Organist, Miss Esther Stayner sitting at the organ of the Broadway Theater. BU-11246

ca. 1920. Informal portrait of an unidentified race car driver or riding mechanic, probably taken in the very early 1920s. He may have been John Bresnahan, Gaston Chevrolet's "mechanician," who is looking directly into the camera's lens. His goggles are pushed up over his forehead and over his protective headgear. This photograph may have been taken at the Tacoma Speedway, once a prime racetrack in Lakewood that operated from 1912-22.

Automobile racing drivers; Automobile racing;

ca. 1920. Informal portrait of auto racer Roscoe Sarles, taken circa 1920. Mr. Sarles paid three visits to the Tacoma Speedway from 1920-22 to compete with other racing stars such as Tommy Milton, Jimmy Murphy, Gaston Chevrolet and Cliff Durant. Although the veteran driver never won at the Tacoma Speedway, his toughness and driving ability ensured that he earned the respect of fellow drivers and cheering crowds. He competed in a Monroe in 1920 and Duesenbergs the following two years, finishing second in 1921 after winning the pole. Mr. Sarles was burned to death on September 17, 1922, some two months after the last Tacoma Speedway car race, during the 300-mile dedication race of the Kansas City Speedway. TPL-3171 (TNT 7-3-20, p. 15)

Sarles, Roscoe; Automobile racing drivers;

ca. 1920. Wearing a jaunty checkered newsboy's cap is Chicago millionaire sportsman Joe Boyer, Jr., in this circa 1920 photograph. Mr. Boyer, accompanied by his "mechanician" Norman Etger, brought his Frontenac to the Tacoma Speedway for the July 5, 1920, 225-mile race. The field was crowded with top racing stars including Ralph Mulford, Cliff Durant, Eddie Hearne, Indy 500 winner Gaston Chevrolet, Roscoe Sarles and Tommy Milton, among others competing for a total purse of $22,500. Mr. Milton and his Duesenberg took first in a record time of 2 hours, 23 minutes and 28 seconds, averaging 95 mph. Joe Boyer was out in the 97th lap with a broken wrist pin. The estimated crowd of 40,000, many in the new 16,000-seat grandstand, were thrilled at the battle between eventual winner Milton and Ralph Mulford, who finished second. (TDL 7-6-20, p. 1-results; TNT 7-3-20, p. 15)

Boyer, Joe; Automobile racing drivers; Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Racetracks--Lakewood--1920-1930; Men--Clothing & dress--Lakewood;

ca. 1920. Race car driver Eddie Hearne, circa 1920. Hearne, 1887-1955, was born in Chicago, the son of a gold-mining millionaire father. He raced from 1908 to the early 1930's in a total of over 120 races. In 1919, he won the Motor Age Championship, with Roscoe Sarles coming in second. In 1923, he was the AAA National Champion. He was a familiar face in Tacoma, winning the 75 mile in 1918, coming in second in 1919 and placing 3rd in the July 5th, 1920, Independence Day Classic, in his Revere, numbered "15." Speedway 056, Boland B2008 (TNT 6/29/1920; historicracing.com)

Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Racetracks--Lakewood--1920-1930; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1920-1930; Hearne, Eddie; Automobile racing drivers;

ca. 1920. Veteran early race car driver and "Grand Old Man" of racing, Barney Oldfield was in Tacoma in July of 1920 to serve as pacesetter for the Tacoma Classic on the 5th. He was photographed with his signature cigar behind the wheel of an automobile. During his career as a driver, Oldfield broke speed records, won match races and put on exhibitions. A consummate showman, he helped develop the image of auto racing as dangerous and exotic and its drivers as outlaws, and made a fortune doing it. His name became synonymous with the sport. He retired in 1918 from racing, but continued public appearances. He died in 1946. (TDL 7/4/1920, pg. 1C) Speedway 082

