Truss section manufactured by the Ernest Dolge, Inc., lumber company, shown at unidentified construction site in March of 1928. Ernest Dolge, Inc., had a national reputation for producing special "structual" grades of wood. This truss section was strongly bolted together. The Dolge firm was located on the Belt Line at approximately 1800 Taylor Way in the Tideflats, occupying 16 acres on the Hylebos Waterway. Their sawmill produced timbers for boats, beams, and even fire extension ladders that used Douglas fir. The Dolge mill cut 80,000 feet of timber daily and employed 55 men with a yearly payroll of nearly $100,000. G36.1-125 (TDL 4-10-28, Section 3, Industrial section, p. 1, 8-articles)

Ernest Dolge, Inc. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Trusses--Tacoma;

Interior of new St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. mill as viewed on June 15, 1928. This is believed to be the new sawmill used to cut hemlock logs built in the Tideflats north of E. 11th St., part of a joint venture between the Union Bag & Paper Corporation (N.Y.) and St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber. The mill, opening on June 18, 1928, was built on the site of the old Foundation shipyards. It contained modern new machinery including a new Yates planer, 72 x 14-inch edger, 48 x 16-inch Diamond gangsaw, 9-foot Diamond band saw, 7-foot resaw and two mechanical saw trimmers. In addition, the mill had a new hammerhead crane which was capable of lifting 7 1/2 tons. G36.1-150 (TNT 6-15-28, p. 10-article)

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Sawmills--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Hooker locomotive. A Hooker Electrochemical Co. locomotive pulling four storage tanks paused on tracks on October 14, 1929. Hooker opened in February of 1929 and aided the Northwest pulp and paper industry by producing chemicals necessary for operations. It became one of the area's largest chemicals companies and underwent several name changes until closure in the early 2000's. TPL-6604; G44.1-058

Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Railroad tank cars--Tacoma--1920-1930; Railroad locomotives--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Members of the Washington Co-op Egg & Poultry Association are aboard a small Great Northern locomotive which is pulling three boxcars presumably packed with eggs for the 1930 Western Washington Fair. G74.1-034

Railroad locomotives; Railroad freight cars; Washington Co-op Egg & Poultry Association (Tacoma);

St. Regis logging operations, location unknown, in May of 1936. A heavy duty truck with five coils of wire/chain/rope hanging on one side is mired off the dirt road. Many logs have already been downed and a "donkey" is billowing steam. G75.1-043

Lumber industry--1930-1940; St. Regis Paper Co.; Trucks--1930-1940; Logs; Donkey engines;

Timber on St. Regis land as photographed in August of 1936. Some trees have already been felled. G75.1-097

St. Regis Paper Co.; Trees; Lumber industry--1930-1940;

1936 daily operations at St. Regis. A series of photographs were taken in two days of a St. Regis facility by the Boland studios in December of 1936. It is believed that the plant was the Tacoma location at 801 Portland Ave. Many internal shots were taken including the above which appears to be a large steel covered vat. The St. Regis Kraft Co. plant had undergone a months-long remodeling which included new machinery and fixtures. All of this was to transform the outdated facility into a modern plant so that it could produce 60,000 tons of bleached pulp per year. (T.Times 10-14-36, p. 5-article; T. Times 11-25-36, p. 5-article) G37.1-031

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Paper industry--1930-1940; Lumber industry--1930-1940; Mills--Tacoma--1930-1940;

1936 daily operations at St. Regis. Interior view of a St. Regis Paper Co. facility, believed to be the Tacoma plant located at 801 Portland Ave. in 1936. Steel beams and steel or concrete chutes in sight. St. Regis employed 845 men to remodel its Tacoma location in order to transform it into a modern plant for the production of 60,000 tons of bleached pulp per year. New machinery was purchased to handle 25,000 short logs per hour and electric saws and machines to bark logs were also included. Tacoma's prime location near rail, water and (later) highway access made it a valuable asset for manufacturers in the industrial Tideflats. (T.Times 10-14-36, p. 5-article; T. Times 11-25-36, p. 5-article)

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Paper industry--1930-1940; Lumber industry--1930-1940; Mills--Tacoma--1930-1940;

