All eyes are upon the George Scofield Co. truck dumping its load onto the new streetcar tracks on McKinley Avenue in April of 1931. The Tacoma Railway & Power Co. crew were laying new track side-by-side the old track. Photograph taken on behalf of Tacoma Railway & Power Co. G66.2-057

Road construction--Tacoma--1930-1940; Mass transit--Tacoma--1930-1940; Electric railroads--1930-1940; Tacoma Railway & Power Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Trucks--Tacoma--1930-1940; George Scofield Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

Tacoma Railway & Power Co. workers are shown filling in new street car tracks on McKinley Avenue in April of 1931. The old tracks are running parallel to the new. This photograph was taken from McKinley School on behalf of Tacoma Railway & Power Co. G66.2-045

Road construction--Tacoma--1930-1940; Mass transit--Tacoma--1930-1940; Electric railroads--1930-1940; Tacoma Railway & Power Co. (Tacoma)--Employees

Salvation Army conference at the Tacoma Hotel. Attendees pose for a group portrait on April 22, 1931 on the steps of the hotel. Many are wearing the familiar Salvation Army attire. Among those pictured is Col. Andrew Crawford of San Francisco, second in command of Salvation Army work in the Western states. G21.1-187 (TDL 4-22-31, p. 9-article on convention)

Salvation Army (Tacoma); Meetings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);

Door stops for doggy doors make up an unusual display of merchandise in April of 1931. A small door is held open by the use of a door stop shaped like a dog. G56.1-028

Doors & doorways; Merchandise displays--1930-1940;

This is the Science Building at the College of Puget Sound as viewed in April of 1931. The $175,000 structure was designed by architects Sutton, Whitney & Dugan and constructed by J.E. Bonnell & Sons. In 1932 the building was re-dedicated to the memory of Leonard Howarth. G67.1-006

College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1930-1940; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--Buildings; Universities & colleges--Tacoma--1930-1940;

A portion of the College of Puget Sound campus can be seen through the trees and vegetation in April of 1931. There are about 97 acres of landscaped campus in a quiet north end neighborhood around North 15th & Warner. G67.1-005

College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1930-1940; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--Buildings; Universities & colleges--Tacoma--1930-1940;

This view of the College of Puget Sound campus was taken on a lovely spring day in 1931. By this time the school had been at its North Warner address for seven years. The major buildings on campus were constructed of brick and resembled those built in Tudor style. G67.1-003

College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1930-1940; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--Buildings; Universities & colleges--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Five miners, four of them previously appearing in Boland B23644, pose next to the entrance of a Sol Mining Co. mine in late April of 1931. TPL-6611; G75.1-164

Miners--Washington; Mining--Washington; Sol Mining Co.;

Workers at Sol Mining operations. Four men, names not given, stand outside the entrance to a mine. A small track has been built that leads into the mine. Several trees surrounding the mine have been cut and their wood not yet removed. TPL-6269; G75.1-163

Miners--Washington; Mining--Washington; Sol Mining Co.;

Two unidentified miners are pictured inside a Sol Mining Co. mine on April 26, 1931. Boland Studios snapped a series of photographs in one day of mining operations. TPL-6612; G75.1-159

Miners--Washington; Mining--Washington; Sol Mining Co.;

This is a Sol Mining Co. camp as seen on April 26, 1931. Two unidentified employees have paused with shovels in hand. The mining camp resembles a logging camp in the logs scattered around the ground and wooden buildings erected. Roads in the area must have been passable enough so that automobiles like the two shown were able to travel to the mines. G75.1-162

Miners--Washington; Mining--Washington; Sol Mining Co.;

Mining operations at Sol Mining Co. camp. General view of camp featuring woodshed, additional wood building, and what is probably housing for employees. Logs and planks are scattered through the clearing. G75.1-160

Mining--Washington; Sol Mining Co.;

The College of Puget Sound (now University of Puget Sound) Yell Leaders of 1930-31 fanned the flames of school spirit and athletic competition to a white heat. The Loggers, however, faired poorly in both the football and basketball seasons. Left to right: Glenn Helmer, Art Robbins, and Emery Baker at College of Puget Sound. TPL-6162; G7.1-040 (1931 Tamanawas yearbook, p. 65)

Cheerleading--Tacoma--1930-1940; Universities & colleges--Tacoma--1930-1940; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Helmer, Glenn; Robbins, Art; Baker, Emery; Students--Tacoma--1930-1940;

First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 524 So. I St., Tacoma. Photograph taken for Rev. S. G. Svenson in April of 1931. Construction began on this Gothic structure in 1925 and it was dedicated in 1929. The church was designed by Heath, Gove & Bell, architects, and was built of tapestry brick with Tenino stone trim.

