ca. 1907. Group portrait of the Tacoma Daily Ledger newspaper staff in front of their new offices in the Perkins Building circa 1907. These men were composing room employees, members of Typographical Union No. 170. S. A. "Sam" Perkins had just purchased the Ledger, adding it to his Perkins Press newspaper empire. At that time the Ledger was a morning and Sunday paper and the News, an afternoon paper. The Ledger merged into the Tacoma News Tribune in 1937. Harold S. Hagen, third from left in the middle row, was still working as a compositor at the Tacoma News Tribune in 1959, some 52 years after this photograph was taken. G40.1-115, G38.1-014 (Tacoma Labor Advocate, 9-4-1959, p. 11)

Newspaper industry--Tacoma--1900-1910; Typesetting--Tacoma; Printers; Labor unions--Tacoma; Hagen, Harold S.;

ca. 1900. Wright Park looking east circa 1900. The park by this time enjoyed the emergence of a more park-like setting with the planting of hundreds of trees and landscaping to replace the tree stumps and brush originally situated on the land donated by Charles B. Wright in 1886. It would eventually total 27 acres of an oasis in what was becoming an urban part of town. (copy of original) Bi-Centennial Project # 75346-7 G41.1-124A, TPL-374

Wright Park (Tacoma); Parks--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1891. Homes overlooking Wright Park, ca. 1891. Statues of "dancing maidens" donated to the city by Clinton P. Ferry flank the Division Street entrance to Wright Park. The north end of the park was very desolate in appearance with a gravel road and sparse vegetation. The 1890 double house built for Charles E. Clancey and the Queen Anne-styled home of John Holgate, constructed in 1889, overlook the park. Both homes were in the 100 block of South "G." The sepia print by A.C. Carpenter is very faded and mounted in postcard fashion.

Sculpture--Tacoma--1890-1900; Wright Park (Tacoma); Houses--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1910. Two women, names not provided, pause to enjoy the sights of Wright Park's Bird Lake while on a rustic wood bridge circa 1910. Thanks to the planned design of Edward Schwagerl and execution by Ebenezer Roberts, Wright Park delighted its visitors with many rustic features including bridges and elevated flower planters. Located near downtown Tacoma, Wright Park provided a relaxing and soothing atmosphere in what was increasing becoming an urban area. (McGinnis: Tacoma's Wright Park, p. 29)

Wright Park (Tacoma); Parks--Tacoma--1910-1920; Pedestrian bridges--Tacoma; Bird Lake (Tacoma);

ca. 1941. Sepia photograph of Tacoma police officer Martin Joyce as he strides down a sidewalk. Background is softly muted as in a painting. Officer Joyce was killed while on duty in November, 1941, as he and Officer Paul Trent were rushing to the scene of a suicide attempt in the north end. The Tacoma officers collided in the intersection of 11th & Pacific Avenue with a Pierce County Sheriff patrol wagon on its way to River Road; both had requested dispatchers activate 4-way red light signals in order to pass through safely. Two Sheriff's deputies and Officer Trent were killed at the scene on November 23, 1941; Officer Joyce passed away from his injuries two days later. (www.ci.tacoma.wa/tacomapolice/AboutUs/historyDetail.htm#Joyce)

Joyce, Martin; Tacoma Police Department (Tacoma); Police--Tacoma--1940-1950; Uniforms;

An honor guard of motorcycle officers from Tacoma and Seattle led the funeral procession for State Highway Patrolman Conrad C. Tolson on March 29, 1929. Officer Tolson was critically injured when his motorcycle was forced off Highway 99 when he was driving from Seattle to Tacoma. The motorcycles and cars in his cortege are heading toward South 9th on Saint Helens. Buildings clearly shown include the Bostwick Building and the corner of the Broadway Theatre. The Medical Arts Building, Tacoma's Municipal Building, had not yet been built.