1936 Daily operations at St. Regis. A St. Regis employee is shown on December 21, 1936, loading stacks of the company's pulp via forklift. Another tall stack of pulp is already on a raised pallet. This may be the St. Regis Tacoma facility located at 801 Portland Ave. which had recently undergone a $1,000,000 modernization. TPL-6803; G37.1-055

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Paper industry--1930-1940; Lumber industry--1930-1940; Hoisting machinery; Mills--Tacoma--1930-1940;

1936 daily operations at St. Regis. Three employees of St. Regis Paper Co. stand behind a large cut log whose bark may have already been stripped. Although the particular St. Regis plant was not identified, this may have been the Tacoma plant located at 801 Portland Ave. The plant had purchased new machinery including machines to bark logs before going to regular pulp chippers and was undergoing transformation into a modern plant. By late November of 1936, the newly modernized Tacoma plant had commenced operations with a crew of 250. Eventually the plant would operate on a 24-hour day with four staggered shifts of eight hours. The modernization allowed for production of 60,000 tons of bleached pulp per year. TPL-2453; G36.1-023 (T.Times 10-14-36, pl 5-article; T. Times 11-25-36, p. 5-article)

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Paper industry--1930-1940; Lumber industry--1930-1940; Logs; Mills--Tacoma--1930-1940;

1936 daily operations at St. Regis. Interior view of newly expanded and modernized St. Regis mill, presumed to be in Tacoma, as seen on December 21-22, 1936. The company was proceeding into the bleached pulp business and had to extensively update their facility at 801 Portland Ave. in the Tideflats. St. Regis had previously manufactured unbleached pulp but the demand for the bleached product was rising, necessitating modernization. It would take another 60 days or so for the bleaching unit to be ready so the company would continue to produce unbleached pulp. G37.1-063 (T. Times 10-14-36, p. 5-article; T. Times 11-25-36, p. 5-article)

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Paper industry--1930-1940; Lumber industry--1930-1940; Mills--Tacoma--1930-1940; Machinery;

A St. Regis employee maneuvers a lift to hoist stacks of pulp at the big pulp plant in late December of 1936. The St. Regis Kraft Co. had resumed operations with a crew of 250 after months of modernization and expansion. Unbleached pulp would be produced until the new bleaching unit was ready in 1937. G37.1-056 (T.Times 10-14-36, p. 5-article; T.Times 11-25-36, p. 5-article)

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Paper industry--1930-1940; Lumber industry--1930-1940; Mills--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hoisting machinery;

Workers at St. Regis Kraft Co. are in the process of wrapping and weighing stacks of pulp for shipment in this February 5, 1937, photograph. St. Regis' Tacoma plant had undergone a $1,000,000 modernization project in order to manufacture bleached pulp. New machinery was brought in and the plant was reopened in late December of 1936 to provide jobs for hundreds of Tacoma residents. G37.1-069

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Paper industry--1930-1940; Lumber industry--1930-1940; Mills--Tacoma--1930-1940; Machinery;

Medusa on the ways. The USS Medusa, a $4,000,000 repair ship for the Pacific fleet, is pictured prior to launching at the Bremerton Navy Yard in April of 1923. The "Medusa," the first ship of her kind to be built on the Pacific coast, had a displacement of 10,000 tons. Her launching was rather unusual, as she did not not slide down the ways into water as normal but instead, water was poured into the construction dock where she was built. When floated, she was towed to her new berth and the dock emptied. She was 483-feet, 9 inches long and resembled a huge ocean liner except for the small guns mounted on her. The USS Medusa was launched on April 16, 1923, with Mrs. Burns Poe of Tacoma acting as sponsor. G37.1-121 (TNT 4-4-23, p. 17; TDL 4-7-23, p. 1-article; TDL 4-17-23, p. 1-article)

Boat & ship industry--Bremerton--1920-1930; Launchings--Bremerton--1920-1930;

Henry Mill & Timber Company crane at 3001 N Starr ST, Tacoma

Industries; Henry Mill & Timber Company; Cranes; Ruston Way;

Stacking lumber with the help of a stacker made by Star Iron & Steel.

Industries; Lumber; Star Iron & Steel; Machinery;

Steel plate girder manufactured by Star Iron & Steel for the Masonic Temple at 47 Saint Helens Ave, Tacoma.

Industries; Star Iron & Steel; Construction; Masonic Temple;

Pierce County Airport, Lakewiew (now Lakewood) Wa. Steel hangar designed and developed by Star Iron & Steel.