This is the Consolidated Mining Co. plant located in Morton, Washington, as pictured in May of 1931. G75.1-019

Consolidated Mining Co. (Morton); Mining--Morton;

This small building and outdoor tanks belonged to the Consolidated Mining Co. who conducted mining operations in Morton. Photograph was taken on May 1, 1931. G75.1-017

Consolidated Mining Co. (Morton); Mining--Morton;

Daily mining plant operations in Morton, Washington. This view of Consolidated Mining Co. plant operations was taken on May 1, 1931. Sharp tines appear to be shifting through ore contained in an enormous steel container. G36.1-192

Consolidating Mining Co. (Morton); Mining--Morton;

May Day celebrations at the College of Puget Sound. Jones Hall was the site of the annual May Festival, 1931 honoring the mothers of College of Puget Sound students. May Day Queen Lillian Boyd is pictured at center accompanied by Fred LePenske. Harry Brown and Julius Coplan were heralds announcing the arrival of the queen. Carrying bouquets of flowers were the queen's attendants Alice Berry and Bonita Reeder. Three small children, (L-R) Ralph Lemon, Yvonne Battin and Jimmy Davis, were added to delight the crowd. From L-R were students: Harry Brown, Alice Berry, Lillian Boyd, Fred LePenske, Bonita Reeder, Julius Coplan. (1931 Tamanawas yearbook, p. 53)

May Day--Tacoma; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Students--Tacoma--1930-1940; Boyd, Lillian; LePenske, Fred; Brown, Harry; Berry, Alice; Reeder, Bonita; Coplan, Julius; Lemon, Ralph; Battin, Yvonne; Davis, James;

General view of Consolidated Mining Co.'s Morton plant and adjacent property as seen on May 1, 1931. Morton was known as logging country but also supported the mining industry, specifically the mercury mining industry, for many years. G75.1-018

Consolidated Mining Co. (Morton); Mining--Morton;

Mine entry carved into a hillside. This was a mine operated by the Consolidated Mining Co. in the Morton area in May of 1931. TPL-6267; G75.1-165

Consolidated Mining Co. (Morton); Mining--Morton;

Firemen's Union #31, victors in the B Division Industrial League Championship in 1930, pose in front of a fire truck in May of 1931. Four trophies are displayed along with crossed baseball bats and a glove, flanked by team mascot Bud Christensen (left) and bat boy Bill Frazier. The Firemen opened up the 1931 baseball season with an exhibition game at Lincoln Bowl on May 9th against Shaffer Box, defending City Champs. Shaffer Box had defeated the Firemen in a bitterly contested game for the city title; this rematch would pit the same teams with the same result, another Shaffer Box victory. Team members of the Firemen were listed in the Daily Ledger as: Back row: Glen Lawson, Hank Hubert, H. Larson, K. Larson, Al St. Pierre, Walt Christensen, Al Pentecost. Middle row: Property man Harry Frazier, coach Bobby Vaughn, George Sharrick, H. Wiengard, Det Ketler, George Dague, Ed Burk, manager Emory Whitaker. Mgr. Whitaker would later become Tacoma's Fire Chief from 1932-1944. (TDL 5-6-31, p. 10, 5-8-31, p. 10, 5-10-31, B-1) TPL-450

Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Awards; Uniforms; Whitaker, Emory; Vaughn, Bobby;

This May, 1931, aerial view of Tacoma's City Center was taken from the industrial Tideflats. The 11th Street Bridge (now Murray Morgan Bridge) is on the right. Jutting into the skyline are (l-r) the Pierce County Courthouse, Puget Sound National Bank, Washington Building, Tacoma Building, and the Art-Deco styled 17-story newly completed Medical Arts Building in the right background. TPL-1788; G91.012