Oldfield, Barney; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1910-1920; Racing automobile drivers; Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood);

ca. 1920. Race car driver Joe Thomas, circa 1920. The world of early automobile racing had a high mortality rate. Local boy Joe Thomas, born in Aberdeen (then called Grays Harbor City) in 1890, was able to avoid fatal crashes and live to the ripe old age of 75, dying in 1965. Although he was forced out of the race in 1920 with a broken piston and finished eighth, he would race at the Tacoma Speedway many times before it closed in 1922. After his racing days were over, he would return to Tacoma in the late 1930's to serve as director for the State Vehicle Inspection Station. Speedway 074 (TNT 6/29/1920)

Racetracks--Lakewood--1920-1930; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1920-1930; Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Thomas, Joe;

Race car driver Roscoe Sarles, circa 1920. Although he had been a familiar face at major races for the past five years, Sarles made his first appearance at the Tacoma Speedway during the July 5th, 1920 race. He raced a Monroe, numbered "5," and finished fifth in the race. Two years later, in September of 1922, Sarles was killed in an accident at the Kansas City Speedway when he collided with Pete Depaola's car on the 110th lap and plunged over the edge of the track. Speedway 101 (TNT 6/24/1920, pg. 19)

Sarles, Roscoe; Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Racetracks--Lakewood--1920-1930; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1920-1930; Automobile racing drivers;

ca. 1920. Smelter operations at ASARCO. Steam rises as ore is poured via hoisted ladle onto giant cylinders at the American Smelting & Refining Co.'s plant in Ruston circa 1920. Other large ladles are on the floor waiting to be filled with ore. TPL-899; G37.1-184

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1920-1930; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1920-1930;

ca. 1920. Smelter operations at ASARCO. These employees of the American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) are carefully monitoring what may be the pouring of molten ore in this circa 1920 photograph. It seems to have caught the attention of several other workers in the area. TPL-2351; G37.1-191

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1920-1930; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1920-1930;

ca. 1920. Enclosed Ford delivery van, belonging to the Washington Hand Laundry, parked in front of the Valhalla Temple at 1216 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. J.P. Bernard, owner of the laundry, bought one of the first enclosed Ford delivery vans in the city. He was very loyal to the Ford brand; in 1913, he bought one of the first Ford delivery trucks in the city. It was still supplying his company with continuous service. Mr. Bernard was a well known member of the "K" Street Boosters, a group of local merchants located on "K," now Martin Luther King Jr. Way. (TDL 5/2/1920, pg. C-10) BU-13811 G35.1-157 TPL-10093

Washington Hand Laundry (Tacoma); Valhalla Temple (Tacoma); Ford trucks;

ca. 1920. Eddie O'Donnell (right) and his mechanic pictured in his Duesenberg #10 on an unidentified brick track. They would be in town on July 5th 1920 to race at the Tacoma Speedway. Although O'Donnell had been racing for several years, he was a new face at the Speedway. The 225 mile 1920 "Tacoma Classic" offered a winning purse of $22,500. The new grandstands allowed 15,000 fans to view the race comfortably from the stands when O'Donnell was the 8th, and last man, to finish the race, by driving fellow racer Eddie Miller's car. O'Donnell had graciously offered his car to Ralph DePalma, whose car was not running at race time. Eddie O'Donnell would die tragically later in 1920 from injuries sustained in a crash on November 25th. Gaston Chevrolet and Eddie O'Donnell collided with one another during the Thanksgiving Day Beverly Hills Speedway Classic race. Chevrolet was killed along with O'Donnell and mechanic Lyall Jolls. (TNT 6/19/1920, pg. 10; 6/30/1920, pg. 18) Speedway 042

