Copy of glass plate, Richards Studio. Hundreds of shipyard employees and visitors gathered on November 30, 1918, at the Todd Yards for the launching a vessel. Its name may be the "Jacona". Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corporation was a major shipbuilder with plants on the Hylebos Waterway. Todd went on to build more than fifty ships for the Navy during WWII. Copy of glass plate was made on October 3, 1958.
Launchings--Tacoma--1910-1920; Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1910-1920;
ca. 1918. The Puget Mill Company Hall in Port Gamble, circa 1918. The Company Hall was built in 1907 and designed by the Seattle architecture firm of Bebb and Mendel. It was located across Rainier Ave. from the General Store. The hall was intended to serve as a location for meetings, athletic events, socials and worship. The first floor contained offices for the doctor and dentist, a barber shop, telegraph office and Post Office. The second floor served as a meeting room, theater, movie house and dance hall. The building is still in use as a Post Office and rents office space. (Historylink.org) Boland #P-4
Lumber industry--Port Gamble; Puget Mill Co. (Port Gamble); Post offices--Port Gamble; Community centers--Port Gamble;
ca. 1918. The home at the top right of the picture is the Walker-Ames house in Port Gamble, circa 1918. The structure on the left is unidentified. Port Gamble was the company town owned by the Puget Mill. A hierarchy developed in company housing, with the Superintendent receiving the largest house on the highest ground with the best view of the mill. The original Superintendent's home burned down in 1885 and was replaced by this Queen Anne structure built in 1888. Superintendent Edwin Ames was single at the home's completion and did not need such a large structure, so the home was occupied by master mechanic William Walker, brother of original general manager and shareholder Cyrus Walker, and his family. Ames married the Williams daughter and the two families shared the house until 1900. (TNT 12/31/1972, pg. B-5, Historylink.org) G73.1-032
ca. 1918. This photograph of William Thomas Case, in uniform, was probably taken during his basic training at Fort Worden around 1918. Mr. Case took his training at this fort near Port Townsend that protects the Strait of Juan de Fuca. He was trained to crew a large cannon during the first World War. The second of eight children, Mr. Case was born in Arkansas City, Kansas. He came to Washington in 1900 and Tacoma in 1913. He went to work for Henry Foss in September of 1915 as a deckhand on the tugs and launches. He worked his way through the ranks at Foss Launch & Tug Co. becoming a skipper and finally the chief dispatcher for the fleet of tugs and launches. He was the longest serving employee of Foss and one of the company's most valued. He was the skipper of Foss #12 for six years, the second oldest tug in the line, and one that served the city as a fireboat, the only one for the harbor until the city of Tacoma acquired their own. Mr. Case died in 1956 at the age of 59 after a year long illness. (photograph courtesy of the collection of William T. Case) (TNT 4/15/1956, pg. A-12)
Case, William T.; Uniforms--United States--World War, 1914-1918;
ca. 1918. The Puget Hotel Annex, circa 1918, in Port Gamble, Wa. Port Gamble, located in Kitsap County about 35 miles from Seattle, is one of the few surviving examples of a company town. It was founded in 1853 by partners Josiah Keller, William Talbot, Andrew Pope and Charles Foster who formed the Puget Mill Co. In 1907, the company built a luxury hotel called the Puget Hotel for visitors, but this did not solve the housing problems of transient workers; the loggers, sailors and longshoremen who did not work for the company and qualify for company housing but could at times make up 1/3 of the town's population. The Puget Annex was built to provide low cost rooms for these boarders. ("The Coast" magazine, Jan. 1909, Vol 17 No. 1, pg. 92; online Historylink.org Port Gamble cybertour) Boland #25
ca. 1918. The view down Rainier Ave. in Port Gamble, circa 1918. Port Gamble is one of the few surviving examples of a company town. It was built by the Puget Mill which, when it closed in 1995, was the oldest continuously operating mill in the nation. On the left is the mill office and general store, built in 1916. The store sold groceries, supplies and dry goods to the workers, as well as serving as their communication center by posting news of the world on their billboards. It is still in operation today, although the store now caters to tourists and a museum occupies the basement. Further down the street can be seen the water towers that supplied the town. (Historylink.org) Boland #22