Cityscapes; Aerial views; Aerial photographs; 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma); Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma); Puget Sound National Bank (Tacoma); Washington Building (Tacoma); Tacoma Building (Tacoma); Medical Arts Building (Tacoma);

To boost company morale and foster an air of camaraderie, local businesses often sponsored recreational league sports teams. The three "Bs" were popular in the 1930s - bowling, basketball and baseball. Here the Northern Pacific Railway baseball team posed for a group picture on May 7, 1931, which included coaches, ball boy, and a banner with "Yellowstone Park Line" under the Northern Pacific heading. This team participated in the Industrial League. Carl Lewis Dakin has been identified as the player seated third from the right who is holding onto the team banner. See Boland B23725 for a similar photograph of the team. G53.1-019 (Identification provided by a reader)

Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Banners; Signs (Notices); Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Dakin, Carl Lewis;

Aerial view looking toward Tacoma's City Center. This May, 1931, view shows many prominent Tacoma landmarks including the Tacoma Building and Perkins Building flanking the 11th Street Bridge (now Murray Morgan Bridge); the newly completed 17-story Medical Arts Building (at center-right); the towering Washington Building at center; Puget Sound National Bank with spire (center-left) and the Pierce County Courthouse with tower in the far left background. TPL-1347; G8.1-021

Cityscapes; Aerial photographs; Aerial views; 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma); Tacoma Building (Tacoma); Medical Arts Building (Tacoma); Washington Building (Tacoma); Puget Sound National Bank (Tacoma); Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma);

Businesses in the 1920's and 30's often sponsored athletic teams for recreational use by their employees. Baseball was a very popular sport in Tacoma and there were numerous company-sponsored teams in various leagues. The Northern Pacific team posed for a picture on May 7, 1931; they were members of the Industrial League. A banner with the company name and "Yellowstone Park Line" is displayed in front of the group. Northern Pacific would have the honor of being one of the teams participating in Tacoma's first night games on April 25, 1930; they would be defeated by the Firemen, eventual winners of that year's B Division championship. Carl Lewis Dakin, seated third from the right, is the player holding onto the team banner. G53.1-018 (Identification provided by a reader)

Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Banners; Signs (Notices); Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Dakin, Carl Lewis;

Mother's Day in 1931 was rapidly approaching as the Federal Bakery, 1107 So. "K" St. (now Martin Luther King Jr. Way) showcased a mouthwatering display of Betty Crocker's "Mothers' Day" cakes. The cakes sold for as low as 65 cents apiece. Photograph ordered by Sperry Flour.

Federal Bakery (Tacoma); Bakeries--Tacoma--1930-1940; Cakes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Window displays--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Monty's Independents (Garagemen) were an all-black baseball team in the newly formed 9-member "Community" league in 1931. The Community League played a 16-game season. The league was notable for having not only an all-black team, but an all-Italian team headed by Al Greco, an all-Japanese team from Fife, and an all-Slavic team. Other teams in the league were Jack & Jill, the Tacoma Red Men, the 10th Field Artillery, Steilacoom, and McKinley Hill. Monty's opened their season on May 10, 1931, against Steilacoom where they lost 31-3 in a 7-inning game. (TDL 5-10-31, 2-B) TPL-3688; G39.1-173; G53.1-007; G39.1-165;

Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; African American baseball players;

Members of the 1931 Northern Pacific Railway Co.'s baseball team are in uniform on May 10, 1931. The team, composed of N.P. workers, was part of the Industrial League. Northern Pacific sponsored two teams for the 1931 season in Division A and Division B. G53.1-017

Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Uniforms;

A large group of women who are studying to be dental assistants take a class on X-ray techniques from instructor Wayne E. Hampton, standing at far left. The Tacoma location and school have not been identified in this 1931 portrait by photographer Chapin Bowen.

This was the A.O.U.W. drill team in 1931. The Ancient Order of United Workmen was an order that served both men and women. The man in hat and double breasted suit in the front row is possibly the Master Workman of the Tacoma Lodge. G23.1-029

Ancient Order of United Workmen Tacoma Lodge No. 6 (Tacoma); Fraternal organizations--Tacoma--1930-1940; Drill teams;