement Bay (Wash.); Streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Senate chambers in Olympia were packed during a joint session held on March 7, 1927. State legislators appear prepared to settle down for extended discussions with papers and books at hand. Earlier that day members of the 20th state legislature had marched in the rain to the beautiful new legislative building and convened in a joint session. Also present were Governor Roland Hartley and the state supreme court. G74.1-196 (TNT 3-7-27, p. 1-article)

Legislators--Washington--1920-1930;

Washington Governor Roland H. Hartley (center with white handkerchief and watch chain) and Lt. Governor W. Lon Johnson (far right) are on the rostrum in legislative chambers on March 7, 1927. Their spouses are believed to be standing next to them. The third couple on the far left was not identified. Roland Hartley was elected governor twice, serving from 1924-32. Lon Johnson, a former state senator, served a single term as Lt. Gov. and later became a Superior Court Judge. Both men were Republicans. G74.1-193

Hartley, Roland H.; Governors; Johnson, W. Lon; Government officials--Washington;

When the first imported strawberries reached the Ryan Fruit Co., 1137 Dock Street, on March 3, 1927, Rhoda Merritt, cashier, couldn't resist slipping outside to nibble the choice fruit. A rough Washington breeze was blowing and her bobbed locks, about the same color as the plump luscious fruit, blew with the wind. However, Miss Merritt still smiled for the camera, delighted with the taste of southern sunshine. (TNT 3/8/1927, pg. 2)

Melvin's Bar Mitzvah. Large group of people in formal attire posed before a mural of trees. (Argentum)

Rites & ceremonies--Tacoma--1920-1930; Judaism--Tacoma;

Tanker "Socony" docked in Tacoma in mid-March of 1927 at what is possibly the City Waterway. Several large companies had tanks (receiving stations) on the City Waterway at this time: Shell Oil, Associated Oil, and Standard Oil. The three tanks in the picture may have belonged to the General Petroleum Co. G49.1-075 (TNT 4-2-26, p. 1-article on plants on waterway) Photograph ordered by Allen Lubricating Co.

Tankers--United States; Storage tanks--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Director Al Santell and actor Richard Barthelmess flank Al Rockett, First National producer, at a train station in March, 1927. The stars and crew of "The Patent Leather Kid" arrived by special train in Tacoma for filming at Camp (Fort) Lewis where vivid battle scenes would be shot. Mr. Barthelmess would be later nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of a boxer who eventually enlists in the war and engages in the Battle of Argonne. (TNT 3-16-27, p. 1)

Eddie Barry & H.C. Weaver on location of "The Patent Leather Kid," March 15, 1927. Mr. Barry was a visiting First National studio executive. Carrying a portfolio, he appears to be in deep conversation with H.C. Weaver, head of H.C. Weaver Productions, Tacoma's local motion picture studio. Later that summer, Mr. Weaver's third film, "Heart of the Yukon," would be opening at the Rialto Theater. BGN-104

Bursting of shrapnel during filming of "The Patent Leather Kid," on March 15, 1927, at Camp (Fort) Lewis. Trenches were dug and explosives laid before filming of the big battle scenes depicting the "Battle of the Argonne." 27,000 similar shrapnel shells were made and stored at Camp Lewis. Thousands of spectators had the opportunity to watch the filming until further into the war manuevers when it was decided that it was potentially too dangerous. Gravel and rocks were strewn over a wide area when the charges of powder exploded. An assistant powderman for First National studios, Walter Holt, was seriously injured in an explosion when a rock badly fractured his skull. He stayed on the job for half-an-hour to set off the complicated explosives before finally collapsing. (TNT 3-25-27, p. 1, TNT 3-16-27, p.1) BGN-103

On March 15, 1927, an unidentified logging crew at Camp #1 was taking a lunch break next to giant logs stacked and ready to be transported. Some of the men found that a cut log makes a fairly comfortable perch. Metal lunch pails were scattered around the area and there were clumps of snow visible. TPL-2445; G75.1-102

Loggers; Logs; Lumber industry--1920-1930; Eating & drinking;

The "Shawnee House," overlooking Quartermaster Harbor, located at Magnolia Beach, Vashon Island, just south of Burton. The house is a registered historical site in King County. The architect for the home was Max A. Van House of Seattle. The Shawnee area was platted and named in 1907 by Millard F. Shaw, the original owner of the home. The Shaws originally lived in a small home up the hill. Later Mr. Shaw built his wife the larger, more elegant home near the beach and the Shawnee Dock. The only problem was that she refused to move into it, preferring her small home. The new house was sold to Stanley Morrison, a Tacoma stockbroker and vice president of Morrison-Muehler Co. Inc., a real estate company located in the Washington Building in Tacoma. Morrison was later convicted on federal charges of fraud during the 1929 stock market crash. In 1927, the home was already considered a showplace on the island. (TDL 4/6/1924, pg. G1; online nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com and vashonhistory.com) ("Magnolia Beach Memories" by Bob Gordon Sr.) G76.1-034

Neighborhoods--Vashon Island; Shawnee House (Vashon Island); Shaw, Millard F.--Homes & haunts; Morrison, Stanley--Homes & haunts;