ca. 1918. View of the Puget Mill, left at water line, with its piles of logs and the town of Port Gamble from the Port Gamble Bay, circa 1918. The mill operated from 1853 - 1995, making it the longest continuously operating mill in the nation. The town of Port Gamble was built by the company for the use of its workers. It is one of the few remaining examples of a lumber town. In 1966, the entire town was declared a national historic site. In the background of the photo can be seen, left to right, the spire of the St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the town's twin water towers, the Queen Anne Walker-Ames House, the mill company offices & store and the Community Hall. (Historylink.org) Boland #32
ca. 1918. Puget Mill company owned worker housing in Port Gamble, circa 1918. On the whole, Puget Mill workers were treated better than those at other lumber mills. They were paid a fair wage and housed in modern housing with all the conveniences. These homes cost about $587.59 each to build and a three bedroom version rented for around $7.00 a month. They were surround by pickett fences to protect them from wildlife and had a fireplace, electric lights, bathroom and a water closet. (Historylink.org)
ca. 1918. A view of the Puget Hotel (left), circa 1918, built in 1907 on a bluff above the Puget Mill. The Puget Mill, identified by the smoke in the background, was established in 1853 and closed in 1995, making it the longest continuously operating mill in the nation, clocking in at 142 years. The entire town of Port Gamble was owned by the mill company, including the hotel. In the center of the photograph is a band stand where concerts were played on Sunday afternoons. Boland #26
ca. 1918. Columbia Brewing Company was established in 1900 on South C Street not far from the giant Pacific Brewing and Malting Company. Emil Kliese was the owner, president and brewmaster of the plant until statewide prohibition in 1916. He died the next year. National Prohibition lasted 13 years, from 1920-1933. During that time the company manufactured soft drinks: "Birch Beer", "Chocolate Soldier", "Blue Jay" (a grape drink), and "Green River". Copies of old prints ordered by Columbia Breweries in 1951. (Brewed in the Pacific Northwest, Gary Meier)
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma);
ca. 1918. Drivers pose in front of the Columbia Brewing Company with five delivery trucks. The truck second from the right is loaded with barrels. Copies of old prints ordered by Columbia Breweries. A copy of Boland print #B1495.
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1910-1920;
ca. 1918. Street scene, circa 1918, in Port Gamble. In the distance on the left of the street can be seen the spire of the St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The church was built in 1879. The church, like the town, was built to resemble the owners' home in East Macias, Maine. The streets were lined with imported shade trees of maple, ash and elm, all grown from cuttings brought from Maine. The houses reflected the steep roofed New England architecture.The church was originally of the Congregational faith, with the pastor doubling as the company physician. (Historylink.org) Boland #28, G73.1-038
Lumber industry--Port Gamble; Puget Mill Co. (Port Gamble); St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Port Gamble);
ca. 1918. In 1853, Capt. William Talbot located the perfect site for a lumber mill, a sheltered bay five miles inside of the Hood Canal. He and partners Josiah Keller, Andrew Pope and Charles Foster built the Puget Mill in an area called "Teekalet" by the native Americans. In 1865, the town that the mill had erected for its workers was renamed Port Gamble. A company store was built in 1853, but it was replaced in 1916 by this office and general store built on Rainier Ave. As the centerpiece for the company town, the store sold groceries and household items needed by the workers and also served as the communication center, posting news of the world on its bulletin boards. The offices for the company were located upstairs. The building is still the General Store in Port Gamble, although it now caters to tourists, while a museum is now located on the lower level. (HistoryLink.org, Bremerton Sun 5/15/1953) Boland #23