O'Donnell, Eddie; Racing automobiles--1910-1920; Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Racetracks--Lakewood--1910-1920; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1910-1920; Automobile racing drivers;

ca. 1920. In July of 1920, lots of eyes at the Tacoma Speedway were on novice driver Jimmy Murphy, mechanic Ernie Olson and his Duesenberg. He was in Tacoma for the July 5, 1920, 225 mile Classic after winning the first race of the season, the inaugural at the Beverly Hills Ca. board track. Murphy raced for the Duesenberg team that had taken him on as a mechanic in 1916 and promoted him to driver in 1919. He finished 6th in the Tacoma Classic in his #12 Duesenberg. Jimmy Murphy was the shooting star of racing during his short 4 year and 9 month career, named National Racing Champion in 1922 and 1924. He was killed in a crash at Syracuse, New York, in September of 1924. (Jimmy Ralstin's Racing Home Page; www.ddavid.com/formula1/; TDL 7/6/1920, pg. 1; TNT 6/30/1920, pg. 18) Speedway 047

Racing automobiles--1910-1920; Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Racetracks--Lakewood--1910-1920; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1910-1920; Murphy, Jimmy; Automobile racing drivers;

Printing and bookbinding operations at Johnson-Cox Co., 726 Pacific Ave. According to the 1920 City Directory, the company was involved in book binding, blank books, and loose-leaf devices. It used the Acme Card Filing system. Tacoma in the early 1920's had at least seven printing companies. The Johnson-Cox Co., owned by L.A. Johnson and E.K. Cox, was located in the Italianate Maritime Building on Pacific Ave. G32.1-021

Printing industry--Tacoma; Johnson-Cox Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

The Tacoma Oratorio Society, under the direction of J. W. Bixel, performed Handel's "Samson" on January 28, 1920, at the First Presbyterian Church. The 125-voice group featured Mrs. Virginia Hutchinson of Portland as "Micah," Mrs. Donald Dilts of Tacoma as "Delila," Raymond Metz of Spokane as "Samson" and William Hedberg of Seattle as "Manoah." G40.1-103 (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 1-25-20, A-15, D-2-articles)

Tacoma Oratorio Society (Tacoma); Choirs (Music)--1920-1930; Singers;

Fifteen women and a small girl wear the costumes of a century ago as they posed outdoors on January 30, 1920. Among them are women dressed in Native American garb, patriotic wardrobe and a wedding dress.

Women--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1920-1930; Costumes;

Group portrait of well-dressed men and women on stage with piano and harpist, taken in late January of 1920. Photographer Marvin Boland's notes indicate that this is the "St. Cecelia Club." The St. Cecelia Club opened their season with a reception and musicale at the Tacoma Hotel on October 24, 1919, and would hold fortnightly receptions. Mrs. B.B. Broomell was president. (TNT 10-17-19, p. 11-article)

Men--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1920-1930; Women--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1920-1930; Harps; Pianos;

Wicker furniture and a stuffed sofa comfortably grouped around a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace were located in Camp Lewis' Hostess House in 1920. The sitting room pictured above was decorated with garlands and other greenery which made the place more welcoming and less sterile. The YWCA had provided a hostess house with writing desks and entertainment. Built with stately pillars, the Hostess House would become the center of camp activities for soldiers and their guests. (TDL 12-25-21-article & photograph of exterior) G70.1-002

Wicker furniture; Fireplaces--Camp Lewis; Living rooms--Camp Lewis; Hostess House (Camp Lewis);

Non-commissioned Officers Club. This one-story building with extended covered wraparound porch served as the Non-commissioned Officers Club at Camp Lewis circa 1920. The commissioned officers had their own separate building. G69.1-152 TPL-10307

Military facilities--Camp Lewis;

Hostess House--Camp Lewis. This stately building was one of many established by the YWCA (through the American Red Cross) in military camps throughout the country during WW1. The Hostess House, with Mrs. Caroline Paxton in charge, was a refuge for wives and families visiting soldiers. It was a place to meet, share meals, and write letters. The Hostess House was also open to families of the military camp, patients at the camp hospital, and enlisted personnel of the entire camp. The Camp Lewis Hostess House would later become an officers' club. (www.historylink.org; www.gjenvick.com-article on Hostess Houses; TDL 12-25-21) G69.1-118 TPL-10308

Hostess House (Camp Lewis);

Bows ready, these violinists are prepared to play. This is believed to be the Dunkleberger Orchestra, photographed in February of 1920. The 1920 City Directory indicated that Mrs. Chauncey (Katherine) Dunkleberger was a violinist and music teacher. Mrs. Dunkleberger may be the woman in black in center of photograph.

