The snow storm that hit Tacoma on January 13, 1950 turned downtown Tacoma into a winter wonderland. In this photograph, taken on Saturday evening January the 14th, a man wearing an overcoat, hat and boots stops to look in the window of Nancy's Baby Portrait Studio at 736 Pacific Avenue and smoke a cigarette. Tacoma had received almost nine inches of snow, and the wind, at 25 miles per hour, had created drifts up to five feet high. The temperature, which had been at 12 degrees Saturday morning did not get above the mid-20s for several days. (TNT 01-16-1950 p.1)

Photographic studios--Tacoma; Nancy's Baby Portrait Studio (Tacoma); Snow--Tacoma--1950-1960; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1950-1960; Window displays--Tacoma--1950-1960; Storefronts--Tacoma; Facades--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Building a sample and testing flooring at the Douglas Fir Plywood Association Plywood Lab. Two men are standing on a flooring sample to test the strength of plywood in this application. Two other men are reviewing the specifications for the test. A drawing table with lamp and stool are seen against the wall on the right. Ordered by Villa Daily.

Product inspection--Tacoma; Testing--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Research facilities--Tacoma; Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Studio portrait of E.A. Ryder. Mr. Ryder wears a dark suit, a white shirt and polka dot tie. He wears his white hair parted on one side and a narrow moustache. He looks directly at the camera with one eyebrow raised.

Ryder, E.A.; Moustaches; Portraits;

On December 23, 1949, Sr. Capt. Heber Sainsbury of the Salvation Army and his wife filled cardboard boxes with fresh food to be distributed to needy Tacomans for Christmas. The Tacoma Branch of the Salvation Army was founded in July, 1888. In 1922 they built a headquarters building at 109 So. 13th St. In 1949, the Salvation Army helped over 7,500 people with meals, beds, garments and jobs; they helped 14,000 persons obtain employment; and made over 8,000 visits to local hospitals. Mr. Sainsbury and his wife came to Tacoma in August of 1949, having previously served the Salvation Army in Walla Walla, Everett, Helena, Montana, and the Hawaiian islands. (T.Times 8/27/1949 p.7) TPL-8107

Salvation Army (Tacoma); Charitable organizations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Community service--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food--Tacoma; Celery--Tacoma; Holidays--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Boat on the ways and sea trials, Bill Vinson. "Sunrise" is out on the water for her sea trials. Her captain stands on the upper deck to steer her onto Puget Sound. Her dinghy has been hauled up and is stored above the lower cabin. There is a large, covered area on the back for comfortable enjoyment of a day on the water.

Ship trials--Tacoma--1940-1950; Yachts--Tacoma--1940-1950;

A crane loading freight vans onto a ship for Alaska Freight Lines at Shaffer Terminal #1. Shaffer terminal reported in 1949 that 88 vessels discharged 43,532 tons of general cargo and 4,645,964 board feet of lumber. The most frequent cargo was chrome ore, but also frequently imported were spruce from Alaska and hardwood from the Philippines for furniture processing. For the same year, the terminal reported 83 outbound ships took 40,812 tons of general cargo and 19,662,143 feet of lumber. The largest single item of outbound cargo was pulp and paper from the St. Regis Paper Company. (TNT 2-14-1950 C-11)

Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960; Marine Terminals--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hoisting machinery; Alaska Freight Lines (Tacoma); Shaffer Terminals, Inc. (Tacoma);

Several of the dignitaries attending the installation banquet for the Delta Phi Chapter of Sigma Chi at the College of Puget Sound pose for their group portrait. The gentleman in the center of the back row is Henry O. Foss. Ordered by the Magazine of Sigma Chi, Merrill E. Pritchard.

Sigma Chi (Tacoma); Fraternities & sororities--Tacoma--1950-1960; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

Exterior of the Standard Paper Company. The wholesale paper and stationery company stands on the corner of Pacific and South 21st. Standard Paper took over this location in 1931 from West Coast Steel Company. The three-story facility was built in 1904 for the West Coast Wagon Company. Adolph Schantz was president of the company at this time. James F. Wilhelmi was vice president and G.W. Paul served as secretary-treasurer.

