CPS Homecoming Parade, Times, Buzz. A parade was held Saturday November 6, 1948, from Union Station to Stadium Bowl preceeding the College of Puget Sound Homecoming Game that afternoon. Many of the CPS fraternities entered a contest for the oldest car. Delta Pi Omicron entered a 1907 Palmer-Singer automobile owned by Ed Griffin, a well-known local businessman. It was the only one of its kind in the parade. The automobile had over-drive and could attain speeds of 75 miles per hour. Ed Bartell is driving and his fraternity brothers, Bob Wagnlid and Dick Sawyer, are in the back seat. Homecoming Queen Cynthia Harris is seated in the back of a convertible in front of Union Station behind them. (T.Times, 11/11/1948, p.3)

Union Station (Tacoma); College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Automobiles--Tacoma--1940-1950; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1940-1950; Universities & colleges--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad stations--Tacoma;

The Tacoma Afifi Shriners were boarding a special train at Union Depot and heading to Helena, Montana for the Pacific Northwest Shrine Association Annual Conclave. They would first travel to Spokane, where additional train cars would be added and Spokane Shriners would travel with them to Helena. The Shriners would be sleeping in the train cars during their trip, due to a shortage of lodging in Montana. View of Afifi Shriners with their families seeing them off at Union Depot (T. Times, 4/25/47, p. 1).

Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroads--Tacoma; Fraternal organizations--Tacoma; Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Tacoma); Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad travel--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Early in May of 1943, a quintet of adventurous Tacoma lasses posed in front of the locomotive at Union Station that was their first step to going "over there." The local women left Tacoma May 6th for the new training center at Monticello, Arkansas, to begin basic training in the year old Womens Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC.) They are, left to right, Agnes Dittbenner, Mary Dittbenner, Ellen V. Vail, Marie J. Stith and Grace Garner. They travelled in a special car along with 47 other potential privates from Washington and Oregon. Over 150,000 American women served in the Army Corps in World War II. (T. Times 5/7/1943, pg. 8; TNT 5/7/1943, pg. 1)

World War, 1939-1945--Women--Tacoma; Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (Tacoma); Dittbenner, Agnes; Dittbenner, Mary; Vail, Ellen; Garner, Grace; Stith, Marie;

Five local women pause to pose for the camera at Union Station prior to leaving Tacoma May 6, 1943 to begin their careers as members of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. Pictured are, left to right, Agnes Dittbenner, Mary Dittbenner, Ellen V. Vail, Tacoma recruiter Dorothy Kerr, Grace Garner and Marie J. Stith. The bill authorizing the Womens Army Auxiliary Corps was enacted on May 14, 1942. By August of 1943, there were over 50,600 women in the WAACS. In August of 1943, in recognition of their service, the WAAC was converted to the Womens Army Corp, a bona fide part of the United States Army. (T. Times 5/7/1943 p.8; TNT 5/7/1943, pg. 1)

World War, 1939-1945--Women--Tacoma; Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (Tacoma); Dittbenner, Agnes; Dittbenner, Mary; Vail, Ellen; Kerr, Dorothy; Garner, Grace; Stith, Marie;

The Bellarmine High School Lions football team, the school Booster Club and Honorary Yell Queens are at Union Depot getting ready to head out to Yakima on a special six coach chartered train. More than 250 students were headed to Yakima for the football game against Marquette High School, Bellarmine intended to beat Marquette and celebrate on the train ride home. Names appear in newspaper (T. Times, 11/7/47, p. 17).

Railroad cabooses--Tacoma; Railroads--Tacoma; Clubs--Tacoma; Union Station (Tacoma); Megaphones; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad stations--Tacoma; Bellarmine High School (Tacoma);

Leon and Doris Titus are getting ready to board their train from Union Depot on October 17, 1947. Leon Titus, owner of Titus Ford, was just appointed as the Ford dealership representative at the National meeting, for this region. Doris is accompanying her husband on his trip to the Ford meeting. View of Mr. and Mrs. Titus standing by their train, just minutes before departing.

