Tacoma Schwingfest. "Crown Girls," a group of young women wearing formal gowns and sashes, pose proudly with a group of wrestlers proficient in the art of Schwingen, or Swiss Wrestling, in August of 1937. Most of the men are wearing traditional laurels on their heads. Martin Betschart holds the Swiss flag on a stage decorated with stars, scrolls, and art deco motif. Front row is (youth) Champion Buebe Schwinger Al Burgener. "Crown Girls" (L-R) Mary Keller, Alice Widmer, Lena Jelasich, Ida Fassbind, Evelyn Bucher, Louise Query, Martha Muller, Ruby Etter, Ann Schnider. Schwingers are (L-R): Frank Betschart, Al Ming, Sr., Adolph Imhof, Karl Kessler, Eugene Weber, Max Holenstein, Robert Spichtig, Ben Holdener, John Balmer. Musicians in next row are: (L-R): Charlie Steiner, Joe Burgi, Ed Schwarzenberger, Egon Schmidt. At the top are: (L-R): unidentified, Al Bacher, Martin Betschart. (Swiss Sportsmen's Club of Tacoma: p. 17)

Wrestling--Tacoma--1930-1940; Swiss Americans--Tacoma; Ethnic groups--Tacoma; Tacoma Schwinger Club (Tacoma);

The count is two and two on the batter as three unidentified women, attending the "vacation camp" being held at Lincoln High School, enjoyed a rousing baseball game in July of 1925. An annual camp, sponsored by the Washington State College extension service, offered western Washington farm women classes to help them manage their homes and farms including courses in cooking and sewing; they had plenty of time for fun too. The women slept on cots in the school gym and used the classrooms for course work and the playfields and pool for recreation. (WSHS) (TNT 7/28/1925, pg. 1)

Baseball--Tacoma--1920-1930; Games--1920-1930;

ca. 1937. City League Baseball Team in uniforms standing in front of bleachers, ca. 1937. According to Richards Studio notes, the team represented Naubert's. Naubert's Recreation is listed in the 1937 City Directory as a billiard hall at 945 Commerce, managed by Frank C. Naubert. (filed with Argentum) same group pictured in series D101 image 1.

Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Baseball--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1937. City League Baseball Team in casual clothes, batboy in front, circa 1937. Team is listed in Richards Studio notes as the Peninsula Baseball Team from Long Branch. (filed with Argentum)

Baseball--Tacoma--1930-1940; Baseball players--Long Branch--1930-1940;

ca. 1935. City League individual pictures, baseball player on the Cammarano Brothers team; possibly Gus Paine (TNT 4/29/1949, pg. 22)

Cammarano Bros. (Tacoma); Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1935. City League individual pictures, baseball player on the Cammarano Brothers team.

Cammarano Bros. (Tacoma); Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1937. Russell (Russ) H. Michael's Service Station baseball team; the 1937 Twilight League Baseball Champions. The players wear long sleeved shirts that say "Russ Michael's Service, 38th & M." The man in the bow tie is Russ Michael, the owner of the service station. In the 1930's, baseball was the true American sport and most Americans played. City leagues were numerous and many businesses sponsored a team. (Michael's identification supplied by a family member)

Russ Michael's Service (Tacoma); Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1930-1940; Michael, Russell H.;

ca. 1935. Alt Heidelberg football team at play. They are playing on a field with wooden bleachers and fence in background. Neighborhood buildings and a church steeple are in view. Alt Heidelberg was the name of a brew manufactured by Columbia Breweries in Tacoma and many of the company sponsored teams sported that name.

Football--Tacoma--1930-1940; Football players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1930-1940;

Stadium vs. Lincoln Thanksgiving Day football game in Stadium Bowl, November 25, 1937. Stadium High School marching band and drill team form what appears to be the letters "IN" on the football field. The goal post, Commencement Bay, and Browns Point are visible in the background. (T. Times 11/26/1937, pg. 1)

Football--Tacoma; Athletic fields--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma; Events--Tacoma; Stadium High School (Tacoma); Lincoln High School (Tacoma); Stadium Bowl (Tacoma); Marching bands;

Tacoma Giants owner Ben Cheney with outfielder Orlando Cepeda during a spring training visit to the Tacoma team's parent club, the San Francisco Giants.

Baseball players; Cepeda, Orlando, 1937-; Cheney, Ben B., 1905-1971;

ca. 1934. Golfer and track star Babe Didrikson ( Zaharias ) swings a golf club as she takes a golf shot in Tacoma. Didrikson won two gold medals at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and won the U.S. Women's Open three times.

