Plywood operations. Workers at this Olympia sawmill are pictured in June of 1924 during daily plywood operations. Sheets of plywood are being laid out; stacks of plywood are in the fore-and-background. Photograph ordered by Pacific Mutual Door Co. G75.1-026

Lumber industry--Olympia--1920-1930; Plywood; Sawmills--Olympia;

An unidentified employee of Royal Dairy (Royal Ice Cream & Milk Co.), 912-14 A St., is shown on October 4, 1924, washing metal milk cans. The company was well known for its slogan, "It's the Cream," as they sold quality ice cream, milk and cream. All products were manufactured in a sanitary plant in Tacoma, made for and by Tacoma people. G6.1-067

Royal Ice Cream & Milk Co. (Tacoma); Dairying--Tacoma--1920-1930;

These plain, but functional, wooden cottages were built for loggers employed by the Linco Log & Lumber Co. The cottages, as seen in March of 1920, were planted in dirt and built tightly side-by-side. Railroad tracks ran directly in front of the houses. These homes are believed to have been located in the Lewis County logging camp owned by Gustaf Lindberg. Linco had an office in Morton and a sawmill in Lindberg, four miles northeast. The company employed 75 men. Gustaf Lindberg, a prominent Scandinavian businessman of Tacoma, had founded the town of Lindberg in 1911 as the company town for Linco. Originally named Coal Canyon, the town was destroyed by fire in 1918 and subsequently rebuilt and renamed for Mr. Lindberg. The town's population remained small and never exceeded 200. Gustaf Lindberg lost ownership of the town and it underwent several name changes. Only ruins of the mill, brick homes and company store remain. G69.1-151 (www.drizzle.com/~jtenlen/walewis/townsal.html)

Dwellings--Lewis County; Linco Log & Lumber Co.; Railroad tracks--Lewis County; Lumber industry--Lewis County; Lumber camps--Lewis County;

This is a view of the Linco Log & Lumber Co. mill as seen in March of 1920. It was located in central Lewis County in the small logging community of Lindberg, just a few miles from Morton. Lindberg (formerly known as Coal Canyon) was founded by Tacoma businessman Gustaf Lindberg as the company town for Linco Log & Lumber. G36.1-081

Linco Log & Lumber Co.; Lumber industry--Lewis County; Lumber camps--Lewis County;

West Fork Logging Co.; Spar Pole. One of the ways to get logs from a remote location to the railroad car was the use of "High Lead" logging. It involved a main cable passed from the engine drum of a "donkey" through a block at the top of a tall spar tree (or pole.) A spar was a 150 to over 200 foot tree with the branches trimmed away and the top lopped off by a "high climber." The cable, powered by the steam donkey, could then be used to pull the logs to the dump. West Fork Logging was located in Mineral in Lewis County and had an office in the Tacoma Building. L.T. Murray was the president and H.E. Post was the secretary. G75.1-091

West Fork Logging Co. (Mineral); Lumber industry--1920-1930;

On September 2, 1921, a steam powered cargo ship from the Luckenbach Line was docked at the Tidewater Mill, 3901 E. 11th St. The Tidewater had been opened in 1918 and was capable of producing 100,000 board feet a day. The majority of its products were shipped for export. The mill was built with a frontage of 750 feet of deep water, allowing the company to load several vessels at a time. The Luckenbach Steamship Co., 1850-1974, was one of the longest-lived and most successful U.S. shipping companies. It was started in 1850 by Lewis Luckenbach and grew to be a major force in intercoastal trade. (TDL 12/22/1918, pg. B-8; www.nationalflaggen.de) G49.1-074

Tidewater Mill Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Cargo ships--1920-1930; Logs;

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

Lumber industry--Port Gamble; Puget Mill Co. (Port Gamble); General stores--Port Gamble;

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

Lumber industry--Port Gamble; Puget Mill Co. (Port Gamble);

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)

Lumber industry--Port Gamble; Puget Mill Co. (Port Gamble);

