Street scene in March of 1929; view of buildings on east side of Broadway looking south on Broadway from the corner of 9th & Broadway. The Pantages Theater at far left has electric signage " Pantages Vaudeville & Pictures." Buildings include: the previously mentioned Pantages Theater (901 Broadway) on left, Illington Hotel (911 1/2 Broadway) a few buildings down, and the Broadway Theater (902-914 Broadway) on the right. The Broadway was known as the Tacoma Theater prior to 1927. It burned in 1963.

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Pantages Theater (Tacoma); Illington Hotel (Tacoma); Broadway Theater (Tacoma);

Street scene showing snow and slush on South 9th Street looking up from Pacific on an early day in February of 1929. Main building shown in photograph is the Motoramp Garage (745 Commerce Street) on right.

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Motoramp Garage (Tacoma); Snow--Tacoma;

January and February of 1929 brought severe winter weather to Tacoma with heavy snow and temperatures that dropped into the teens. Snow and slush piled up in the gutters of downtown Tacoma. This early February street scene shows Saint Helens Avenue looking north from So. 7th. Buildings shown include: the Tacoma Radiator & Fender Works, 615 Saint Helens Ave.; the George W. Hess Auto Surgeon, 617 Saint Helens Ave.; and the Webster Apartments, 629 Saint Helens Ave.

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tacoma Radiator & Fender Works (Tacoma); George W. Hess Auto Surgeon (Tacoma); Webster Apartments (Tacoma); Snow--Tacoma;

This view of the buildings on the west side of Broadway in downtown Tacoma looking north from South 11th Street dates from October 1929. The buildings include: S. H. Kress & Company (934-36 Broadway), which opened at this address in 1925; Burnett Brothers jewelry store (932 Broadway), with its well known street clock; the Pythian Temple (924-26 Broadway); and the Colonial Theater (916-18 Broadway). At the far north end of the street in this photograph (far right) is the wedge-shaped Bostwick Block building.

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; S.H. Kress & Co. (Tacoma); Pythian Temple (Tacoma); Colonial Theater (Tacoma); Burnett Brothers Jewelry (Tacoma); Bostwick Building (Tacoma);

ca. 1932. View of the Roxy Theatre, ca. 1932. "The Thirteenth Guest " was the feature film showing at the Roxy at the time of this photograph. The film was released in 1932 and starred Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot. Movie marquee advertised that there was "Always a better show at your Roxy." Apparently cost of a ticket was 20 cents after 5 p.m. The former RKO Orpheum theater reopened as the Roxy in 1932; it is now known as the Pantages.

Roxy Theatre (Tacoma); Motion picture theaters--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1907. The W.D. Harney Photogravure Company of Racine, Wisconsin captured the beauty of Tacoma in a series of photographs taken in 1907, including this view looking south from the intersection of 9th and Broadway. The Tacoma Theater building (destroyed by fire in 1963) stands at right. A wall advertisement can be seen on the Pythian Temple building to the south. Horse drawn carriages and street cars still predominate over the new but increasingly popular automobile. (also Richards C164600-142 and TPL-5454)

Tacoma Theatre (Tacoma); Pythian Temple (Tacoma);

Parked outside the Sumner Garage is a fleet of cars, trucks and at least one small bus and their drivers in this photograph dated post-1925. The three trucks to the right belong to the Conlon Bros. transfer firm with emphasis on long distance moving. It is not certain whether all the vehicles were part of John W. and Peter Conlon's business. The Conlons also operated the Sumner Tacoma Stage Co. in the 1920s and 30s. The Sumner Garage was located northwest of the Stuck River on Pacific Highway, just east of the cannery. (Photograph courtesy of the Jack Conlon collection)

Sumner Garage (Sumner); Trucks--Sumner; Buses--Sumner; Moving & storage trade--Sumner;

In December of 1912 Nicholas Decker sued the Tacoma Rail and Power Co. in U.S. District Court. He sought $10,000 in damages for injuries that he alleged he sustained when a company wagon in which he was riding was upset. Lineman's helper Decker and another company lineman were thrown from the wagon onto the bricks of South C Street (now Broadway). This photo which was taken for the trial shows a wagon similar to the one in which he was riding parked on South C between South 17th and South 15th near the Rainier Hotel where Dr. K. Ito's sign hangs from the building. Plaintiff Decker was awarded $3000 damages on December 17, 1912. (T.Times 12-14-1912, p. 3-article; 12-17-1912, p. 1-article)