Standard Paper Co. (Tacoma); Stationery trade--Tacoma; Paper--Tacoma; Business enterprises--Tacoma--1950-1960; Facades--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Progress photograph, new building at Stauffer Chemical Company. Stauffer Chemical Company was just getting into production on the tideflats, manufacturing superphosphate fertilizer. The new plant would serve a market area of 200 miles with approximately 30,000 tons of its product a year. The Barthel Chemical Construction Company had installed lined acid tanks for Stauffer Chemical at this time. The plant was built on a 40 acre tract on the tideflats at the location of the old Rainier Steel facility. (TNT, 2/14/1950, p.A-7; 9/13/1949, clipping)

Stauffer Chemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Progress photographs; Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Barthel Chemical Construction Co. (Tacoma);

Mr. Frank Walters, President of the Tacoma Athletic Commission, and Mrs. Walters posed with a publicity poster for the organization's 4th annual birthday party to be held at the club's headquarters at the Top of the Ocean on February 20, 1950. The party celebrated four years of active promotion of the city's athletic programs. The TAC was unique in the U.S. Organized as the Tacoma War Athletic Commission in 1942, it raised funds for athletic equipment for the thousands of US servicemen stationed in the Pacific Islands. Equipment was sent to fighting forces from Alaska to Australia. Following the end of the war, the group directed its policies to the civic and athletic betterment of Tacoma, particularly in the support of sports activities for youth. (TNT 2-26-1950 D-1, TNT 3/23/1956, pg. 1)

Tacoma Athletic Commission (Tacoma); Events--Tacoma--1950-1960; Clubs--Tacoma--1950-1960; Top of the Ocean (Tacoma); Walters, Frank; Walters, Frank--Family;

Fire damage at Tacoma Transit. The fire at the Tacoma Transit Company terminals destroyed four buses, several private automobiles and gutted the firm's repair shops and maintenance depot. Bricks, placed more than 50 years earlier in the two-story building, withstood the heat and flames. The framed interior of the building was a total loss, however. During streetcar days, in the section of the building damaged, were housed the old power house and the giant 12 and 15-foot diameter wheels which furnished power for the fleet of Tacoma cable cars. Ordered by United Pacific Insurance Company, Mr. Littlemore. (TNT, 2/16/1950, p.1)

Tacoma Transit Co. (Tacoma); Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Buses--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bus terminals--Tacoma;

Four Tacoma Transit buses were totally destroyed on February 15, 1950 when a gasoline-fed fire swept through the Transit Company's repair shop at 1301 A Street. The repair shop was located in the historic Tacoma Railway & Motor Company Power House which was built in 1889; it was originally built as the main powerhouse for Tacoma's streetcars. Although the brick walls withstood the heat and flames, the frame interior of the building and the buses inside were a total loss. Today the site of the old Transit building is occupied by the Columbia Bank Center which was built in 2001. Pictured above removing a "school bus" sign from one of the destroyed buses is Herbert "Herb" Emerick. His primary bus route was "Old Tacoma," which was also the area he lived in with his wife, Ida Strubstad Emerick. "Herb" Emerick would retire from Tacoma Transit and pass away in 1955. (Ordered by United Pacific Insurance Company, Mr. Littlemore.) (TNT, 2/16/1950, p.1. Additional information provided by a reader.)

Tacoma Transit Co. (Tacoma); Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Buses--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bus terminals--Tacoma; Emerick, Herbert;

Dolores Determan and Sgt. Mason F. Stober, Jr., were married April 18, 1950 at the McChord Air Force Base chapel. The bride is wearing a floor-length wedding gown with a train, a finger-tip veil with a heart-shaped headress, and she carries a bouquet of white orchids and hyacinths. The bride-groom is wearing his military uniform. (TNT, 5/6/1950, p.23)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Military uniforms; Determan, Dolores--Marriage; Stober, Mason F.;

Interior of new bungalow court, Adlee Court, built and managed by Addison Forrester and Carter Lee. This view shows one of the four bachelor units that would be available January 2, 1950. The kitchen is straight ahead, the bathroom is just to the right. Forrester & Lee, designers and builders of the 20 unit bungalow court, held an open house January 1, 1950. Cost of the structure was $130,000. In addition to the four bachelor apartments were four large one-bedroom apartments and twelve medium sized one-bedroom units. The units ranged from $65 to $85 per month. (TNT, 1/1/1950, p.6)

Adlee Court Apartments (Tacoma); Apartments--Tacoma--1940-1950; Kitchens--Tacoma--1940-1950;

The interior of the Tacoma Club showing tables set with white table cloths and tableware. A mural of trees in bloom covers the upper part of the back wall. Ordered by Earl Reynolds.