Funeral rites & ceremonies--Tacoma--1920-1930; Police--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tolson, Conrad C.; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Seasoms' Flower Shop (Tacoma); Caswell Optical Co. (Tacoma); Broadway Theater (Tacoma); Bostwick Building (Tacoma);

Curve & joint between old and new stavepipe. Unidentified man standing in ditch next to pipe in this photograph from November of 1924. TPU 154

Pipes (Conduits);

At 11:10 in the evening of November 28, 1894, a landslide collapsed the Northern Pacific Railway's Dock, carrying the company's warehouse, freight office, pump house, and the home of H.H. Alger into the waters of Commencement Bay. Two lives were lost in the disaster. In the daylight of the following day, people flocked to see the area's devastation and the previously inhabited area now covered with water.When the land stopped sliding, it was estimated that the Bay now covered 20 acres of previously inhabited land with 60 feet of water. The slide was attributed to a washing out of quicksand beneath the filled-in earth. (Hunt: "History of Tacoma" vol. 2, pg. 170-171) see also Series G27.1 images 097, 099 and 100.

Landslides--Tacoma--1890-1900; Disasters--Tacoma--1890-1900; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1910. Five mustached customers and the bartender at the well-stocked bar raise a toast in this circa 1910 photograph. This is believed to be the Red Front Saloon at 5244 South Tacoma Way, on the west side of the 5200 block. The gleaming bar would be later relocated to Steve's Gay '90s restaurant which was built on the approximate site of the block decades later. BU-15779 TPL-10435 (Morgan Collection, Box 95)

Red Front Saloon (Tacoma); Bars--Tacoma--1910-1920; Bartenders--Tacoma--1910-1920; Eating & drinking--Tacoma--1910-1920;

ca. 1940. Primo's Restaurant, 8602 South Tacoma Way, Lakewood. Primo's, formerly Babe's Inn, opened in October of 1938. It was owned and operated by Primo Gasperetti. According to advertising, it was the "Home of the Singing Gondolier." The neon signage on the restaurant advertised their chicken dinners, dancing and tavern.

Restaurants--Lakewood--1940-1950; Primo's Restaurant (Lakewood);

ca. 1930. Copy negative of the architect's drawing for the Franke Tobey Jones Home, 5340 No. Bristol St., Tacoma. The drawing was done by the firm of Heath, Gove & Bell, Architects. The Franke Tobey Jones Home was built in 1924.

Heath, Gove & Bell Architects (Tacoma); Architectural drawings; Franke Tobey Jones Home (Tacoma);

View of swimming hole - Day Island. Titlow train station is on left. View is across railroad tracks looking east toward Titlow.

Day Island--Washington--1930-1940; Railroad stations--Titlow;

ca. 1895. Teacher, Miss Rice, and students on the steps of "old" Franklin School circa 1895. The original Franklin (Elementary) School was built in 1889 and named after the famous American inventor and statesman, Benjamin Franklin. The school started out with two teachers but rapidly growing enrollment added more faculty and necessitated the construction of a two-story addition in 1896. A new building replaced the old one in 1910 to handle overcrowding and the old building was sold for $250. Further additions were made in 1914 and 1953 but the school finally was demolished in September of 1997. A new Franklin School has been located at 1402 South Lawrence since 1998. (Olsen, For the Record, p. 59-article)

Franklin School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1890-1900; School children--Tacoma--1890-1900; Teachers--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1910. Graduating class Horace Mann School, 5234 So. J Street, circa 1910. Many of the students are wearing ribbons. Horace Mann School was built in 1901 and named in honor of the noted American educator. By 1910, the school had grown from a simple two story, four room building to adding additional classrooms. It would be demolished when increasing student population in the city's south end contributed to the erection of a new Mann Elementary at nearby South 52nd & "K" Sts. in 1953.

Horace Mann School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1910-1920; Students--Tacoma--1910-1920;

ca. 1935. School boy patrol at Central School, circa 1935. In a Tacoma school safety program initiated in 1929, responsible students were selected to assist their fellow students in safely crossing busy streets. The chest crossing belt and the hand held stop sign designated a student as a patrol member and were considered badges of honor. (Photograph courtesy of the collection of William T. Case)

School safety patrols--Tacoma--1930-1940; School children--Tacoma--1930-1940; Public schools--Tacoma--1930-1940; Central School (Tacoma); Case, William L.;

ca. 1926. The "Lincoln Letter Lassies." The 1925-26 school year at Lincoln High School saw the formation of this new organization composed of 24 girls, all of them the winners of one or more letters ("L"s) in athletics. The purpose of the group was to promote good sportsmanship and further interest in girls' athletics. The requirements for membership were the earning of at least one letter for sports and a passing grade in 3 out of 4 subjects. The girls performed community service work, as well as enjoying hikes, a tennis tournament and dances sponsored by the group. Senior Margaret Alleman was the president. Other officers included Lois Phenicie, Rosaline Koval, Jean Churchman and Mabel Bennett. (LHS yearbook "Lincolnian, 1926")