ca. 1918. The rear and side view of the Puget Hotel, circa 1918, in Port Gamble. The hotel was constructed in 1907 by the Puget Mill Co., which owned the entire town of Port Gamble. It included a luxurious hotel, a restaurant, a tavern, stables for horses and carriages and an annex for longer term budget boarders. The structure was designed by Seattle architects Charles Bebb and Louis Mendel and it was operated as a concession. The hotel was closed December 22, 1962 and later demolished. In 1966, the entire town of Port Gamble was made a National Historic site in recognition of its being one of the last remaining lumber towns in the nation. ("The Coast" magazine, January 1909, Vol. 17, No. 1, pg. 92) Boland #20
ca. 1918. The livery stable attached to the Puget Hotel in Port Gamble, circa 1918. The stable was also designed by the Seattle firm of Bebb & Mendel and constructed in 1907. It housed the horses and carriages used by the guests at the hotel. By 1920, the hotel was no longer boarding horses. The building was used successively as a garage, maintenance shop and a fire station. It is still standing. (Historylink.org) Boland #36
ca. 1918. Junction of Rainier Ave and View Drive in Port Gamble, circa 1918. The building in the back was the company office and attached company store of Puget Mill. Puget Mill owned the entire town of Port Gamble and operated it for the benefit of their workers. In the foreground was the Community Hall, operated as a meeting venue for workers. It also contained the doctor, dentist and telegraph offices, a barber shop, Post Office and meeting room that could double as a theater and movie house. (Historylink.org) Boland #30
Lumber industry--Port Gamble; Puget Mill Co. (Port Gamble); Post offices--Port Gamble; Community centers--Port Gamble; General stores--Port Gamble;
ca. 1918. Photograph by Albert Henry Barnes of the Mazama party making its way on horseback across Paradise Park, Mount Rainier National Park, circa 1918. Mazama is a Spanish word for "mountain goat" and also the name of the climbing club of Portland, Oregon. The Mazama climbing club was organized on the summit of Mount Hood on July 19, 1894. It was the second climbing club to be organized on the Pacific Rim, the first being the Sierra Club which was founded by John Muir in 1892.The Mazamas had many outings on Mount Rainier beginning in 1897. (ORIGIN OF GEOGRAPHIC NAMES OF TACOMA/PIERCE COUNTY WASHINGTON by Gary Fuller Reese; www.mazamas.org)
Mount Rainier National Park (Wash.); Packtrains--Mount Rainier; Pack animals--Mount Rainier; Horses; Mazama Climbing Club (Mount Rainier);
ca. 1918. Puget Mill Co. New England style "Saltbox" houses for company employees in Port Gamble, circa. 1918. Company officials insisted on a hierarchy in housing; managers had the best homes on the highest ground, skilled workers and their families came next, immigrant workers (Scandinavian, German, Swiss, Slovaks and Greeks) arriving in the 1880's were housed on the other side of the second growth forest west and south of the town in areas known as "New England" and "Murphy's Row," unmarried men lived in bunk houses and cabins on the spit near the mill and Chinese workers lived separately out of town, as did native Americans workers. The worker housing was surrounded by picket fences and had fireplaces, electric lights, bathrooms and a water closet. Rent for a three bedroom was about $7.00 a month. (Historylink.org) Boland #21
ca. 1918. The Puget Hotel was constructed in 1907 by the Puget Mill Co. in their company owned and run town Port Gamble. It was designed by Seattle's most prominent architecture firm, Bebb & Mendel. It was a luxury hotel for visitors and company officials, later furnished with massive antique pieces of furniture made in Dresden, Germany and brought to the Puget Sound by sailing ship for the home of Cyrus Walker, first manager of the Puget Mill. Although part of the town, it was run as a concession. So although the town was dry, drinking and gambling were available at the hotel. It also housed the town's only restaurant. The hotel was damaged in the 1962 Columbus Day wind storm and was closed on December 22, 1962, a victim of that damage and declining use. It was later demolished. (Seattle Times 12/23/1962) Boland #10
Tacoma Street Scene. This is Tacoma Avenue North at 2nd looking north. This photograph was taken in February of 1919 and shows bare trees and wide empty streets. There are only two cars in view and both appear to be parked. Houses in view are large and there is a four-story apartment building on the right. G62.1-070; TPL-858 (print is speckled)