Employees of Star Iron Works posed aboard their patriotic "float" for the 1918 Labor Day Parade. The float was stopped just south of the Union Station at 1717 Pacific Avenue. They were part of the nearly 20,000 representatives of organized labor who marched in the largest Labor Day parade the city of Tacoma had seen to that date. There were eight large divisions of labor, 12 bands including two from Camp Lewis, floats and pretty girls on display. Working men and women, from boiler makers to cigar makers to cooks, all marched in countless lines during the hour-long parade which ended at Wright Park. Industries were booming during the war years as noted by the increase of shipworkers marching in the parade - 4,700 compared to the 47 the year before. G38.1-041 (TDL 9-2-18, p. 1-article; TDL 9-3-18, p. 1-article; TNT 9-2-18, p. 1-article)

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1910-1920; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1910-1920;

Daily operations at Todd Shipyards as photographed in March of 1919. Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corporation had bought land along Commencement Bay in 1917 and built a modern shipyard. They delivered eleven cargo ships in 1919. TPL-1526; G37.1-176 (www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/toddtacoma.htm--list of ships built)

Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1910-1920;

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

Babare Brothers Shipbuilding (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1910-1920;

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;

Although motorized logging trucks were becoming more common in the lumber industry, horses were still being used in August of 1919. A pair of horses are pictured above at an unidentified sawmill waiting patiently as planks are being loaded onto an open cart. Photograph ordered by the Wilson Logging Co. TPL-6636 G36.1-052

Logging industry--1910-1920; Wilson Logging Co.;

Serious motion picture production came to Tacoma- Pierce County near the end of 1924. The administration building, in front, and main building of the H.C. Weaver Productions, Inc. motion picture studio were nearing completion on December 4, 1924. Located on 5.5 acres at the end of Sixth Avenue near Titlow Beach, the H.C. Weaver Productions, Inc., studio had the northwest's largest floor space without supporting pillars. Construction began in early October, 1924, and was completed in late December of that year at a cost of $50,000. The administration bldg. contained executive offices, a projection room, 15 star dressing rooms and dressing rooms for extras. Furnace rooms were built at each end of the main building to make the stage evenly heated. There were no windows in the main building; the studio decided to make use of artificial lightning when filming inside. An elaborate formal dedication, open to the public, was held on December 14, 1924. (TDL 11-9-24, E-8, 12-14-24, B-1) Boland B11464

H.C. Weaver Productions, Inc. (Tacoma); Motion picture studios--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Mill operations. Interior view of machinery and wood at St. Paul & Tacoma's new sawmill on May 21, 1922. Mill "C" started operation the following day. It was the latest of improvements done by the company. The new mill had a capacity of 200,000 feet of lumber every eight hours. It was electrically operated throughout and had all the latest safety devices. (TDL 5-23-22, p. 7-article)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Machinery; Sawmills--Tacoma--1920-1930;

On May 29, 1924, many interested Tacomans viewed the old wood burning locomotive #1, also known as "William Crookes," on display at Union Station. The train originally operated on the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad in 1862. As part of a joint display by the Great Northern Railroad and the Pullman Co., the locomotive pulled an old Pullman car, used by Abraham Lincoln and other Civil War luminaries. Also on display was Great Northern's newest and most powerful locomotive, Engine #2505. (TNT 5/29/1924, pg. 3) G44.1-129; TPL-674

Railroad locomotives; Union Station (Tacoma); Great Northern Railway Co. (Tacoma);

Five workers are pictured on June 12, 1924, in an Olympia mill loading sheets of plywood for the Pacific Mutual Door Co. The men wear gloves, overalls and the ever-present caps. G75.1-024

Lumber industry--Olympia--1920-1930; Sawmills--Olympia; Plywood;

Three unidentified employees of Coast Iron & Machine Works pose in the firm's Dock St. plant on September 24, 1924. One man fits neatly inside one of Coast Iron's products. G35.1-087

Coast Iron & Machine Works (Tacoma);

On October 4, 1924, an unidentified employee of Royal Dairy (Royal Ice Cream & Milk Co.) examines one of three similar machines at the plant located at 912-14 A St. Royal Ice Cream, run by Bert H. Walker, had been in business since about 1900 and sold ice cream, milk and cream products. This was a locally owned business whose ad in the 1924 City Directory stated that its (cream) was a "quality cream manufactured in a sanitary plant" by "Tacoma people" and "not shipped in from outside sources." Special flavors and designs could be made for all occasions. G6.1-068