Railroad stations--Tacoma; Railroads--Tacoma; Railroad passenger cars--Tacoma; Union Station (Tacoma); Titus, Leon E.--Family; Railroad travel--Tacoma--1940-1950;

College of Puget Sound. Head Coach John Heinrick (second row, far right) is taking his entire squad of 1948 football players to San Jose for their pre-season game against the San Jose Spartans. This was the last game prior to the start of the Evergreen Conference season. The highly favored San Jose came from behind to beat the Loggers 20-7. They will be catching their train from Union Depot. (T.Times, 10/1/1948, p.10) TPL-8484

College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Universities & colleges--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950; Heinrick, John; Railroad travel--Tacoma--1940-1950; Football players--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad stations--Tacoma; Union Station (Tacoma);

Group of boys from Tacoma leaving on train, American Legion 138, Al Reynolds. Students from Lincoln, Stadium, Bellarmine and Kapowsin High Schools left Tacoma by train June 19, 1949, for a 10-day boys' state session at the Central College of Education at Ellensburg. The American Legion sponsored the event. The annual sessions were designed to give the students a better understanding of government activities. Names are listed in the newspaper. (TNT, 6/17/1949, p.1)

Students--Tacoma--1940-1950; Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma; American Legion Tacoma Post No. 138 (Tacoma); Central College of Education (Ellensburg); Railroad travel--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Fall Fashions. On September 8, 1951, Bill Koski modeled a suit, top coat, fedora hat, and displayed a set of suitcases across the street from Union Station for Klopfensteins, a high quality men's clothier. William Koski was the husband of Helen Richards Koski. (TNT).

Koski, William; Men--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1950-1960; Union Station (Tacoma); Klopfensteins (Tacoma); Luggage;

• Union Station, located in downtown Tacoma at 19th and Pacific. originally built as a train depot, it now houses federal courts.
• Printed on front: [Union Station]

Circa 1920.

Mayor M.G. Tennent (extreme left with hat) and a contingent of football fans were on hand to greet the Gonzaga University football team at Union Depot on November 10, 1926. 22 "Bulldogs," led by coach "Clipper" Smith plus a manager and trainer, posed for a group portrait before traveling by car to the Winthrop Hotel. The Gonzaga team would face a local independent team comprised of Tacoma Athletic Commission athletes at Stadium Bowl for an Armistice Day game. The college students were heavy favorites and would indeed go on to defeat the Tacomans 41-0. (TDL 11-11-26, p. 7; TDL 11-12-26, p. 8-article)

Mayors--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tennent, Melvin Green; Football players--Tacoma--1920-1930; Students--Tacoma--1920-1930; Union Station (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);

ca. 1904. The Northern Pacific Railroad built a passenger station at 1701 Commerce Street in its western terminus city in 1883. By 1892, Tacoma had become a major West Coast city; this prompted the railroad to relocate its industrial repair shops to South Tacoma and move the station to the shops' former site on Pacific Avenue, shown here. Tacomans were outraged when NP President Henry Villard refused to build a grand station to complement the city's cosmopolitan architecture and disdainfully referred to the small building as the "Villard Depot". It was finally demolished in 1909 and replaced with the present Union Depot structure.

Railroad stations--Tacoma; Cityscapes--Tacoma;

ca. 1933. Retiring Northern Pacific Stationmaster at office Union Station with his hand on the lever of the switchboard. Photograph ordered by the News Tribune.

Actor Harold Lloyd and his wife, Mildred Davis, in Tacoma on April 21, 1925, at Union Station. The Lloyds were on their way to New York from California and stopped in Tacoma for a few hours. Dressed primarily in white, including a white fur coat with white fox collar, white hose, white pumps and a small white handbag, actress Mildred Davis stands next to her famous actor/comedian spouse, who is sans his trademark hornrimmed spectacles. Miss Davis is formerly from Tacoma and was paying her first visit to her old hometown since her marriage in 1923. Desiring to show her husband the high school she attended, she and Mr. Lloyd caused a mob scene at Stadium High School where hundreds of students were excited to see the celebrities. Miss Davis had appeared with her husband in many of his comedies and was his leading lady in his best remembered film, "Safety Last." (1923) (TDL 4-22-25, p. 1) TPL-6689; G67.1-13

Actors; Lloyd, Harold; Lloyd, Harold--Family; Actresses; Davis, Mildred; Railroad stations--Tacoma; Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad travel--Tacoma--1920-1930;