Athletes - Golfers - Track and Field - Olympic Medalists - (Mildred Ella) Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1914-56)

ca. 1934. Golfer and track star Babe Didrikson ( Zaharias ) with three other women. Didrikson won two gold medals at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and won the US Women's Open three times.

Athletes - Golfers - Track and Field - Olympic Medalists - (Mildred Ella) Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1914-56)

ca. 1962. Portrait of young boxer in bare-fisted stance, ca. 1962. This is Denny Moyer, Portland middleweight. He was a former Tacoma Golden Gloves junior middle champion. Moyer would win an unanimous decision over former welterweight and middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson in a February 17, 1962, rematch at Madison Square Garden. The 22-year-old boxer had lost a previous decision to the 41-year-old Robinson. Moyer would gain the attention of the nation again when he fought welterweight champ, Emile Griffith, in a 10-round non-title event on August 18, 1962. He would lose to Griffith by a split decision in the nationally televised bout.(TNT 2-18-62, B-10, TNT 8-17-62, A-1, 8-19-62, A-1)

Boxers (Sports)--Tacoma--1960-1970; Moyer, Denny;

Eddie Taylor, second baseman and manager of the 1937 Tacoma Tigers baseball team, connected for a double in his first at bat against Vancouver in the second game of a double header on Sunday May 2, 1937. He was the first batter in the first inning of the second game against the Vancouver Maple Leafs. The wooden stadium at 1302 South Sprague Avenue was filled with a capacity crowd. The Tigers won the first game 3-1, but lost the second 10-5. (T. Times 5/3/1937, pg. 11)

Baseball--Tacoma--1930-1940; Baseball players--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Tigers (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Tacoma Athletic Park (Tacoma); Taylor, Eddie;

Pre game military show featuring a formation of soldiers and sailors during the November 11, 1935 Armistice Day Navy-Army Football Game at Stadium Bowl. For Bremerton Sun. (filed with Argentum) (see D410 for more images of the same event.)

Football--Tacoma--1930-1940; Stadium Bowl (Tacoma); Holidays--Tacoma--1930-1940; Military personnel--1930-1940;

Pacific Lutheran College Football Team. Large group of players wearing practice uniforms in four rows on field. (filed with Argentum)

Football players--Parkland; Pacific Lutheran College (Parkland)--1930-1940; Universities & colleges--Parkland--1930-1940; Football--Parkland--1930-1940;

Players from the Derringer School Football team pose with their trophy football after being crowned the 1936 Class B Champions. Pictured with the team is Principal Adams. Photograph ordered by the Tacoma Times. (filed with Argentum)

Football players--Derringer; Public schools--Derringer;

Elmer Lock sits behind the wheel of his midget racer in this photograph from June, 1936. In the 1930's, midget racers like this competed regularly under the arc lights of the Tacoma Speedway Royale at South 14th and Sprague. The races varied in length from 3 laps for a "helmet dash" to 30 for a class A "Main Event". (T. Times 06-01-1936 p.11)

Automobile racing--Tacoma--1930-1940; Automobile racing drivers

In November of 1926, the Stadium High School Tigers practice making a goal the hard way, as they try to push a brand new Nash Six Roadster with a football balanced on top. They found the Nash, with its brakes set, hard to budge. The first string Tigers are, left to right, Ned Simpson, "Red" Goble, Mel Black, Paul Anderson (at wheel), Glen Lawson, George Tibbets, Earm Hayden, Les Yansen, Jim DuPree, Bill Simpson, Alvin Shenckell and Joe Hansen. The Nash for the stunt was provided by the Tacoma Nash Sales Co. (TNT 11/7/1926, pg. 5-G) BGN-073 or 074

Football players--Tacoma--1920-1930; Stadium High School (Tacoma); Nash automobile;

The O'Donnell Market women's bowling team from Bend, Oregon. Five women dressed in matching outfits representing O'Donnell's Market. Three women in back row have names embroidered on shirts, left to right: Reba, Olga, Evelyn. The team was competing in the annual Western Women's Bowling Congress at the Play Mor alleys April 24- May 5th, 1940.