Royal Ice Cream & Milk Co. (Tacoma); Dairying--Tacoma--1920-1930;

The SS Bienville. The 445-foot Bienville had been launched at Todd Dry Dock facilities on July 16, 1924, and four months later, was nearly ready to be delivered to her owners in New York. A crane, in the process of lifting, is on the dock next to the ship. The Bienville would conduct short ship trials on November 17th and then be moved to the Port of Tacoma piers on November 19th to load initial cargo after her trial run. Over 2500 tons of goods, including machinery, 2000+ tons of hay and a large number of canned goods, will be stored aboard. The Bienville fell victim to fire in mid-March of 1925 while undergoing repairs in New Orleans and was severely damaged. G49.174 (TNT 11-12-24, p. 1-article; TNT 11-14-24, p. 1-article TNT 3-19-25, p. 1-article on fire; TDL 3-28-25, p. 1-article on fire)

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Boats--Tacoma--1920-1930; Hoisting machinery;

Drivers pose next to their delivery trucks at the loading docks of Columbia Brewing Company. (This was a copy print made by the Richards Studio of a Marvin D. Boland photograph #B14210) Ordered by Colulmbia Breweries in 1951. TPL-6494. Previously cataloged as WO58568-4.

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma)--People;

The Tidewater Mill, on the east side of the Hylebos Waterway, was photographed on September 2, 1921 as the large steamship "Quinault" was being loaded with timber. The mill was built in 1918 on six acres of soggy land purchased from Gen. James Ashton. The land was filled in and the mill was built. It was one of only a handful on the Pacific Coast capable of producing the longest timbers. Tidewater could cut timbers up to 130 feet in length. The mill site's major advantage was 750 feet of deep water moorage, allowing the loading of several vessels at a time. (TDL 12/22/1918, pg. B-8) G49.1-071; TPL-9251

Tidewater Mill Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Cargo ships--1920-1930; Piers & wharves--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Northern Pacific cars loaded with logs at the St. Paul & Tacoma yard in May of 1922. The logs appears to be the same length as the flatcars. G75.1-055

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Logs; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Railroad cars--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Sawmill operations. There are no walls in this part of St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co.'s new sawmill but an open beamed ceiling provides cover for the tracks below. This was Mill "C" which would start operating on May 22, 1922. St. Paul & Tacoma had spent much money in getting their plant in the best condition. The entire plant was modernized, Mills "A" and "B" electrically updated, and new docks and additional warehouses built. G36.1-035 (TDL 5-23-22, p. 7-article)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Sawmills--Tacoma--1920-1930; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

These are believed to be buildings in an unidentified Tacoma shipyard. This September, 1922, photograph also shows the nearness of railroad tracks to the buildings to make it easier for lumber to be transported. G36.1-085 (print has deteriorated)

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Railroad tracks--Tacoma--1920-1930;

This is part of the damage resulting from a fire near the Mineral Lake Logging Co. Camp 17 in 1926. It looks like there was a significant loss of timber, including the blackened logs above. Not shown is a company railroad bridge made of logs which was partially destroyed in the fire.

Mineral Lake Logging Co. Camp 17; Lumber industry--Washington--1920-1930; Logs; Fires;

Ferry "Wollochet" docked at the Skansie's Shipbuilding Co.'s dock on November 12, 1926. It had been built by the Gig Harbor firm the previous year. TPL-680; G37.1-171

Ferries--1920-1930; Skansies Shipbuilding Co. (Gig Harbor); Boat & ship industry--Gig Harbor; Piers & wharves--Gig Harbor;

On March 15, 1927, an unidentified logging crew at Camp #1 was taking a lunch break next to giant logs stacked and ready to be transported. Some of the men found that a cut log makes a fairly comfortable perch. Metal lunch pails were scattered around the area and there were clumps of snow visible. TPL-2445; G75.1-102

Loggers; Logs; Lumber industry--1920-1930; Eating & drinking;

Log train headed for St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. yards in July of 1927. Mount Tacoma (Rainier) in background. Many trees near the tracks have already been topped.

Logs; Lumber industry--1920-1930; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Rainier, Mount (Wash.);