A group of Hawaiians visiting Carstens' plant, O'Connell Ragan Company, Chuck Denton. Twenty-two Hawaiian business people were on a good will tour of the Northwest. They were hosted by representatives of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce. While visiting in Tacoma they discussed sound business policies such as the necessity for direct air service between the Northwest and Hawaii, statehood for Hawaii and a desire to know trade possibilities with the Northwest. (T.Times, 8/9/1947, p.1)

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

Dressed sides of beef hanging from hooks in a cold storage locker at Carstens Packing Co. Photograph taken in conjunction with Carsten's Open House, celebrating their 50th anniversary in the meat packing business. In 1903, Seattle butcher and German immigrant Thomas Carstens bought 12 deserted acres on the Tideflats, the former home of the old Pacific Meat Company's plant, and began setting up what would become the largest meat packing plant on the Pacific Coast. The company eventually branched out into three processing plants: Tacoma, Seattle & Spokane. It was a huge operation that raised its own livestock, slaughtered and processed it and sold it in their own retail outlets. The company founder died in 1931 and his sons, Thomas and Philip, took over the business until they sold it in 1954 to Hy-Grade Food Products Corp. of Detroit. Hy-Grade closed the plant in 1990, citing it as out dated and not complying with EPA standards. TPL-8123

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

Exterior view of large Carstens Packing Co. plant taken in mid-August of 1926. The meat packing firm was located at 1623 East "J" St. in the Tideflats, now the site of the Northwest Detention Center. Carstens relocated to Tacoma in 1903 and would later be known as the largest meat packing company on the West Coast with plants in Tacoma, Spokane and Seattle. In 1926 Carstens put forth plans to build a new four-story unit to hold the sausage factory, sausage coolers, lard refinery and smoke houses, beef coolers and beef sales coolers. The company sought to replace annually older, outdated buildings with permanent reinforced concrete construction. The gradual replacement meant that no sections of the plant would be out of commission before their replacements were erected. Fires in 1914, 1916 and shortly after caused the company to incur $750,000 in losses. The replacement of wooden buildings by concrete structures would make the plant more modernized as well as fireproof. (TDL 3-27-26, p. 10-article; TNT 3-31-27, p.6-article)

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