ca. 1886. Several long boats (Indian canoes) rest on the beach at about Fifth and Pacific in Tacoma in this photograph from the mid 1880s. Long boats could transport a whole family with supplies for a season of fishing. This group of boats is probably preparing to head upstream on the Puyallup River where members of the Puyallup tribe worked in the hop fields of the Puyallup Valley. The Puyallups are part of the Puget Sound Salish original peoples. They were hunters, gatherers and fishermen, although they inhabited permanent houses along the riverbanks and along the Sound. Salmon was their main food and figured strongly in their culture. Under the Treaty of Medicine Creek, the tribe ceded much of their territories but retained fishing rights. Rutter Collection TPL-564

Longboats--Tacoma--1890-1900; Indians of North America--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1888. In this circa 1888 photograph, the ship "Republic" is discharging tea at the railroad wharves of Northern Pacific Railroad , Tacoma, W.T. The "Republic" was a three-masted clipper. Photograph is courtesy of the John Ogden Collection. TPL-10170

Shipping--Tacoma--1880-1890; Sailing ships--1880-1890; Cargo ships--Tacoma--1880-1890; Piers & wharves--Tacoma--1880-1890;

ca. 1901. Ships at dock on Tacoma waterway (Copy). Masted vessels are waiting on the City Waterway to take on cargo in this circa 1901 photograph. The buildings on the water's edge are wheat warehouses. The Northern Pacific Railroad Headquarters building is at far left upper edge, with its commanding view of the busy marine activities. TPL-1344

Sailing ships--Tacoma--1900-1910; Cargo ships--Tacoma--1900-1910; Shipping--Tacoma--1900-1910; Warehouses--Tacoma--1900-1910; Piers & wharves--Tacoma--1900-1910; City Waterway (Tacoma); Northern Pacific Headquarters Building (Tacoma);

ca. 1928. The ship "President Jefferson" lies at dock next to the Sperry Mill probably in July or August of 1928

ca. 1930. Harold Bromley's fourth airplane, NR153W also called the "City of Tacoma," preparing for his Tokyo to Tacoma flight. The red Emsco single engine monoplane roared off on September 14, 1930 from a 6,800 foot strip of hard packed sand at Sabishiro Beach, 350 miles north of Tokyo. Twenty four hours and 52 minutes later, it landed about 35 minutes north of its starting point. About 1200 miles out, 12 hours after taking off, the plane's exhaust system failed. Sickened by the fumes, Bromley turned the plane back to Japan. With his navigator Harold Gatty comatose, Bromley fought to keep consciousness and land the plane. The pair were discovered on the beach unconscious by Japanese fishermen. Both recovered, but Gatty refused to make the flight again. Bromley recalculated the flight and determined that it could not be made with this slow, heavy plane without refueling. His Tacoma backers, their money flow stalled by the Depression, abandoned the project. TPL-216

At dawn on July 28, 1929 Harold Bromley climbed into his Lockheed monoplane, perched at the top of a ramp, preparing for takeoff on his proposed 4,762 mile "hop" to Tokyo. A crowd of 25,000, some of whom had waited since 2a.m., gathered to see the plane take wing. The wooden vessel carried 904 gallons of gasoline and not much else, a flying gas tank. The new Tacoma airport, built with a $30,000 bond issue, had a 5,400 foot airstrip. An additional ramp was added at the beginning of the strip; when the plane rolled off the ramp it would gain momentum equivalent to another 1,000 feet of runway. At 6:08 a.m., the plane roared down the ramp and continued down the runway before swerving sharply and crashing. BGN-310I

Harold Bromley's Lockheed monoplane, the "City of Tacoma, " poised at top of the ramp at Tacoma Field prior to take off. The ramp was designed to give the large plane more lift. The huge orange Vega had a 48 foot wingspan, a open cockpit near the tail and a cruising speed of 150 miles per hour. Bromley was proposing to make a solo, nonstop 4,762 mile "hop" Tacoma to Tokyo. His flight ended in disaster when the overfilled tanks spewed gasoline, blinding him and he crashed the plane. Bromley, unhurt, oversaw the production of three more "City of Tacoma" planes. Two were designed by Lockheed and crashed during test flights. The final plane, designed by Emsco Aircraft of Downey, California, flew for 1,200 miles until fumes forced Bromley to turn back. BGN-310G

Harold Bromley's airplane the "City of Tacoma" poised at the top of the ramp prior to its July 28, 1929 take off. Bromley and his plane were financed by a group of Tacoma businessmen, the most voluble being lumber magnate John Buffelen, who wanted to put Tacoma on the map, in the same way that Lindberg made "St. Louis" a household world. The whole city of Tacoma supported the dashing Bromley, even voting a $300,000 bond to build a 5,400 foot air strip. A 100 foot wooden ramp was constructed at the beginning of the runway. The plane was placed at the top of the ramp. When the plane rolled off, it would gain momentum equivalent to another 1,000 feet of runway. At 6:08a.m., the huge monoplane roared down the ramp, veered sharply and crashed about 1,500 feet after its take off.