Bowlers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950; O'Donnell's Market--Bend, Oregon--People;

Sherman Tackle Co. women's bowling team, Tacoma City Girls Class B bowling champs. Five women dressed in skirts and blouses gathered around scoring table in bowling alley. They are, left to right, Delores Coleman, Winnifred Rowe, Nell Bowman, Sigrid Anderson and Cecelia Rowe. (T. Times 4/25/1940, pg. 17)

Bowlers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950; Sherman Tackle Co. (Tacoma)--People; Coleman, Delores; Rowe, Winnifred; Bowman, Nell; Anderson, Sigrid; Rowe, Cecelia;

ca. 1939. Hockey players performing drills at Lakewood Ice Arena circa 1939. One player is down on ice with puck under him; Griffin Fuel Company player above him with stick raised.

Ice hockey players--Lakewood; Ice hockey--Lakewood--1930-1940; Lakewood Ice Arena (Lakewood);

Joe Paglia, St. Martins College grid coach, explains how to hold a football in the art of kicking to three unidentified teenage boys in October of 1938. Noting the lack of powerful kickers in college football, Coach Paglia is seeking to bring back the "foot" in football. A series of football kicking classes, sponsored by the Tacoma Times and Washington Hardware, were given by Coach Paglia at Jefferson playfield over five Saturdays. Mr. Paglia, a great kicker at Santa Clara University, was known as "Coffin Corner Joe" for his extremely accurate placement of the football at the corners of the football field between the end zone and the five-yard line at each end of the field. (T. Times 10-20-38, p. 14-article; T.Times 10-21-38, p. 14-photograph of Mr. Paglia)

Paglia, Joe; Football--Tacoma--1930-1940; Coaches (Athletics); Coaching (Athletics);

ca. 1939. Three female skiers at Mount Rainier, possibly Annie Wright students. They are tentatively identified as, left to right, Anne Chapman of Tacoma, Marie Eckstrom of Tacoma and an unidentified skier.

Skiers--1930-1940; Skiing--Mt. Rainier--1930-1940;

ca. 1939. Three female skiers at Mount Rainier, possibly Annie Wright students. They are tentatively identified as, left to right, Anne Chapman of Tacoma, Marie Eckstrom of Tacoma and an unidentified skier.

Skiers--1930-1940; Skiing--Mt. Rainier--1930-1940;

ca. 1939. Three Roy news carriers enjoy a day on skis in the snow. Fir trees in background are heavily laden with snow. (T. Times)

Skiers--1930-1940; Snow; Newspaper carriers--Roy;

Standing in stark contrast with the white snow, a large group of skiers are pictured outside the lodge at Paradise where the February, 1938, ski races and winter carnival are being held. This would be the seventh annual Tacoma winter sports carnival of ski races held at Paradise Valley. Olympian Don Fraser and Virginia Bowden (Boden), both of Seattle, would be the respective men's and women's slalom champions. Thousands of spectators and skiers would enjoy not only the races of varying categories, but also exhibition skiing by Austrian Otto Lang, skiing under floodlights, and a free carnival dance. Trophies and prizes would be awarded the victors. (T.Times 2-14-38, p. 1, 11)

Skiers; Athletes;

Ski races at Paradise Valley, Mount Rainier National Park. Spectators wait for the February 13, 1938, races to begin, surrounded by the scenic, snow-covered valley, lodges and mountains. The events were expected to attract 5000 skiers and spectators from all over the Pacific Northwest. Eventual winners of the open slalom races would be Don Fraser in the men's category for the second straight time and University of Washington student Virginia Bowden (Boden) in the women's. Future Olympic gold medalist Gretchen Kunigk (later Fraser) would vacate her Carnival Queen throne to place 5th.

Skiers; Athletes;

February, 1938, ski races and winter carnival at Paradise Valley, Mount Rainier National Park. A long line of skiers gather near the lodge. Trees and lodge roof are laden with fresh snow. 5000 skiers and spectators were expected to gather for the seventh annual Tacoma Winter Sports Carnival held during two days in February, 1938. Besides races for different abilities, there was exhibition skiing and skiing under floodlights.

Skiers; Snow;

On March 27, 1938, the Silver Skis race was cancelled due to a 60 mile an hour gale wind whipping snow particles into the skiers' faces above McClure's Rock on Mt. Rainier. It was a second year in a row that the race was cancelled and its future did not look promising. A near record crowd of 8,000 settled in to watch an exhibition slalom race that promoters put together as a substitute, as well as stunt antics of some of the ski stars on a special jump. The Silver Skis was a grueling race that required skiers to trek by foot at daybreak up to Camp Muir, 10,000 feet above sea level, and ski down. The survivor with the best time won. (T.Times, 3/28/1938, p.1).

Skiing--Mt. Rainier--1930-1940; Paradise Inn (Wash.); Skiers; Winter sports;