Six plain clothes detectives from the Tacoma Police Department stand next to a uniformed officer, perhaps the police chief, on March 18, 1927. The building to the rear is possibly the Elks Club on Broadway. Boland B16553, TPL-9068

Tacoma Police Department (Tacoma); Police--Tacoma--1920-1930;

The Shawnee area of Magnolia Beach, Vashon Island, located south of Burton. On the right is the "Shawnee House," 11608 SW Shawnee Rd., designed by architect Max A. Van House. Former owner Millard F. Shaw platted the area in 1907 and named it, presumably after himself. He built the Shawnee House for his wife who refused to live in it, preferring their smaller, simpler house up the hill. In 1927, the home was owned by Tacoma real estate dealer Stanley Morrison, vice president of Morrison-Muehler Co. Inc. In 1929, Mr. Morrison was indicted on federal fraud charges in connection with local investors and the stock market crash. A number of the homes at the south end of the island were occupied by individuals who had business dealings in Tacoma and commuted by ferry. The ferries connected the island to Tacoma and Seattle. (TDL 4/6/1924, pg. G1; nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com, vashonhistory.com) ("Magnolia Beach Memories" by Bob Gordon Sr.) G76.1-035

Neighborhoods--Vashon Island; Shawnee House (Vashon Island); Shaw, Millard F.--Homes & haunts; Morrison, Stanley--Homes & haunts;

30 members of the Young Business Women's Club and accompanying Tacoma businessmen pose with Governor Roland H. Hartley (front row, dark suit with no overcoat) and Secretary of State J. Grant Hinkle on their visit to the new Legislative Building in Olympia in March of 1927. The young businesswomen were given a tour of the new state capitol building which was not quite completed at this time. Copy of this photograph was made on April 9, 1927. TPL-5014; G72.1-028 (TNT 3-21-27, p. 4)

Young Business Women's Club (Tacoma); Governors; Hartley, Roland H.; Legislative Building (Olympia); Hinkle, J. Grant;

The Tacoma Young Business Women's Club paid a visit to the Legislative Building which was still under construction in March of 1927. They posed on the concrete steps in front of the building along with a few gentlemen and one small boy with dog. The young women and accompanying Tacoma businessmen had stopped in Olympia on their way to the girls training school at Grand Mound where they put on a musical program for the girls. The new state capitol building would be officially occupied by state executives the following year on March 27, 1928. The cost of construction and furnishings was $7,385, 768. (www.historylink.org-article; www.ga.wa.gov/visitor/facts-article) G74.1-195 (TNT 3-21-27, p. 4-alternate picture)

Legislative Building (Olympia); Capitols--Olympia; Young Business Women's Club (Tacoma);

Ed Barry and Major John McDonnell on set of First National's "The Patent Leather Kid," Camp (Fort) Lewis, March 21, 1927. Ed Barry was a film executive with the First National studio. He is posed with Major John G. McDonnell, who was the supervisor in charge of technical work from the Army's standpoint. The Army, which supplied the film with thousands of active duty soldiers, wanted to be sure that the film was as accurate as possible regarding munitions and machines. (TNT 3-22-27, p. 1) BGN-107

Adela Rogers St. Johns, on location of "The Patent Leather Kid," March 24, 1927. Striking a relaxed pose, Miss St. Johns wears her helmet tilted as she sits in a director's chair while visiting the filming of "The Patent Leather Kid" at Camp (Fort) Lewis. She wrote the screen adaptation of Rupert Hughes' short story of the same name. Miss St. Johns was a noted journalist and writer who was known for her distinctive, emotional style. A reporter for the Hearst newspapers, she also interviewed celebrated actors for Photoplay magazine, wrote short stories for various periodicals and also wrote many screenplays. She did not restrict herself to a genre but wrote on such varied subjects as the controversial Dempsey-Tunney "long-count" fight, the 1935 Bruno Hauptmann trial, the assassination of Senator Huey Long and the abdication of King Edward VIII of Great Britain. After retiring from newspaper work in 1948, she went on to write books, including her autobiography "Honeycomb," and to teach at a series of universities. Old age did not deter her; she returned to newspaper work at age 82 to report for the San Francisco Examiner on the bank robbery trial of Patricia Hearst. She died at the age of 94 in 1988; she was still working at the time of her death on a book regarding Jesus Christ. (Britannica Online: Women in American History) BGN-163

Filming of the "Battle of Argonne" war scenes of "The Patent Leather Kid," March 24, 1927, at Camp (Fort) Lewis. "German" soldiers charge down a hill, dodging explosives, while others hunker down in trenches. They would soon be overpowered by the superior numbers of American troops and tanks. BGN-111

Battle of Argonne filmed on location at Camp (Fort) Lewis on March 24, 1927. German troops huddle in trenches behind rock and vegetation barriers as they await the charge of American soldiers during the filming of "The Patent Leather Kid." Camp (Fort) Lewis was apparently ideally suited due to its natural resources as a prime substitute for France and thousands of military personnel were made available for use as extras with the permission of the Army. The location of the "Big Drive," scene of the fierce fighting of the Argonne forest, is almost the exact replica of the famous war sector according to Army technical advisers. BGN-113