Exterior 1919 view of Babare Brothers Shipyards. The plant, located on five acres in Old Town, was one of Tacoma's pioneer shipbuilding facilities. The Babare Brothers consisted of George and Nick Babare, whose Croatian-born father Stephen was a master shipbuilder. Employing some 300 workers in 1918, the plant was busy building large wooden steamers for the government. The yard contained two building slips, each served by gantry cranes, a modern sawmill and in-demand machine shop. Prior to the Babare Brothers entry into government work, they built cannery tenders and purse seine boats for fishermen and canneries in Oregon, Washington and Alaska. They were prepared to return to this type of work after the government's demand for ships decreased. On November 30, 1919, the Tacoma Daily Ledger reported that the Babare Brothers had obtained a site along the Hylebos Waterway. (Pacific Marine Review, August, 1918, p. 90-article) G37.1-180
The dining room staff at Todd Shipyards on the tideflats posed for a group portrait in February of 1919 in front of what is believed to be the shipyard's dining hall. The unidentified woman in dark dress and white collar in back row may be the supervisor. The massive $1,000,000 shipbuilding plant, covering a 30-block area located around 100 Alexander Avenue, required many workers in all categories. Known formally as the Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp., the shipyard provided a company hotel with room for over 600 men, a large dining facility, and began building modest homes for sale to shipyard employees in 1919. G33.1-132
Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp. (Tacoma); Employee eating facilities--Tacoma; Restaurant workers--Tacoma--1910-1920;
Dr. Ivan P. Balabanoff stands next to the ambulance he donated to the Tacoma Dept. of Health & Sanitation in early 1919. The vehicle is parked outside the Elks Temple, 565 Broadway. Dr. Balabanoff made the presentation to the City in honor of his late wife, Dr. Margaret L. Carsley Balabanoff. A plaque is displayed on the vehicle next to the door with his wife's name and the year 1918. The presentation of the ambulance was made under the condition that the City must keep the vehicle in first-class condition and if the City ceased to use it, a donation of $1000 must be made to the Children's Home or other Tacoma charitable institution. Originally from Bulgaria, Dr. Ivan P. Balabanoff practiced in the Tacoma area for over 30 years. Mrs. Balabanoff was also a well-known and long-practicing physician. The completely equipped Ford ambulance was attached to the City Contagious Hospital. The ambulance body was designed by a local firm - the Acme Body Works. (SEE: TDL 2/2/1919 p.C8) TPL-740; G27.1-123
Candy shop at the Donnelly Hotel. Customers browsing in the candy shop at the Donnelly Hotel in 1919 had their choice of good chocolates, reading material, and a place to rest weary feet. Small tables with "ice cream parlor" chairs were placed close to racks of magazines such as "Sunset," "Photoplay," "Collier's" and "Modern Priscilla." A fine candy selection of Oriole, Mars, Imperial's and Sweet's could be purchased. John Donnelly had leased the Fife Hotel and transformed it into the Donnelly Hotel in 1898. The hotel would be demolished 27 years later to make way for the Motoramp Garage. G56.1-046
Hotel Donnelly (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1910-1920; Confectioneries--Tacoma--1910-1920;
This is a view of the Provident Block from March of 1919. It was located on Pacific Avenue between South 9th and South 10th Streets. The six-story Provident Building (later renamed Security Building before reverting back to the Provident name in 2006) is in the center of this slice of Tacoma's business district. It is surrounded by smaller establishments including several restaurants, Thomas Billiards, and Bloom & Alexander Money & Loan. The Olympus Hotel is one block up the street on the far left. Of special note is the entrance to a "Ladies Only" comfort station in the middle of 10th Street right outside of Washington Dye Works. The actual bathroom was located under the street; it was the only public restroom for women downtown at that time. TPL-2499 ; G61.1-012
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1910-1920; Business districts--Tacoma--1910-1920; Provident Building (Tacoma); Olympus Hotel (Tacoma); Billboards--Tacoma--1910-1920;