Industries; Star Iron & Steel; Airports; Construction;

Aerial view of the Gange Lumber Company mill at 3939 Ruston Way, WA.

Industries; Gange Lumber Company; Aerial photographs; Lumber; Ruston Way

Gange Lumbar Company's crane at 3939 Ruston Way, Tacoma.

Industries; Gange Lumber Company; Lumber; Cranes; Ruston Way;

Chip conveyor at St. Regis Kraft Co. Tacoma plant at 801 Portland Ave, Tacoma.

Industries; St. Regis Kraft Co.; Paper industry; Tideflats; Lumber;

Machinery at Star Iron & Steel foundry at 435 E 11th St, Tacoma

Industries; Star Iron & Steel; Machinery; Tideflats;

Tacoma Harbor Lumber Company's crane at 2363 E 11th St, Tacoma

Industries; Tacoma Harbor Lumber Company; Cranes; Tideflats

Defiance Lumber Company's crane at 4601 Ruston Way, Tacoma

Industries; Defiance Lumber Company; Cranes; Ruston Way

This is a view of the devastation caused by fire racing through timbered lands near the Mineral Lake Logging Co. Camp 17 in Lewis County in late summer of 1926. Trees are tossed about like matchsticks and the railroad bridge pictured above may also have been damaged by flames.

Mineral Lake Logging Co. Camp 17; Fires; Lumber industry--Washington--1920-1930;

These ornamental iron light poles, manufactured by Atlas Foundry, will be placed along Commence St. in downtown Tacoma in the fall of 1926. Atlas had been in business in Tacoma since 1899.

Atlas Foundry & Machine Co. (Tacoma); Foundries--Tacoma--1920-1930; Lampposts--Tacoma;

On display at the Union depot, 1717 Pacific Avenue, in early February of 1927 was the giant Great Northern electric locomotive #5007. It had made its way from East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Washington State, a distance of 2600 miles. This unidentified group of men, some of the hundreds in attendance, took the opportunity to have their photograph taken with the latest "Iron Horse" before it left town. #5007 weighed in at 715,000 pounds and had an overall length of 94'4". G44.1-097; G44.1-069 (TNT 2-3-27, p. 14-article)

Railroad locomotives--Tacoma--1920-1930; Union Station (Tacoma);

The new Point Defiance to Gig Harbor ferry, "Defiance." The 180-foot wooden ferry constructed of Douglas fir, with a capacity of 70 cars, was built by the Skansie Shipbuilding Co. in Gig Harbor and started on her Gig Harbor run on April 3, 1927. She had her "builders trial test" the day before. The new ferry was designed to speed up traffic between Tacoma and the Gig Harbor peninsula. She was licensed to carry 500 foot passengers and 70 cars. Skansie Brothers was founded in 1912 by four Yugoslavian brothers, Pete, Mitchell, Andrew and Joe Skansie. Beginning in 1922, the company was one of the first yards to build automobile ferries. They also were pioneers in the use of diesel ferry engines. By 1926, Mitchell Skansie had also begun an early ferry service company called the Washington Navigation Co. It had taken over operation of all ferries in Pierce County on January 1, 1927. By the 1930's, the company had many ferries running on contracted routes in the south Puget Sound. (Neal & Janus "Puget Sound Ferries") TPL-8269; G66.1-101 (TNT 1-15-27, p. 14-article; TNT 1-17-27, p. 15-article; TDL 4-2-27, p. 1-article; TDL 4-3-27, A-11)

Ferries--1920-1930; Skansies Shipbuilding Co. (Gig Harbor);

Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, Engine #10250. The electric bipolar Class EP2 locomotives, manufactured by Alco-GE, were put in service from Othello to Tacoma in 1920. They performed beyond all expectations, with great economy and low maintenance, surviving until they were scrapped in the 1960s. TPL-2377; G44.1-087

Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroad cars--Tacoma; Railroads--Tacoma; Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Co. (Tacoma);

Nine unidentified men were photographed in front of the large St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. store on April 17, 1930. St. Paul & Tacoma, established in 1888, was one of Tacoma's pioneer industries. Its lumber concerns would provide employment for hundreds of local residents. It would merge with St. Regis Paper Co. in 1957.

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;