Carsten's Packing Company opened in Tacoma in 1903 at 1623 East "J" Street. It became part of Hygrade Food Products in 1954, and closed in 1990. circa 1909.

These cattle were confined within the Carstens Packing Co.'s stockyards in July of 1926. Feeding troughs were built within the pens and many of the cattle pictured have their heads buried deep inside the bins. Carstens was a major meat packing firm located in the Tideflats since 1903. The stockyards had space for 1,200 cattle. The cattle would have been fattened up, slaughtered, and their meat processed by Carstens' large workforce. (TNT 3-31-27, p. 6-article on Carstens plant)

Cattle--Washington; Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Stockyards--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Man standing with palomino horse at Carsten's Packing Co.

Palomino horse; Horses--Tacoma; Carsten's Packing Co. (Tacoma);

Carstens Packing Company. Cliff Purnell (left), assistant beef man, and Morris Elyn, assistant sales manager hold up weiners. Mr. Purnell's are end-to-end while Mr. Elny's batch is wrapped with a label and side-by-side. This came about when Carstens Packing Company put a new Kartridg-Pack machine into use in mid-May 1947. (T.Times, 5/21/1947, p.7)

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Purnell, Cliff; Elyn, Morris; Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Frankfurters--Tacoma--1940-1950; Publicity;

O'Connell-Ragan, Carstens fleet of trucks at plant, Corey Wilbur. Carstens has added several refrigerated trucks to their fleet. They are shown lined up at the company loading platform waiting for a supply of sausage and smoked meat products. The new trucks are the first of their kind in Tacoma. They were built on Chevrolet chasis and designed by Right of Way Auto Works of Tacoma. The refrigerated units were designed by Otto Stolz and Clarence Mase at Carstens. The trucks are called "mobile sales units". ( T.Times,6/18/1947, p.7)

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Meat; Sausages--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Right of Way Auto Works (Tacoma); Stolz, Otto; Mase, Clarence;

The oldest employees at Carstens, on spec. This group of employees pose in front of one of Carstens delivery trucks.

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Employees--Tacoma--1940-1950;

A group of Hawaiians visiting Carstens' plant, O'Connell Ragan Company, Chuck Denton. Three pigs are included in the display of meat at Carstens for the visitors from Hawaii. Pork cuts from the animal are clearly connected by ribbons with the carcass. (T.Times, 8/9/1947, p.1)

Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1940-1950; Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business enterprises--Tacoma--1940-1950; Commerce; Meat cutting--Tacoma--1940-1950;

ca. 1946. Employees at Carstens Packing company are finishing hundreds of sausages and are preparing them for curing. The woman on the farthest right is Emma Pease. The man wearing a white hat, seated third from right, is possibly Albert Knelleken. TPL-6601

Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Sausages--Tacoma; Pease, Emma; Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma)--People;

Carstens Packing Company, American Red Cross, Mrs. Thomson. Carstens packing plant president Karl Maxwell accepts a certificate and poster from Henry Willis, chairman of the "Food" division of the current Red Cross drive. The certificate and poster represent the 100% subscription by the 475 employees of Carstens even before the campaign officially opened the following week. These individuals are standing in the meat wrapping section of Carstens with slabs of bacon and hams hanging behind them. The man at the far left is Scotty Murdock. At the far right is Daniel Mohn, foreman of the Smoked Meat Dept.(T.Times, 2/27/1948, p.7)

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Maxwell, Karl J.; Willis, Henry; Meat; Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Awards; American Red Cross Pierce County Chapter (Tacoma); Community Service--Tacoma--1940-1950; Charitable organizations--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Shot at Carsten's Packing Company, Hogans Market, Jones Building, Frank Herbert. Three men pose for their picture with a prize winning sheep. The three ribbons for the sheep were from the Northwest Junior Livestock Show.

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Sheep; Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Livestock judging--Tacoma--1940-1950; Awards;

Carstens slogan said "Only the Best in the West is Labeled --- Carstens". Carstens Packing Company were the largest independent meat packers on the West Coast. The company had three packing plants located in Tacoma, Seattle and Spokane. View of three Carstens employees enjoying the company Christmas party at the main office in Tacoma, the woman is carrying a little lamb, photo ordered by O'Connell-Ragan advertising agency.

Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Christmas--Tacoma; Office workers--Tacoma; Sheep; Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma)--People; O'Connell-Ragan Co. (Tacoma);

K. J. Maxwell was the President and General Manager of Carstens Packing Company, Thomas Carstens was the Vice-President and Assistant Manager, Phillip Carstens from Spokane was also a Vice-President. W. Z. Kerr, from Seattle, was the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the company. View of Carstens employees enjoying their company Christmas party at the main office, staff members appear to be singing Christmas carols, photo ordered by O'Connell-Ragan advertising agency.

Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Office workers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Christmas carols; Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma)--People; O'Connell-Ragan Co. (Tacoma);

Dressed beef hangs from hooks at the Carstens meat packing plant. The meat is ready for final distribution in this chilled display of choice prime US Government graded Kimberley Fed Beef at Carstens, now part of the Hygrade Food Products Corporation. The meat comes direct from Hygrade's own feed lots. Carstens-Hygrade had served Tacoma for over half a century. In 1956, they employed 350 people in their Tacoma plant. (TNT 9/3/1956, pg. C-5) TPL-8127

Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960; Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Carstens-Hygrade (Tacoma);