ca. 1905. The steamer Fairhaven is in drydock for repairs at Quartermaster Harbor, Vashon Island, circa 1905. Built in Tacoma in 1889 and launched from the yards of Cpt. John Holland, the stern-wheeler was 130 feet long with 26-foot beam. She was built at a cost of $30,000 for the Fairhaven Land Co., of which Nelson Bennett was president. The wooden stern-wheel steamer was used by more than one company including the La Conner Trading & Transportation Co. and the Island Transportation Co. She had suffered several accidents during her long tenure on local waters including sinking in ten feet of water after striking a rock near Utsalady in 1902 and smashing her bow while caught by strong gales at Coupeville in 1907. Here the Fairhaven is undergoing repairs circa 1905 at Quartermaster Harbor, a nearly five-mile-long inlet which is formed by Vashon Island on the west and Maury Island on the east. The drydock was one of the largest in the Puget Sound. It could lift several large ships at a time and was in place until 1909. The Fairhaven was beached in 1918 after a fire and ended her days as a quasi-houseboat. (Carlaw, 'The Pickrell Brothers recall the Fairhaven,' The Sea Chest, XV1 (Dec. 1982-article)

Stern wheelers; Steamboats; Boat & ship industry; Quartermaster Harbor (Wash);

ca. 1913. A crowd estimated at 10,000 cheered on February 15, 1913 when Miss Enola McIntyre christened Tacoma's new 11th Street bridge by smashing a quart bottle of champagne against one of its shiny, black steel girders. Speakers at the official opening for the $600,000 vertical lift bridge included Governor Ernest Lister and Mayor W.W. Seymour. A 20 piece band kept the crowd in high spirits, and souvenir postcards bearing pictures of both the new bridge and its predecessor were handed out to all. The huge 2,100 foot steel bridge made the Tideflats more accessible, connecting it to the downtown business district, and allowed taller and larger ships access to the south end of the city waterway. In 1997 the bridge was officially renamed the Murray Morgan Bridge to honor the local author and historian of that name. TPL-1792

Bridges--Tacoma; 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma);

Ca. 1892. View of Tacoma from bluff southeast of the City Waterway (the McKinley Hill area,) circa 1892. The wide street running up and down on the right is East E St. The second street to cross it from the bottom up is East 28th St. The East Congregational Church can be seen at the corner, 423 East 28th St. It was built in 1885 and destroyed by fire in 1927. Behind the steeple and to the left is the bell tower of the Engine House No. 4, 405 East 26th St. The fire station was built in 1887 and was the home of the "Our Boys" Hose Co. #4. To the left of the fire station is the two story Danish Brotherhood Hall, 402-04 East 26th St., built in 1890, sold and converted to apartments around 1902 and demolished around 1970. At the end of East E, the roof of the Northern Pacific roundhouse, 2211 East D St., can be seen. On the other side of the Waterway, some landmarks are, left to right, the Tacoma Grocery Co., F.S. Harmon Furniture, the clock tower of Old City Hall and the old 11th Street Bridge crossing the waterway.

Cityscapes--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1931. Fidelity Building, 949-55 Broadway, Tacoma. The Fidelity Bldg. was built in 1890 from a design by Burnham & Root, architects. It was originally six stories, with six more added in 1909. The structure was demolished in 1949 to make way for the Woolworth Co. building. Bowen # 1061-2

Fidelity Building (Tacoma); Office buildings--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1940. This building designed by Farrell & Darmer, architects, was built in 1890 as an addition to the Prager Bros. Mechanics Block at 1534-36 Commerce St. Photo shows view of Broadway side, 1537 Broadway. Occupants of the building over the years included a restaurant, coffee dealer, laundry and the infamous Hotel Ewen, described as "Tacoma's No. 1 vice spot." The Rose Rooms boarding house at 1537 1/2 Broadway and the Hotel Ewen at 1533 Broadway were the scene of many vice and prostitution raids. TPL-6554

Hotel Ewen (Tacoma);

ca. 1947. The Tide Company, 1512 Center, Tacoma, circa 1947. Their sign identifies them as industrial electrical contractors.