Banquet halls--Tacoma; Table settings & decorations; Tacoma Club (Tacoma); Murals--Tacoma;

Interior exposure of 944 So. Mountain View Ave. in the Narrowmoor addition, designed and built by Tietz Construction. The home has a brick fireplace for coziness. Built in shadow box partitions between the kitchen and dining room form attractive staggered shelves used for displaying collected treasures without the blocked off feeling of a solid wall. The square American modern furniture sat on embossed carpet. Pictures of this home were used in Tietz's exhibit at the Greater Tacoma Home Show in March, 1950 and in the TNT special for National Home Week in September, 1950 and the TNT special for the 1952 Tacoma Home Show. In 1952, this was the home of George Petrich. (TNT 9/10/1950, pg. B-9 & TNT 4/1/52, pg. 29)

Houses--Tacoma--1950-1960; Interiors--Tacoma--1950-1960; Interior decoration; Fireplaces; Furniture--1950-1960; Living rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Kitchens--Tacoma--1950-1960; Petrich, George--Homes & haunts;

Interiors of homes ordered by Wm. W. Tietz. This view of an early 1950's living room features a large brick fireplace with a large, unframed mirror above it and bookcases on either side as a focal point. The plush and upholstered furniture is all pushed against the walls. The ceilings are lower than those in houses of earlier periods and the woodwork has been scaled down considerably or is nonexistent, as at the ceiling edges. A large patterned wallpaper is seen on the walls of the dining area.

Living rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fireplaces--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wallpapers; Moldings--Tacoma;

Studio set-up, Tacoma Engraving Company, Harry Keller. The Tacoma Engraving Company was located at 921 Market. They specialized in photoengraving, illustrating, industrial name plates, etched metal awards, plaques and specialties. Shown here are examples of specialized packaging they created for several companies to contain lard, candies, ice cream, cookies, stuffing and apples and more.

Packaging; Photoengravings; Engraving--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Engraving Co. (Tacoma); Printing industry--Tacoma;

Pioneer Sand and Gravel's booth at the Seattle Housing Show features a model of Pioneer's blue cement truck pulled up to a miniature construction site and a stone fireplace with heatilator built into it. Bags of Tru-Mix are on display as well as other items relating to the construction trade. Ordered by Vance Tjossem.

Pioneer Sand & Gravel Co. (Seattle); Merchandise displays--Seattle--1950-1960; Exhibit booths--Seattle--1950-1960; Building materials industry--Seattle--1950-1960;

A workman is operating a hopper to deliver materials to a container on a lower level, possibly a cement truck. By pulling different handles hanging over his head he can deliver each ingredient needed for different batches of products. A large scale stands against the wall behind the workman. Ordered by Pioneer Sand & Gravel, Seattle, Vance Tjossem, for translites.

Pioneer Sand & Gravel Co. (Steilacoom)--Employees; Machinery;

Their feet resting on a snow bank, the employees of the Sepic Electric and Furniture Company store at 1301 South K Street (now Martin Luther King Jr. Way) posed for a group portrait in February of 1950. Sepic's advertised that they had qualified, experienced employees in each and every department. They had recently completed a modernization of their store and had 10,000 square feet of floor space with complete stocks of both furniture and appliances, and a new floor covering department. Fred Sepic is seated in the front row next to a young woman employee, second from the left; Stan Sepic is seated second from the right. Ordered by Stan Sepic. (TNT, 2/14/1950, p.D-14) TPL-8364