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1910-1920; Actions & defenses--Tacoma--1910-1920; Carts & wagons--Tacoma--1910-1920; Signs (Notices);

ca. 1915. Sepia photograph of a man, possibly J. Frank Hickey, standing next to Tacoma Transit Co. bus parked outside the Donnelly Hotel, 9th & Pacific, ca. 1915. The small bus apparently had a Puyallup-Tacoma route. Tacoma Transit was the first bus line in Tacoma and was started by J. Frank Hickey in 1913. Mr. Hickey would also become the president of the elegant Tacoma Hotel.

Buses--Tacoma; Tacoma Transit Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1905. Peter Olson behind the wheel of an unidentified make of limousine, possibly a Packard, at the entrance to Wright Park. The 1905 Tacoma City Directory listed Mr. Olson's occupation as coachman and his residence as 318 North E., the home of Capt. Everett G. Griggs. Capt. Griggs had built a new carriage house and stables that year. Peter Olson later became the driver for the W.R. Rust family.

Olson, Peter; Limousines--Tacoma; Chauffeurs--Tacoma; Wright Park (Tacoma);

ca. 1930. Two men shake hands as they stand next to a railroad locomotive in this circa 1930 photograph. The older man holds a handkerchief in his left hand. Resting on the handkerchief is a metal object which might be a retirement watch.

Railroad locomotives--Tacoma--1930-1940; Shaking hands--Tacoma;

ca. 1930s. Several of the Blue Lines buses that operated from Sumner in the 1930s. The bus company in Sumner, at this time, was owned by Peter Conlon. He sold the business in 1939. The buses are parked in front of the bus depot on Main St. and Ryan Ave. in Sumner. The men in this picture are: (l to r) John Kuss, Bob Parks, unknown, Bill Gill, Cliff Whitcomb, Moe Wilson, Buster Wilson, Gus Bordson, Ben Lemon, Frank Poch, Peter Conlon, and Ray Tuttle. From the collection of Jack Conlon.

Buses--Sumner; Bus drivers--Sumner; Conlon, Peter; Kuss, John; Parks, Bob; Gill, Bill; Whitcomb, Cliff; Wilson, Moe; Wilson, Buster, Bordson, Gus; Lemon, Ben; Poch, Frank; Tuttle, Ray;

ca. 1892. North End real estate developer Allen C. Mason completed the Point Defiance Line trolley system in 1890, later selling it to Tacoma Railway & Power Co. The car stopped at North 45th and Orchard Streets where passengers were required to pay a second nickel to continue on to Point Defiance Park. The stop became known as "Poor Man's Corner" as many riders departed there and walked to the park to save a nickel. Today, Pierce Transit buses still follow the route of Mason's original line. (a copy of this image is at TPL-1730)

Point Defiance Line (Tacoma); Street railroads--Tacoma; Mass transit--Tacoma; Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1890-1900; Railroad cars--Tacoma;

Three drivers and four trucks in this undated photograph believed to have been taken post-1925 at the Sumner Garage. The trucks are part of the Conlon Bros. fleet of vehicles. The firm handled long distance moving and appeared based in Sumner. John W. Conlon and his brother Peter also operated the Sumner Tacoma Stage Co. in the 1920's and 1930's. John Conlon would pass away in March of 1935. (Photograph courtesy of the Jack Conlon collection)

Trucks--Sumner; Moving & storage trade--Sumner; Sumner Garage (Sumner);

ca. 1890. This early steam driven streetcar, circa 1890, was photographed travelling from downtown Tacoma through the North End to Point Defiance Park. The C Street Line was an early streetcar development built by Allen C. Mason and Nelson Bennett and it eventually extended to Point Defiance Park. The streetcar was printed with the name of the Point Defiance, Tacoma and Edison Railway Co. The railway company was only one of several small companies offering their own limited transportation systems. By 1898, most of the companies were having financial difficulties; and by 1899 the various lines were merged into the Tacoma Railway and Power Co. The Point Defiance Railroad Co. was franchised in 1889 to run a line to the Tacoma Smelter. It soon merged with a line to Edison (South Tacoma.) In July of 1892, the Point Defiance, Tacoma and Edison ran its first electric streetcar from Point Defiance Park to Edison (South Tacoma); a trip of twelve miles in one hour and twenty minutes. (T.Times 6/10/1938, pg. 15) G41.1-068 (also TPL-7990)