Tide Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1927. In lieu of Santa's sleigh, employees of Tacoma's Tillicum Toys trudge through an early snow in 1927 to load up a jalopy with boxes and crates of their durable toys made of Northwest wood. The toy manufacturer flourished in the late 1920's and early 1930's, becoming the largest toy plant on the Pacific Coast. They made 18 different designs, all of wood, guaranteed to survive even the most careless playmate, while keeping the child safe. Unfortunately, most of their supply for the 1927 holiday season was destroyed when the factory at 2928 So. Sprague Ave. burned in a November 18, 1927 fire. In 1930, the factory relocated to a fairy tale castle built specifically for their company at 2515 South Tacoma Way. The toy manufacturer closed its doors in 1932 and the castle was sold to the Tacoma Milk Shippers. (TNT 5/11/1980 Time Machine- story only)

Tillicum Toys (Tacoma); Toy industry--Tacoma; Toys;

Yuletide Festival for the employees of the Pacific Match Company, Tacoma, Washington. The banquet room is packed on December 21, 1934, as the large match company celebrated the holidays. This was an especially joyous night for the 300 employees, families and friends in attendance. Not only did they enjoy a turkey dinner served by the First Baptist Church Ladies Aid, but they also heard the welcoming news that there would be a $5 a month bonus for every month each had worked during the past year and an increase in the wage scale for 1935. President/general manager O.V. Snyder made the happy annoucement stating that it had been a banner year for the company. Pacific Match's payroll for 1934 was well over $300,000. (Ron Neslund Collection) (TDL 12-22-1934, p. 1-article only)

Pacific Match Co. (Tacoma)--People; Banquets--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Members of the Washington Guard, Company H, First Regiment, stand at attention for a crowd gathered along the 1100 block of Tacoma Avenue South on July 5, 1900. Two notable large buildings are in the background: Parker Hall, 1111-17 Tacoma Avenue South at left and Alpha Hall, 1131-33 Tacoma Avenue South on the right (with furniture advertisement) . Tacoma had planned a huge celebration for the first 4th of July in the 1900s. It was estimated that 50,000 people poured into town for the big event. Festivities turned to disaster on the morning of the 4th when an overcrowded streetcar plunged into the ravine at South 26th and C Streets instantly killing 37 passengers and maiming many others on board. Many of the planned activities proceeded including this military drill on the 5th.

Military training; Military parades & ceremonies--Tacoma--1900-1910; Fourth of July celebrations; Washington State Guard (Tacoma); Parker Hall (Tacoma); Alpha Hall (Tacoma);

Harness gleaming and bedecked in garlands, the huge bays of Chemical Engine Co. No. 1 were ready to participate in the Tacoma Rose Carnival Parade on June 22,1905 . The parade was just one of the many activities in the three day festival which included band concerts, water pageants, a children's parade and a carnival ball. Chemical Co. No. 1, Engine Co. No. 1, and the hook and ladder Co. No. 1 from the Saint Helens station were chosen to represent the Tacoma Fire Department during the parade. Chief George McAlevy had wanted to furnish a larger display but reconsidered due to the city's need in case of fires. Chemical Engine Co. No. 1 was housed in the Fire Department headquarters at 9th & A Streets in downtown Tacoma. It would remain there until 1916 when it was put out of service. Photograph taken on June 22, 1905, by B. Waters. (Tacoma Daily News, 6-21-05, p. 3, Tacoma Daily News, 6-22-05, p. 1)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire fighters--Tacoma--1900-1910; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Horses--Tacoma; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1900-1910; Rose Carnival (Tacoma);

1960 Daffodil Festival Queen in regalia. Succeeding Queen Carol Mills as Daffodil Festival Queen was 17-year-old Lincoln High School senior Diane Harkness. She was chosen from a field of 12 representing high schools in Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, Orting and Fife. Miss Harkness is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James G. Harkness. She is the president of Aqua Maids water ballet team, a member of the honor society, and associate editor of the Lincoln News. The new Daffodil Festival Queen was crowned on April 4, 1960, by Governor Albert D. Rosellini during impressive ceremonies at Sumner's Spartan Hall. (TNT 4-4-60, p. 1; TNT 4-5-60, p. 1)

Harkness, Diane; Beauty contestants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1960 : Tacoma); Daffodils; Crowns; Scepters;

1967 Daffodil Festival Queen. Carol Parcheta, 17, of Franklin Pierce High School became the 1967 Daffodil Festival Queen as she was crowned by Lt. Gov. John Cherberg on April 3, 1967 in Spartan Hall, Sumner. She was Carol II as there was a previous Queen Carol, 1959's Carol Mills also of Franklin Pierce. Miss Parcheta, shown above holding the symbols of her new office, was a song leader at her high school. She would continue her education at the University of Puget Sound. (TNT 4-4-67, p. 1)

Parcheta, Carol; Beauty contestants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1967 : Tacoma); Daffodils; Crowns; Scepters;

