Great Northern Box Car being loaded by Sperry Flour Company at Ocean Dock, DFPA, Edith Leik. A view inside the box car. Bags of flour are being moved by a forklift to fill the upper spaces in the box car. The interior of the freight car is lined with plywood and paper to protect the flour and meal being shipped. TPL-10457

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Great Northern Railway Co. (Tacoma); General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Railroad tracks--Tacoma; Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery;

Twenty-two employees of the General Mills Inc., Sperry Division, pose behind a large "C Day Parade '54" banner on April 2, 1954. The brand names of several General Mills cereals are listed on the banner, including Cheerios, Wheaties, Kix, and a new cereal, Sugar Jets. Nearly fifty years later, Cheerios, Wheaties and Kix are still being devoured by the hungry public.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Grain industry--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Banners--Tacoma;

A White tank truck for Larro Feeds is parked in the parking lot of Gereral Mills Inc., Sperry Division, along Schuster Parkway near Sixth. Sperry Mills grain storage elevators are seen in the background.

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); White trucks--Tacoma; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960;

In 1900 Puget Sound Flouring Company was turning out flour on the waterfront between North 8th and 10th Streets. Later in the century General Mills (Sperry Division) bought up the Puget Sound company and maintained the main mill on the waterfront. A farm service division was located at 5446 South Washington. Here large bags of flour are being loaded onto a ship at the Sperry Ocean Dock. Ordered by General Mills. (TNT, 2/14/1950, p.A-14)

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery; Grain industry--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Sperry Ocean Dock (Tacoma); Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960;

General Mills Sperry Flour Division was located on Tacoma's waterfront near Sixth Avenue. The company's officers were: Paul A. Folquet, District Coordinator, and Willard H. Meinecke, Plant Supervisor. Interior view of plant, new machinery and equipment has been installed. Sperry was planning to increase their production to fill the demand for their products.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Grains--Tacoma; Grain industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grain elevators--Tacoma; Remodeling--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

General Mills Incorporated Sperry Division were the leading manufacturers of flour, cereal, poultry and dairy products in Tacoma. The flour company had first been the Puget Sound Flouring Mills, this company was absorbed by Sperry Flour then General Mills merged with Sperry. In 1947 General Mills decided to expand their facilities, interior view of new plant.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Grains--Tacoma; Grain industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grain elevators--Tacoma; Remodeling--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

General Mills Sperry flour plant was one of the oldest businesses in Tacoma, and had been in the flour and grains industry for over 97 years. The plant was conveniently located in Tacoma's waterfront area by Commencement Bay, this gave the plant easy water and railroad access. Interior view of plant; view of dock in warehouse featuring an 18 inch turntable and hydraulic hoister; photo ordered by Mathews Conveyor Company of Seattle.

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery; Grain industry--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Mathews Conveyor Co. (Seattle);

The Board of Directors of General Mills honored Tacoma with a visit on April 22, 1957. After a board meeting, attendees were given a tour of the local plant. Plant officials answered questions from the board as they surveyed machinery used to package the flour. John W. Geddis, Sperry Mill plant superintendent, (left foreground) escorted a board member around the mill. Harry Bullis, General Mills Chairman of the Board, spoke at the meeting; he is believed to be the man to the furtherest left in the background. Tacoma's Sperry Flour Mill had a capacity of 8400 hundredweight of flour daily. The mill employed 250 local residents. Photograph ordered by General Mills, Inc. (TNT 4-22-57, p. 20)

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Geddis, John W.;

ca. 1931. An older male employee at the Tacoma Grain Company stands next to a large, belt-driven piece of machinery.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1931. A line of men employees work at the flour bagging machines at the Tacoma Grain Company. A supervisor in white shirt, vest and tie oversees their work. The machines are used to fill a number of different bags. Bags are marked "Centennial - Silk Sifted - Family Flour"; "Cross Spears - Wong Sui Yuen"; and "Seattle - 100% Entire Whole Wheat Flour".

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Bags

ca. 1931. Employees of the Tacoma Grain Company work at what appear to be belt driven grain grinders, to make flour from grain.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;