Lincoln High School (Tacoma);

ca. 1903. Noted Northwest marine photographer Wilhelm Hester photographed the crew of the "Buckingham" circa 1903 with grain elevator A on Tacoma's waterfront in the background. The men were under the command of William Roberts and all were neatly dressed in suits. There was also one woman in the center of the group, perhaps a family member of one of the crew. Wilhelm Hester, a Seattle resident, had offices in Tacoma's Bernice Building at 1106-08 Pacific Ave. for several years in the first decade of the 20th century. He took photographs of ships and sailors on the Tacoma, Seattle and Port Blakely waterfronts. This ship was probably in port to pick up a cargo of flour.

Shipping--Tacoma--1900-1910; Cargo ships--Tacoma--1900-1910; Waterfronts--Tacoma--1900-1910; Grain elevators--Tacoma--1900-1910;

View of warship docked in Tacoma, small rowboat alongside. The German cruiser Karlsruhe paid a visit to Tacoma in mid-March, 1934. Welcoming festivities were curtailed due to the death of Machinist Mate Karl Lischke on March 17th while on board the ship. Lischke died of food poisoning from a fish that had been delivered to him the day before from Germany. He was buried with full naval rites in Mountain View Memorial Park. The cruiser was sunk on April 9, 1940 by the British during the German invasion of Norway. (T.Times 3-19-34, p.1; T. Times 4-10-40, pg. 1 & 12)

Cruisers (Warships)--German; Government vessels--German;

Impressive funeral services for Machinist Mate Carl Lischke were held at Mountain View cemetery on March 19, 1934. The young German sailor was stricken with food poisoning from bad fish while his ship, the Karlsruhe, was docked in Tacoma. A large crowd of ordinary citizens attended the funeral in addition to Lischke's shipmates and American military personnel. Services were conducted by warship chaplain, A. Schallehn, who is possibly the man shown above leading the mourners in song. (TNT 3-20-34, p. 1-article)

Cemeteries--Lakewood; Funeral rites & ceremonies--Lakewood; Crowds--Lakewood;

Sailors from the German cruiser Karlsruhe, currently in port, march in formation at the funeral of Machinist Mate Carl Lischke on March 19, 1934. They are led by ship officers; officer in front is possibly ship commander, Captain Harsdorf von Enderndorf. Lischke died on Saturday, March 17, after a bout of fish poisoning. He was buried at Mountain View Memorial Park since it was not practical to ship the body back to Germany. (T.Times 3-20-34, p. 1-article)

Cemeteries--Lakewood; Funeral rites & ceremonies--Lakewood; Marching--Lakewood; Sailors--German;

Eight thousand miles from his native Germany, Machinist Mate Carl Lischke was laid to rest with full military rites at Mountain View Memorial Park on March 19, 1934. The young sailor from the German cruiser Karlsruhe died from fish poisoning on March 17th, while aboard the ship which had recently docked at Tacoma. It was not possible to send the body back to Germany for burial due to the ship's schedule. Floral displays and an honorary guard surround the casket; German consul from Seattle, Walther Reinhardt (at left), has taken off his hat in silent tribute. The well-attended funeral included detachments from Fort Lewis and Puget Sound Navy Yard, city and county officials, and Lischke's shipmates. (T.Times 3-20-34, p. 1) (Additional identification provided by a reader)