1970 Daffodil Festival Queen. Shelley Grobey of Mount Tahoma High School was selected as the 1970 Daffodil Festival Queen. She is posed with a jeweled crown of old gold in her blond hair and holding a scepter and bouquet of daffodils. Miss Grobey is wearing the white velvet royal robe with a embroidered daffodil motif. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Grobey, Jr., she is the youngest of five children. One of the few golden haired queens selected in the festival's first 37 years, the blue-eyed high school senior is president of Mount Tahoma's choir, and member of the studio choir, Cleophas, Pep Club and Senior Girls Trio. Miss Grobey, 17, received her crown at Pacific Lutheran University's Olson Auditorium from Governor Dan Evans on April 6, 1970. (TNT 4-7-70, p. 1)

Grobey, Shelley; Beauty contestants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1970 : Tacoma); Daffodils; Crowns; Scepters;

1973 Daffodil Festival Queen. Sherri Murrey posed for her formal portrait as 1973 Daffodil Festival Queen holding her royal scepter in one hand and a beribboned bouquet of daffodils in the other. She is wearing the queen's heavy crown. Queen Sherri I is the first queen from Fife High School. The 17-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Murrey was crowned by Lt. Gov. John Cherberg on April 9, 1973, in Olson Auditorium. She was chosen as queen from a field of 16 princesses. Miss Murrey was also voted co-winner of the "Miss Congeniality" award. (TNT 4-10-73, p. 1) {photograph scratched at bottom}

Murrey, Sherri; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1973 : Tacoma); Daffodils; Crowns; Scepters;

1972 Daffodil Festival Queen. Wearing ceremonial garments is 17-year-old Wilson High School senior, Paula Achziger, who was crowned the 1972 Daffodil Festival Queen. She is holding a symbol of her office, a scepter, and cradling a bouquet of daffodils and ferns. Miss Achziger is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Aaron F.J. Achziger who watched her selected out of 16 nominees, the largest court in the festival's history at that time. Lt. Gov. John Cherberg had the honor of placing the heavy queen's crown on the brown haired Miss Achziger during ceremonies on April 3, 1972, at Pacific Lutheran University's Olson Auditorium. (TNT 4-4-72, p. 1)

Achziger, Paula; Beauty contestants--Tacoma--1970-1980; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1972 : Tacoma); Scepters; Crowns; Daffodils;

ca. 1885. St. Luke's Episcopal Church at original location of 602 Broadway. It was built in 1883 with gray sandstone obtained from the Wilkeson quarries. The church, designed by Portland architect Joseph Sherwin, was based on an old English country church. Railroad and real estate magnate Charles Wright had pledged $30,000 towards the construction in tribute to his daughter, Kate Elizabeth. In 1934 the church was dismantled and reconstructed at 3601 No. Gove St., a careful process that took over twelve years to complete. (copy of original) Bi-Centennial Project # 75346-54

St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Tacoma); Episcopal churches--Tacoma; Churches--Tacoma--1880-1890;

Parishioners celebrated the dedication of the St. Joseph Slovak Catholic Church on May 19, 1912. The church, located at 602 South 34th St., was built by congregation members who had purchased the site in April of 1908. Piles of bricks remained in the photograph's foreground across the street from the church. The structure stood 92 x 46-feet tall with a full concrete basement. The auditorium was 46 x 73-feet and seated 450 people. Membership was approximately 150. St. Joseph's was the first Slovak Catholic church built in the Northwest. (TDL 5-19-12, p. 33-article)

St. Joseph's Slovak Catholic Church (Tacoma); Catholic churches--Tacoma--1910-1920; Church dedications--Tacoma;

ca. 1944. Tacoma Central Ward. Seattle Washington Stake. Congregation in front of church during World War II. The church was located at 1603 North Steele St., the former home of Central Christian Church until 1917. A few members have been identified: Raymond N. Parker first row left, Roy McKinnon second on first row. Roy Baldwin third from right, first row and Franklin S. Harris fourth from right, first row.