On August 30, 1926, Miss Tacoma, Dorothy Rothermel, boarded the Oriental Limited at Union Station for Atlantic City. She was Tacoma's first entry in the fledgling Miss America contest. In 1926 the Miss America contest was not limited to one contestant from each state. Miss Rothermel was accompanied by her official chaperone Mrs. Bernice E. Newell. She stopped for three days in Philadelphia as guest of the John B. Stetson Hat Company. On September 7th, she boarded the "American Beauty Special" with the other seventy plus contestants for Atlantic City. Although Miss Rothermel did not win the Miss America crown for 1926, which went to Miss Tulsa, she was awarded third place in the Western division. She also left a lot of people wondering "Where the heck is Tacoma?" Dorothy May Rothermel would marry Gareld Bentley Banta six months after competing in the Miss America pageant. (TNT 8/30/1926, pg. 2; 8/31/26, pg. 1) G44.1-098 (Additional information provided by a reader)

Rothermel, Dorothy; Beauty contestants--Tacoma--1920-1930; Newell, Bernice; Arrivals & departures--Tacoma--1920-1930; Railroads--Tacoma--1920-1930; Railroad stations--Tacoma--1920-1930;

ca. 1975. 1975 Richards color stock footage. Rear view of Union Station. Located on lower Pacific Avenue, Union Station was built in 1911 by the Hurley-Mason Co. Although the station is still there some thirty years after this 1975 aerial photograph was taken, its surroundings are quite different. SR-705 would be built to run behind the station and the last train would leave Union Station in June of 1984. The Washington State History Museum is now on the site of the former tree-lined parking lot while the Federal Courts are now located in a new wing north of Union Station. Plans to construct a shopping center/transportation complex including Union Station were shelved after many years of trying. TPL-2399

Aerial views; Aerial photographs; Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1970-1980; Railroad tracks--Tacoma--1970-1980;

Mayor John C. Siegle's flag draped casket arrived at Tacoma's Union Station on April 14, 1939. The first Tacoma mayor to be born and raised in Tacoma, Mayor Siegle took ill with flu-like symptoms shortly after he was sworn in in June of 1938. After trying to recuperate in humid Tacoma, he left for the drier environs of the area around Palm Springs, Ca. The Mayor died of an apparent heart attack while returning home by train, at Klamath Falls, Oregon on 4/13/1939. He was the first Tacoma mayor to die while in office. Assisting as his honor guard at the train station were three of his American Legion comrades. Wearing their Legion caps are (l to r) Dr. Reuben Hedberg, Barney Drew and, in the right foreground, Jerry Walters. (T. Times 4/15, p. 1)

Mayors--Tacoma--1930-1940; Siegle, John C., 1885-1939-- Funeral rites & ceremonies; American Legion Tacoma Post No. 138 (Tacoma);

American Legion Honor Guard flanked the casket of Mayor John C. Siegle as it was loaded onto a hearse at Union Station on April 14, 1939. Mayor Siegle's funeral was scheduled for April 15th, but first his body would lie in state at the Mellinger Chapel. The color guard from the Tacoma and Rhodes American Legion Posts accompanied the body to the chapel. Siegle was the first Tacoma Mayor to die in office. He was also the first member of the American Legion past commanders "Last Man Club" to die. (T. Times, 4/15/1939, p. 1).

Mayors--Tacoma--1930-1940; Siegle, John C., 1885-1939-- Funeral rites & ceremonies; American Legion Tacoma Post No. 138 (Tacoma);

Tacoma's Japanese Americans board a train at Union Station. Thirty six hours later they will arrive at the Pinedale "Assembly Center" where they will wait out the war, their presence on the coast considered a threat to national security. The relocation was peaceful, with uniformed soldiers answering questions and helping with baggage. Only a few of the Japanese Americans complained about the process. (T. Times 5/18/1942, pg. 1+)

World War, 1939-1945--Relocation camps; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945; Union Station (Tacoma);

An unidentified army soldier goes over some last minute information with two Japanese American women being transported by train from Union Station to the Pinedale "Assembly Center" near Fresno, California. Smiles hide the fear and confusion these women must be feeling as they pack up their families and few approved possessions, locking up the homes that they are leaving behind and heading into an uncertain future. The Japanese were detained under the umbrella of Executive Order 9066, allowing people considered potentially dangerous to be banned from areas considered risky. The Japanese were be detained for "the duration," until the end of the war. (T. Times 5/18/1942, pg. 1)

World War, 1939-1945--Relocation camps; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945; Union Station (Tacoma);