Cemeteries--Lakewood; Funeral rites & ceremonies--Lakewood; Coffins; Sailors--German; Reinhardt, Walther;

ca. 1944. Offices of Foss Launch & Tug Co. on the Middle Waterway and the Foss tugboats docked. In 1943, Foss moved their office building from its longtime location at 400 Dock St. (1902-1943) to this location. Their original building on Dock Street burned to the ground in 1932. It was replaced by an airplane hangar, brought from Seattle and converted to offices. By 1943, the Foss organization had a payroll of around 170 and a fleet of 60 tugs and 120 barges all over the Pacific Ocean. When Foss needed more space, they moved their office building to East F. Street, originally the location of their shipyard. They also brought a 85 x 120 foot warehouse from Seattle and reconstructed it on the site. A new restaurant was also built to serve Foss employees as well as their new neighbors, Peterson Boat Building at 223 E. F & Puget Sound Plywood at 230. All three companies relocated to this location at around the same time. TPL-8669 (T. Times 9/1/1943)

Foss Launch & Tug Co. (Tacoma); Tugboats;

ca. 1915. Two of the ferry boats that were part of the Mosquito Fleet that carried passengers up and down Puget Sound sit moored to the Tacoma Municipal Dock, 1025 Dock St. A steam-powered sail boat is also tied to the dock. The Tacoma Hotel dominates the skyline on the bluff overlooking the waterfront.

ca. 1915. This 43-foot tug with 14-foot beam, the Foss #12, was constructed by Gig Harbor designer/builder Robert Crawford and entered service in 1914. She was the first Foss vessel planned and ordered exclusively for towing. #12 handled so well that she was also used as a steamer assist vessel and became the area's first motorized fireboat. With a 75 horsepower gas engine, she was capable of pumping 1,000 gallons of water per minute. #12 was hired as the City of Tacoma's fireboat in 1915, a service for which Foss was paid nearly $3,000 a year. The vessel was a favored one and was skippered by Henry and Drew Foss and later by Capt."Bill" Case. She faithfully served the company as a steady workhorse until 1966. Then on July 4, 1967, the hull was towed out into the Bay and set afire as part of the celebration of the Nation's 191st year of Independence. Foss #12 literally went out in a blaze of glory. (photograph courtesy of the William T. Case collection) (Johnson & Skalley: "Foss: A Living Legend;" Skalley: "Foss: Ninety Years of Towboating" )

Case, William T.--Associated objects; Fireboats; Foss Launch & Tug Co. (Tacoma);

Sylvia Sass, chairman of the Sister City Committee, is flanked by Tacoma Mayor Harold Tollefson and an unidentified Japanese man on August 29, 1966. It appears that the city was being presented with a scroll of a Japanese bridge. Kokura, Japan, was Tacoma's original sister city; it and four adjacent cities merged into a new municipality called Kitakyushu in 1963.

Sass, Sylvia; Tollefson, Harold M., 1908-1985; Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970;

ca. 1977. A large group of visitors from Tacoma's sister city in Japan, Kitakyushu (formerly Kokura) pose with their American hosts in front of the County-City Building. Two of the men are holding keys to the City of Tacoma as presented by government officials. At the far right is George M. Nalley; he served on the City Council in the 1970's. Gordon Johnston, who was Tacoma's mayor from 1970-78, is in the center of the photograph, first row.

Foreign visitors--Japan; Keys (Hardware); Johnston, Gordon N.; Mayors--Tacoma--1970-1980; Nalley, George M.; County-City Building (Tacoma);

ca. 1930s. This is young Freddie Steele, boxer from Tacoma, who became the middleweight world champion. Believed to have been taken sometime in the 1930s, Mr. Steele appears ready for a trip - carrying hand luggage and garbed in suit, cap and dress shoes. He earned two boxing championships; the United States middleweight crown in July of 1936 with a win over Babe Risko and the National Boxing Association title in January of 1937 by defeating William Jones. He ended his career with an outstanding professional record of 128 wins and only 5 losses. Not yet 30, he became an actor in films, garnering praise in such films as "The Story of G.I. Joe." TPL-4799

Steele, Freddie, 1912-1984; Boxers (Sports)--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1930. This is an aerial view of the Fircrest Golf Club course circa 1930. The Fircrest Golf Club was incorporated in May of 1923 and opened for play in late July of 1924. It was designed by noted golf architect, A. Vernon Macan of Victoria, B.C., and situated on 160-acres. Mr. Macan designed golf courses for over 50 years with most of them being in Western Canada and several in the Western part of the United States. The private Fircrest golf course is still operating some 85 years later.

Golf--Fircrest--1930-1940; Fircrest Golf Club (Fircrest); Aerial views; Aerial photographs;