Mormon churches--Tacoma; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Tacoma); Parker, Raymond N.; McKinnon, Roy; Baldwin, Roy; Harris, Franklin S.;

ca. 1993. Jack Hyde was elected mayor of Tacoma November 7, 1993. He died January 17, 1994, shortly after taking office. Dr. Hyde, a former city councilman, had been a professor at Tacoma Community College from the school's opening day in 1965. He had retired from teaching in December of 1993 to take on the $40,000 mayor's post. Dr. Hyde, a geologist, had served on the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health, Pierce Transit board, Puget Sound Water Quality Authority, Tacoma Planning Commission and several other agencies. He had defeated incumbent mayor Karen Vialle with about 60% of the vote. Fellow councilman Harold Moss would be appointed mayor until the 1995 elections. ALBUM 16. (Seattle Times, 1-18-94, p. B-1; TNT 1-18-94, A-12)

Hyde, Jack; Mayors--Tacoma--1990-2000

Mayor A.L. "Slim" Rasmussen presents a service award and service pin to an unidentified city employee in March of 1969. Mr. Rasmussen was in his final year as Tacoma's mayor. He would later return to the Washington State Legislature, this time to the Senate, and serve several terms. Trueblood # 1801 ALBUM 16.

Rasmussen, Albert Lawrence; Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970; Awards;

ca. 1880. Portrait of General John W. Sprague, elected December 10, 1883, as first mayor of the consolidated city of Tacoma. According to Herbert Hunt's Tacoma: Its History and Its Builders, Vol. 1, General Sprague had been petitioned by a large number of citizens to run for the mayor's office. He had stated that he did not desire election but would not refuse should he be selected. John W. Sprague was 66 in 1883 and had retired from the Northern Pacific Railroad that January. He had arrived in Tacoma in 1870 as general superintendent of the railroad and soon rose in prominence. Hunt described him as a "delightful man, a good speaker, fair and true." TPL-576 ALBUM 16. (Hunt: Its History and Its Builders, Vol. 1, p. 295-96) Also G2.1-023

Sprague, John W.; Mayors--Tacoma--1880-1890;

ca. 1880. Theodore Hosmer was elected mayor of New Tacoma May 3, 1882. Mr. Hosmer, a native of Ohio, came to Tacoma in 1873 as secretary of the committee appointed to select the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Once Tacoma was chosen as the terminus, Mr. Hosmer was left in charge of clearing the area of cedar and fir trees, laying out the town and preparing the property for market. The Northern Pacific Railroad Co. organized the Tacoma Land Co. and put Mr. Hosmer in as general manager, a position that he held until his resignation and departure from the city in 1882 due to his wife Louise's ill health. He would return from Philadelphia after the death of his wife and become the president of Tacoma Light & Water Co. Mr. Hosmer was active in St. Luke's Church and the Annie Wright Seminary, Washington State Historical Society, and the Union Club. Hosmer Street in the city's south end is named after the former mayor. Theodore Hosmer would die in Tacoma on Sunday, January 28, 1900, and his remains transported to Sandusky, Ohio, accompanied by his only son Alexander. According to Edward N. Fuller's "Biographical sketch of Theodore Hosmer" in the October 1900 Washington Historian, Mr. Hosmer had been one of the founders of the first village and city government of Tacoma, president of the first board of trustees, and unanimously elected the first mayor of the city under its first charter in 1882. Picture from Herbert Hunt's "Tacoma, Its History and Its Builders, Volume 1" opp p.198 ALBUM 16. (Fuller: Washington Historian, October 1900, p. 5-11)

Hosmer, Theodore; Mayors--Tacoma--1880-1890;

ca. 1880. R. Jacob Weisbach was elected mayor of Tacoma May 5, 1884. Mr. Weisbach, a grocery store owner and active in the German Society, defeated E.S. (Skookum) Smith by a 39 vote margin. According to author Herbert Hunt, Mayor Weisbach openly sympathized with the anti-Chinese element and led in the forcible expulsion of the Chinese from Tacoma in 1885. The mayor and 26 other citizens, many of them prominent in business and society, were taken into federal custody but eventually all charges were quashed. Picture for Herbert Hunt's "Tacoma, Its History and Its Builders, Volume 1" opp p.360 ALBUM 16. (Hunt: Tacoma Its History and Its Builders, Vol. 1., p. 319-20; p. 355-)

Weisbach, R. Jacob; Mayors--Tacoma--1880-1890

ca. 1960. Harold M. Tollefson served as Tacoma mayor three terms. He was first elected mayor by his fellow City Councilmen in 1954. He was elected in a general election in 1962 and subsequently re-elected in 1964. Mr. Tollefson was a freeholder in 1952 and helped to draw up the charter that was responsible for changing Tacoma's government from a mayor-commission to the council-manager system. Harold Tollefson came from a large family of seven children, all raised by his widowed mother Bertha, who was later honored as Washington State's Mother of the Year in 1959. Mr. Tollefson, an attorney, had several brothers who also obtained prominence: Thor, a multi-term Congressman, Erling, a judge, and Rudy, a banker. Tollefson Plaza in downtown Tacoma has been named for the former mayor who had received wide praise for championing urban renewal and whose efforts initiated downtown's revival. ALBUM 16. (TNT 8-23-06-article on renaming plaza; TNT 3-2-85-obituary)