Mass transit--Tacoma--1890-1900; Street railroads--Tacoma--1890-1900; Point Defiance, Tacoma & Edison Railway Co. (Tacoma);

Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes was honeymooning with wife Jane in August of 1938 when he was shown the site of the proposed Narrows Bridge. Congressman John M. Coffee is believed to be pointing out the vast waters to be spanned. Harold Ickes served as Secretary of the Interior for 13 years, from 1933-46, and was responsible for implementing much of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal." (TNT 8-27-38, p. 1-article; en.wikipedia.org-article)

Ickes, Harold L.; Cabinet officers--United States; Ickes, Harold L.--Family; Guests--Tacoma--1940-1950; Coffee, John;

Harold L. Ickes, Secretary of the Interior under presidents Roosevelt and Truman, listens as others discuss matters possibly pertaining to the proposed Narrows Bridge. The group is standing in front of one of the Tacoma Public Utility's electrical towers on August 26, 1938. Secretary Ickes (in dark suit and striped tie with both hands in pockets) is flanked by Thad Stevenson, secretary/manager of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce and (right) Congressman John M. Coffee. Next to Congressman Coffee are Lacey V. Murrow, state director of highways and Harold Allen, past president of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce. The men standing in the rear are unidentified (left) and M.J. McCaslin of the Young Men's Business Club. (TNT 8-27-38, p. 1-article)

Ickes, Harold L.; Cabinet officers--United States; Guests--Tacoma--1940-1950; Towers; Coffee, John; Stevenson, Thad; Murrow, Lacey V.; Allen, Harold A.; McCaslin, M.J.;

ca. 1940. A traveler, apparently from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, poses in downtown Tacoma near the Peerless Grill, 916-20 Pacific Ave., circa 1940. A small sign is attached to his military bag - "From Phila.Pa. Around the World America First." The "America First" portion of the sign may refer to the then growing anti-war pressure group that sought to prevent the United States' entry into the Second World War. The smiling man is wearing Calvary boots, doughboy hat and coat probably dating back to WWI. TPL-6632

Guests--Tacoma--1940-1950; Men--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Signs (Notices);

On July 14, 1915, for the brief space of 2 and one half hours, Tacoma played host to the original Liberty Bell, the most famous relic of America's struggle for freedom. The bell was travelling by train from Philadelphia to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, at the request of 500,000 California school kids. Arriving in Tacoma at 4 p.m., the car displaying the Bell was unhooked from its regular transport and pulled by a Tacoma street railway locomotive, at the head of a parade of fraternal and civic organizations, as well as school children, to its reviewing stand in front of the Federal building at 11th & A St. A crowd estimated at 20,000 congregated to see the bell. The bell was photographed enroute to the viewing stand, in front of the Savoy Hotel, 1535 Pacific Ave., in the Sprague Building. (TDL 7/14/1915, pg. 1) TPL-020 (photograph courtesy of Sherrill Erb)

Liberty Bell--Celebrations--1910-1920; Savoy Hotel (Tacoma);

An eager crowd awaits the arrival of Norway's King Olav in mid-October of 1975. Many are dressed in thick Norwegian sweaters and wave Norway's flag. Representative(s) of the Sons of Norway Olympia group hold aloft a welcoming sign. King Olav V was touring the United States that year to acknowledge the arrival of Norwegians in America. He had previously visited Washington State back in 1939.

Visits of state; Crowds; Signs (Notices); Women--Clothing & dress; Flags--Norway;

Jack Dempsey. Former world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey (center) in conversation with friends on July 25, 1930. Man to the right is believed to be Jack Calvert, manager of the Tacoma Hotel. Mr. Dempsey was in town to referee a match at the Greenwich Coliseum.