Orchestras--Tacoma--1920-1930; Violins;

This spacious sitting room provided a welcome respite from the daily rigorous training by members of the Ninety-First Division at Camp Lewis. Wicker furniture was separated in several small groups to allow for quiet conversation or just solitude. A floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace was on one wall and an enormous freestanding mirror decked with garlands stood against another wall. A piano is set along a third wall. The building was built by the American Red Cross and established by the YWCA as a hostess house where entertainment and writing desks were provided and women visitors were welcomed. It would become the camp social center. G70.1-001 (TDL 12-25-21-article & picture of exterior) TPL-10306

Living rooms--Camp Lewis; Pianos; Fireplaces--Camp Lewis; Mirrors; Hostess House (Camp Lewis);

The Red Shield Inn (now the Fort Lewis Museum) was opened on December 7, 1919, by the Salvation Army to accommodate relatives visiting soldiers at Camp Lewis. Its name reflected the emblem of the Salvation Army. It was built across from the camp in the Greene Park recreation development at a cost of $107,000. The Salvation Army originally had provided sleeping quarters for visitors but need soon exceeded the limited space. The three-story Red Shield Inn, with 150 rooms, provided a welcome solution. It was turned over to the government, without strings, by the Salvation Army on July 1, 1921, so that it could be used as quarters for officers, their relatives and friends. The building is the only remaining structure of Greene Park. TPL-050 G69.1-116 (www.historylink.org; Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 12-14-19; TDL 6-22-21, p. 9-article)

Red Shield Inn (Camp Lewis);

Freighter "Hyades" at Pratt Dock on February 19, 1920. White sacks are on small hand-drawn carts for either loading or unloading onto the ship. A cluster of men stay with their cargo. The "Hyades" was operated by Matson Navigation Co. and took on over 2000 tons of general freight for Hawaii. She would sail for the Islands on or about February 25th. G49.1-199 (TNT 2-18-20, p. 13-article)

Cargo ships--Tacoma--1920-1930; Shipping--Tacoma--1920-1930; Piers & wharves--Tacoma--1920-1930;

This is Truck Co. No. 2 with their 1913 Seagrave 75-foot aerial in front of Engine House No. 2. The driver was Harry Ketler and tillerman Jim Turner. Others were not identified. The hose tower is in view. Note the planked roadway that is Tacoma Avenue South. St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church is next door to the fire station. (Talbot & Decker: 100 Years of Firefighting, Tacoma, Washington, p. 53)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1910-1920; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1910-1920; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1910-1920; St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church (Tacoma);

Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, Engine #10254. On an official test trip in March of 1920, a brand new Bi-polar engine pauses for some publicity shots. The class EP2 engine was manufactured by Alco-GE. The bi-polars were unique in design because the bi-polar fields for each motor were carried on the truck frame. The huge 265 ton, 3,240 hp bi-polars were designed specifically for passenger service in the Cascades and were an immediate success when put into service in 1920. Their top speed was rated at 70 mph and they could pull 1, 120 tons (14 cars) up a 2% grade at 25 mph. The electric locomotives were also unique in appearance, riding low on 44" drivers, and in sound, their trademark a distinctive high pitched shrill from their air whistles. (Charles and Dorothy Wood "Milwaukee Road West") G44.1-079, TPL-2379

Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroad cars--Tacoma; Railroads--Tacoma; Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Co. (Tacoma);