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

ca. 1900. John W. Linck was elected mayor of Tacoma April 7, 1908, succeeding mayor George P. Wright. According to author and historian Herbert Hunt, the campaign was highly contested. Mr. Linck, Republican nominee, (often called by the honorary term, "Colonel" due to his able duty on the Union side of the Civil War) was victorious, defeating Mr. Wright by a vote of 6,840 to 4,799. Mayor Linck was born in 1843 near Madison, Jefferson County, Indiana. Prior to his arrival in Tacoma in 1898 as a special agent for the U.S. Treasury, John Linck had been a school teacher, attorney, justice of the peace, prosecuting attorney, U.S. commissioner, Indiana legislator, city attorney, prison director, postmaster and lastly, mayor of Madison. He would also serve as a police judge and justice of the peace in Tacoma. In 1901 the Linck family moved to 817 North J St., the previous home of Tacoma pioneers John and Virginia Mason. There neighborhood children were welcomed, including a very young Bing Crosby and siblings. ALBUM 16. (Hunt: Tacoma Its History and Its Builders, II, p. 225-26; Prosser: A History of Puget Sound Country, II, p. 236-38) (G1.1-104)

Linck, John W.; Mayors--Tacoma--1900-1910

ca. 1904. Col. Patterson (seated) of Vashon Island led the fifth annual encampment of Cadets at Camp Murray, American Lake, in 1904. Cadets from several Washington state high schools including Tacoma (now called Stadium) High School and Seattle High School posed with their commanding officer. Some of the Tacoma boys have been identified as : Harry Van Eaton (standing, second from left); Ray Baker (kneeling, far left); Walter Schwarz (Schwartz)(second from right). Ray Baker was the 2nd Lt. for the 1903-04 school year. Harry Van Eaton was elected Captain of the Tacoma High School Cadets the following June, replacing Walter Schwarz (Schwartz) who was Captain at the time of the encampment.

Cadets--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1900-1910; Van Eaton, Harry; Baker, Ray; Schwarz, Walter; Schwartz, Walter; Military training--Camp Murray;

Sepia photograph released from Pierce County Sheriff's office of Ross death case, July 7, 1936. Man's hat resting on jacket, paper sack nearby. The body of George W. Ross, 35, bookkeeper and a native of England, was found near Steilacoom late Tuesday afternoon, July 7, 1936. Notes to his parents and a former roommate were found in his coat which was piled neatly 100 feet from his body. Sheriff's investigators believe that Mr. Ross committed suicide with a .38 special Colt automatic. Mr. Ross had resided at 615 So. 7th St. (T.Times 7-8-36, p. 1)

Forensic photographs; Men--Clothing & dress; Ross, George W.--Associated objects;

Sepia forensic photograph from the Sheriff's Department of gun used by George W. Ross near Steilacoom on July 7, 1936. The new Army .38 special Colt automatic was found in the grass less than forty feet from the body of George W. Ross, 35, bookkeeper from Tacoma. Investigators believe that Mr. Ross could have shot himself above the temple and crawled several feet away from the gun before expiring. He may have carried the gun wrapped as an ordinary package as green and white wrapping paper and a small box were found at the scene close to the gun. Mr. Ross had purchased the gun less than a month before. (T.Times 7-8-36, p. 1)

Forensic photographs; Handguns; Firearms; Boxes; Ross, George W.--Associated objects;

ca. 1933. First shipment of legal booze in Tacoma ca. 1933. View of two men holding pints of Old Taylor. The 21st Amendment, ratified in 1933, repealed the 18th Amendment which had prohibited the manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States. Cases of 100 proof whiskey are piled up at the loading dock of Tacoma Drug Co. Writing on the cases indicate that the American Medicinal Spirits Co., successors to E.H. Taylor Jr. & Sons, had bottled pints of whiskey, apparently Old Taylor, and made before the start of Prohibition, to be used for medicinal use only. Doctors during Prohibition were the only ones that could write prescriptions for liquor to be used as medicine. Healthy people were not able to purchase liquor legally. Now that Prohibition was over, drugstores were not the only ones who could sell liquor.

Whiskey; Boxes;