Dempsey, Jack, 1895-1983; Boxers (Sports);

William Jennings Bryan visited Tacoma in Sept of 1924. This photograph was taken outside the Tacoma Hotel, 913 A St., where an invitation-only breakfast was held in his honor. The famed orator had been a Presidential candidate and Woodrow Wilson's Secretary of State. Mr. Bryan was on a farewell lecture tour of the West and stopped in Tacoma to give an address at the First Methodist Church and a brief talk on local radio station KGB. He would pass away the following year on July 26th, at the age of 65. (TDL 9-16-24; TNT 9-15-24, p.1-article)

Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925;

A large crowd of about 700, representing voters of all ages, await the arrival of presidential candidate George McGovern at Sea-Tac Airport in September of 1972. Placards showing support from Retail Clerks, Thurston (County) and approval of Senator McGovern's North Vietnam bombing oppositional stance, are held high. The News Tribune reported that the majority of the crowd was in the 20-year age bracket. Mixed among the pro-McGovern greeters were some Nixon supporters of the same age range; they also carried signs like the "Nixon Now" shown above. The candidate's plane was delayed due to weather conditions in Billings, Montana, his take-off point. (TNT 9-25-72, p. 1-article)

Political campaigns; Presidential elections; Signs (Notices);

Under a sea of umbrellas, hundreds of Tacomans await the arrival of President Benjamin Harrison on May 6, 1891, his second visit to Tacoma. A few intrepid souls have climbed and are clinging to tall poles in order to get a better view of the celebratory parade. Military and civic organizations would march up C St. and through residential Tacoma, Yakima and Division Avenues before marching back to 9th & C where a public reception was held for the President. The Gross Bros. Store, a major retail firm located at 9th & Broadway, is pictured above decorated in yards of cheerful bunting. It was just one of the many businesses spruced up for the short presidential visit.

Celebrations--Tacoma--1890-1900; Visits of state--Tacoma--1890-1900; Gross Bros. Store (Tacoma);

President Jimmy Carter greets a crowd of several hundred persons on September 23, 1980, as he prepares to exit Air Force One at McChord Air Force Base. The President was on a two-day, four-state campaign swing which included a brief, activity-packed three-hour stay in Tacoma. President Carter was the ninth president to visit Tacoma while holding the nation's top office. The last president to visit was John F. Kennedy almost seventeen years before. (TNT 9-21-80, A-12-article; TNT 9-23-80, A-1-article)

Carter, Jimmy; Presidents--United States; Visits of state--Tacoma--1980-1990; Political campaigns; Presidential elections; Presidential aircraft;

Judith Parker, wife of Tacoma Mayor Mike Parker, extends a cordial welcome to President Jimmy Carter upon his arrival at McChord AFB on September 23, 1980. Mayor Parker smilingly observes. Man with arms behind his back is believed to be Lt. Gov. John Cherberg. The President had arrived from Portland on Air Force One for a very short campaign stop of three hours. He would squeeze in brief stops at the Continental Grain Co.'s exporting facility, his local campaign headquarters, the Beacon Senior Citizen Center, and a $1000-a-couple Democratic National Committee fundraiser. (TNT 9-23-80, A-1-article)

Carter, Jimmy; Presidents--United States; Visits of state--Tacoma--1980-1990; Political campaigns; Presidential elections; Mayors--Tacoma--1980-1990; Parker, Michael; Parker, Judith;

Jimmy Carter arrived in Tacoma on September 23, 1980, on a brief hours-long visit. President Carter was running for re-election and Washington was a state that he did not carry during his successful '76 campaign. He made appearances before senior citizens, blue-collar employees, campaign workers, and Democratic well-wishers. President Carter is pictured above speaking to an unidentified man; this may have been at the Bicentennial Pavilion where a reception was held in his honor.

Carter, Jimmy; Presidents--United States; Visits of state--Tacoma--1980-1990; Political campaigns; Presidential elections;

President Jimmy Carter had just arrived in Tacoma at 4:05 p.m. on September 23, 1980, for a brief three-hour campaign visit. He was met at McChord AFB by some 50 Democratic candidates as well as a multitude of press. President Carter is pictured above (under arrow) with Tacoma Mayor Mike Parker looking on. Marvin Williams of the Washington State Labor Council is at far left of photograph.

Carter, Jimmy; Presidents--United States; Visits of state--Tacoma--1980-1990; Political campaigns; Presidential elections; Mayors--Tacoma--1980-1990; Parker, Michael; Williams, Marvin;