ca. 1916. Gersix truck manufacturing plant at 3011 South Fife in Tacoma. View of 6-cyclinder, structural steel framed trucks. The Gerlinger Motor Car Co. was the manufacturer of Gersix trucks; the firm was managed by Edward E. Gerlinger. The company was later sold to Edgar Worthington and Cpt. Frederick Kent who renamed it the Gersix Motor Co. After reincorporation in 1923, Ken-Worth (named after the two principal shareholders, Worthington and Frederick Kent's son, Harry) was created. Kenworth Motor Truck Co. established its headquarters in Seattle and became known for their custom trucks. Photograph provided by Robert (Bob) Hahn, whose father, J.E. (Ed) Hahn, worked for many years at Gerlinger Motor Car Co. and later Kenworth. (www.kenworth.com/7100_ken.asp)
Gerlinger Motor Car Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1910-1920;
In early July 1917, the Tacoma Rail & Power Company (TR&P) fired seven employees that they accused of union organizing. Within days the Amalgamated Association of Street & Electric Railway Employees of America signed up the remaining workers; and when the company refused to re-hire the fired workers, the newly organized workers shut down the TR&P streetcars. Although there were some acts of sabotage, as shown in this photograph, the strike was generally peaceful - and supported by most Tacomans. Although the company hired replacement workers, they could not break the strike. On August 2 an agreement was reached between the company and the union. The fired employees were reinstated, the strikebreakers were deported, grievance procedures were established, and the questions of wages and working conditions were submitted to arbitration. (Tacoma Tribune 7/16/1917-8/2/1917, pg. 1) TPL-9555
Mass transit--Tacoma--1910-1920; Electric railroads--1910-1920; Street railroad strikes--Tacoma--1910-1920;
ca. 1917. Rhodes Brothers Store, circa 1917; Fabric department. Several tables loaded with bolts of fabric dot the room. It appears that the track and pulley system is still in operation, indicating that each department does not have its own cash register. (photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma;
1 map; 38 x 65 cm. "Supplement to Pacific Builder & Engineer, December 21, 1917". "Latest map of Camp Lewis, Tacoma, Wash." December 8, 1917. Inset vicinity map.
ca. 1917. A print of a photograph of the Columbia Brewing Company as it appeared in 1917 has been outlined, the date added and measurements written on the left and bottom margins, possibly for use in an advertisement. Stamps have been affixed to the back of the mock-up for Sterling Engraving Company at 1417 Fourth Avenue Building and How. J. Ryan & Son, R Advertising in the Joseph Vance Building, Seattle, Wash. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954.
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma);
ca. 1917. Copy of customer's old photograph. One of these uniformed soldiers in 1917 has been identified as Puget Sound National Bank's future Chairman of the Board, Reno Odlin. He is believed to be second from the left in the front row. Standing in front of a D&RG railroad car, each soldier appears to be holding a bedroll and rifle and wears a broadbrimmed hat which shades his face. They may have been part of the Second Washington Infantry, which Odlin had joined in 1916, that was searching for Pancho Villa. Following the United States entry into WW1 in 1917, Odlin would join the 28th Division in France and be commissioned as a second lieutenant at age 21. Photograph was ordered on September 25, 1964, by Puget Sound National Bank. (Provose: Banking on Independence, p. 86)
ca. 1917. Rhodes Brothers Store, circa 1917; Dining room at the store. The dining room was located on the top floor at Rhodes. It could seat 300 people. The tables were covered with white linen tablecloths and napkins and crystal vases held fresh flowers. Lunch was served everyday with dinner served 1-2 nights a week. Favorites on the menu were broiled crab, mulligawney soup, clam chowder and Rhodes' cheesecake. (photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma;
ca. 1917. Although many stations still used horses, this American LaFrance 1000 gpm pumper was motorized. It was parked, driver on board, at Station No. 2. The age of the horse was nearly over for the Tacoma Fire Department; by 1919, the department was completely motorized. (100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washingtonp. 56-57, 59)
Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma;
The name Columbia Brewing Company is seen on the side of the building. A fence has been added along the sidewalk on the right. The building is at least five stories high and has a flat roof. A small pediment adorns the cornice. The name of the brewery was changed in 1933 to Columbia Breweries, Inc., when it was purchased by Elmer Hemrich. Copies of old prints ordered by Columbia Breweries in 1951.