Sepic Electric Co. (Tacoma); Furniture stores--Tacoma--1940-1950; Appliance stores--Tacoma--1940-1950;

A group portrait of the 1950 Industrial Bureau of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce taken at their luncheon at the New Yorker. Thirty seven men have attended the luncheon January 20, 1950. Howard D. Norris served as chairman for the year 1950. Names of those attending are printed along the bottom of the photograph. TPL-8767

Tacoma Chamber of Commerce (Tacoma); New Yorker Cafe (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1950-1960; Group portraits;

The interior of a lounge at the Tacoma Club is shown with sofas, easy chairs, several lamps and tables for easy conversation or reading. The floor is covered with a bold-patterned carpet and the windows are covered with venetian blinds and floral draperies. Ordered by Earl Reynolds.

Tacoma Club (Tacoma); Clubs--Tacoma; Lounges--Tacoma; Furnishings; Chairs; Sofas; Tables;

A copy of one of the six different counter display cards, ordered by Sconce Advertising Agency, George Jacobsen, for Days Tailor-D Clothing, Inc. of Tacoma. Days Tailor-D Clothing had been known for their line of work clothing and are now breaking into leisure wear. This sign shows three men playing golf. Our man, wearing pleated, cuffed Tailor-D San Juan slacks, looks very well dressed even with a difficult shot to make. After the recent addition to its factory, Day's Tailor-d Clothing was producing 5,000-6,000 pairs of trousers per day. The 48-year-old company employed between 300 to 400 people with a million dollar payroll. (TNT, 2/14/1950, p.A-13)

Advertisements--Tacoma--1940-1950; Days Tailor-D Clothing, Inc. (Tacoma); Clothing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trousers; Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Sconce Advertising (Tacoma);

Out of town swimming class at the American Red Cross. The Red Cross health and safety services program offered a broad range of instruction and consultation without cost, including first aid, accident prevention and swimming and life saving. The pair of swimmers in the water demonstrate standard lifeguard rescue procedure. The other girls wear a wide variety of fifties swimsuits, both one and two pieces, and standard bathing caps with chin straps.

American Red Cross Pierce County Chapter (Tacoma); Children swimming--Tacoma--1950-1960; Swimming pools--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bathing suits; Teenagers--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Apartment house under construction. Piles of concrete block building materials are stored in front of what will be an under living unit parking structure. A pickup truck is parked in front. Photo ordered by Holroyd Co., manufacturer of cement blocks.

Apartment houses--Tacoma--1950-1960; Construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Holroyd Co. (Tacoma);

Home portrait of two children, possibly those of Shirley Churchill. The young girl is dressed in a frilly dress with embroidered detail and petticoats and a matching bonnet. The young boy is dressed in miniature adult style with dress slacks, dress shirt with undershirt and cardigan.

Children--Tacoma--1950-1960; Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1950-1960; Children dressing; Bonnets;

Gaily decorated box lunches for two are auctioned off at the annual old fashioned Box Lunch Social in the main lounge of the Student Union building at Pacific Lutheran College. The event where coeds prepare elaborately designed containers with meals to be purchased by and consumed with the highest collegiate bidder was sponsored by the Lutheran Students Association with proceeds going to charity.

Events--Parkland--1950-1960; Universities & colleges--Parkland; Students--Parkland; Pacific Lutheran College (Parkland)--1950-1960;

Group of uniformed fire fighters at Fire Station #1 with fire truck in the background. This two story, two bay frame firehouse went into service in 1920.

Fire fighters--Tacoma--1950-1960; Uniforms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire stations--Tacoma--1950-1960;

John H. Anderson, on right, presents the gavel to Lloyd L. Wynans, the newly elected Exalted Ruler of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, Tacoma Lodge No. 174. The installation ceremony for the new officers was one of the biggest nights on the organization's calendar. For the first time in sixty years, the ceremony was officiated by the Grand Exalted Ruler of the B.P.O.E., Emmett T. Anderson. ALBUM 14.

Fraternal organizations--Tacoma--1950-1960; Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Tacoma Lodge No. 174 (Tacoma); Wynans, Lloyd L.; Anderson, John H.; Gavels;