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma);
ca. 1917. Engine Co. No. 2 with new fire truck. Engine Co. No. 2 received American LaFrance's 1000 gpm pumper which was that year's only new apparatus purchase. According to the wording on the photograph, this was the first fire truck in the Northwest which had been equipped with pneumatics. The truck with full equipment weighed 13,000 pounds. It was decided by the fire department that General Cord tires were the best tires available; 40x8's were on the rear and 38x7's on the front. The fire truck is parked outside the station at 2701 Tacoma Avenue South; St. Paul's Lutheran Church is next door. L-R in the photograph are Bob Van Bevers, Fred Strege, Harry Pentland, Arthur Tuel, Wilbur Tope, Frank Leo and Dallas Sater. (100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 56)
Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1910-1920; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1910-1920;
ca. 1917. In 1917, the American Smelting & Refining Company (ASARCO) built a new, giant chimney (right) at their copper smelting plant in Ruston. At 571 feet, it dwarfed their old chimney (left) which at 307 1/2 feet had been the tallest concrete chimney in the world. Smelting on Commencement Bay dated to 1887 when Dennis Ryan built a lead smelting plant along the shore just southeast of what is now Point Defiance Park. The smelter was sold to William Rust in 1889, who converted the plant to copper smelting, and it became known as the Tacoma Smelting and Refining Company. In 1905, the operation was sold to ASARCO. The plant closed in 1985 and the giant chimney was imploded in 1993. (Copy made from glass plate on October 3, 1958, Richards Studio.) (TDL 5/4/1905, pg. 3; 6/29/1905; 12/9/1917)
ca. 1917. In 1917, the United States was balancing on the brink of entering the European War and was looking for a Northwest location for an army staging camp. H. B. Blitz devised a publicity stunt to influence people to vote for the proposal to sell 2 million in bonds to buy 70,000 acres as a military site.The land would then be given to Uncle Sam as a gift, with the understanding that the fort would bring increased revenue to the area. Mr. Blitz hired a man to drive a burro and two-wheeled cart around town a week before the Camp Lewis election. Sign: "Frisco Presidio, Greater Frisco. Pierce County Army Post, Greater Tacoma. All loyal residents will vote for Army Post." The proposal carried 6 to 1 and Fort Lewis was born. (T. Times 1/12/1938, p.14).
Advertising--Tacoma--1910-1920; Publicity; Fort Lewis (Wash.);
ca. 1917. Seated in his Stutz race car #5 is driver Earl Cooper and his mechanic Reeves Dutton. Both men have uniforms with the Stutz brand in front. Earl Cooper won national championships in 1913, 1915 and 1917. A favorite of crowds at the Tacoma Speedway, Mr. Cooper won the 250-mile Montamarathon in both 1913 and 1914 but was thwarted in his attempt to retain the trophy for a third year when he finished second to Grover Ruckstell in 1915. TPL-8827. (Photograph donated by John & Pat Reisinger)
Cooper, Earl; Dutton, Reeves; Automobile racing drivers; Racing automobiles--1910-1920; Stutz automobile;
ca. 1917. Rhodes Brothers Store, circa 1917; Window display of luggage and travel. Rhodes Brothers Department Store opened their grand establishment at 950 Broadway in 1903. Its windows offered a glimpse of the interests and fashions of the time period. Around 1920, there was a sharp increase in tourism nationally. Travelers began to switch from more leisurely horse powered trips to travel by automobile, train and later planes. This Rhodes window display from 1917 displayed the "correct" luggage and accessories for travelers, including one "must have" that is no longer popular- the travelers' trunk. (photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)
Department stores--Tacoma; Merchandise displays--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma);
The Automobile Club of Western Washington, now part of American Automobile Association or AAA, has been aiding motorists since 1904. Sanford E. Brokaw was managing the office when this photograph was taken. The office was located in the Uhlman Block on A Street. Reisinger, #R013.
