Storefront window featuring Plymouth accolades. On August 23, 1929, the large glass window of this automobile dealership was plastered with complimentary remarks about the smooth performance of Plymouth cars. The dealership welcomed passersby to stop and read what people had to say about the Chrysler Motors product. Photograph ordered by A. H. McConnell, Plymouth distributor in Tacoma and Pierce County. He also represented the Dodge Bros. line. The Plymouth agency and Dodge Bros. agency were once under the same roof but the Plymouth agency had recently moved to separate quarters adjacent to its former home. (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 8-18-29, 4-E-article on Plymouth distributorship)

Plymouth automobile; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1920-1930; Window displays--Tacoma--1920-1930; Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Docked at Shaffer Terminal #2 on September 25, 1929, was the "Bellingham" of the Tacoma Oriental Line. She appears to be in the process of loading large logs. The "Bellingham" departed on September 28th bound for South China and the Philippines. G49.1-061 (TNT 9-25-29, p. 18-small article on ship)

Cargo ships--Tacoma--1920-1930; Shipping--Tacoma--1920-1930; Logs;

Standing beneath this biplane's propeller on October 12, 1929, are four unidentified individuals. Both women and one man are wearing aviation headgear and goggles. The plane is marked "Bergersen-Sherman." An alternate photograph ran in the November 14, 1929, Tacoma Times indicating that these four flying enthusiasts recently soloed at Mueller-Harkins Airport. Unfortunately, their names were not listed but their occupations were given as "tugboat man," "auto man," school teacher and doctor's assistant. TPL-8074; G12.1-008 (T.Times 11-14-29, p. 2)

Biplanes; Airplanes; Airline industry;

A City Fuel truck with a load of wood is third in line as this October 14, 1929, photograph was taken on an unidentified street. Sandwiched between the small City Fuel truck and a heavy-duty truck from the company is a large cement mixer. The mixer is on a trailer being hauled by the heavy-duty truck. Photograph ordered by City Fuel Co., 1947 Jefferson Ave. TPL-3669; G43.1-180

City Fuel Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1920-1930; Fuel trade--Tacoma--1920-1930; Concrete mixers--Tacoma;

Two planes, one much smaller than the other, at an unidentified field the day after Christmas, 1929. The larger plane, a biplane, has tarp covering the open pilot cockpit and passenger seating. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Airways. G12.1-027

Airplanes--1920-1930;

Seven Tacoma Inter-city Auto Freight Co. delivery trucks and their drivers lined up in downtown Tacoma in August of 1919. The company's motto was apparently "You Need It (Service) We Give It." The freight company's address was listed as 2312 A Street in the 1919 telephone book. In the background of this photograph are the F.S. Harmon furniture company and Hunt & Mottet hardware and sporting goods store. G66.2-131

Tacoma Inter-city Auto Freight Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1910-1920; Moving & storage trade--Tacoma--1910-1920;

Unidentified sailing ship photographed on August 18, 1919. Sails are furled on this three-mast vessel. G50.1-113

Sailing ships--1910-1920;

Members of the Girls' Corner Club of Tacoma pose with the pilot of this biplane located at the Mueller-Harkins Field in early May of 1930. The Corner Club was a women's support and social group, an off-shoot of the club originating in British Columbia in 1917. Eleanor Renstrom (seated in plane) and Dorothy Allen (outside) experienced a trial flight with Washington Aeronautical Corporation pilot George Fisher before the girls made the actual flight to Olympia to scatter flowers over a white birch tree to be planted by club members on the grounds of the executive mansion. The white birch is the official Washington State mothers' tree. G12.1-036 (TNT 5-10-30, p. 12)

Biplanes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Girls' Corner Club of Tacoma (Tacoma); Renstrom, Eleanor; Allen, Dorothy; Fisher, George; Air pilots--Tacoma;

A Coast Airlines Flying Service aircraft is on the ground at a Tacoma airport in June of 1930. Coast Airlines provided service to Seattle and Everett. Mount Rainier (or "Tacoma" as referred to by locals) is prominently featured in the background. Standard Used Car Market used this plane, or a similar Coast Airlines aircraft, in their promotion of a free scenic 15-minute ride for every car sold over $100. TPL-5031; G12.1-047 (Ad-TNT 6-10-30, p. 18)

Airplanes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Rainier, Mount (Wash.);

Pre-launching of the vessel "Ambassador," as viewed in September of 1919. She was built for the Chichagof Mining Company of Alaska. The power tender "Ambassador" was launched at 5 p.m. on September 11th from the ways of Tacoma Shipbuilding Co. She would be used in connection with the Chichagof mines in southeastern Alaska. The ship's sponsor was Mrs. W.R. Rust whose husband was one of the principal owners of the mines. G37.1-120 (T.Times 9-13-19, p. 14-article)

Launchings--Tacoma--1910-1920; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Tacoma Shipbuilding Co. (Tacoma);

Ambassador ready for launching. The motorship "Ambassador" was built for the Chichagof Mining Co. of Alaska in 1919. She was 112-feet long and would be used by the company for transport between Chichagof, Juneau, and Tacoma. In 1924 she would be sold to Alexander & Baldwin Ltd. for service in the Hawaiian coastal trade. The "Ambassador," launched on September 11, 1919, was built by the Tacoma Shipbuilding Co. She was the only boat built by the firm since the cancelling of contracts by the Emergency Fleet Corporation. G37.1-119 (Newell: " Maritime Events of 1924;" T.Times 9-13-19, p. 14-article)

Launchings--Tacoma--1910-1920; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Tacoma Shipbuilding Co. (Tacoma);

In November of 1930, the Washington Navigation Co. (WNC) ferry "Relief," shown above docked at Gig Harbor, was one of several ferries owned by the company plying the waters of the Puget Sound. She had been launched on July 17, 1930, at Skansie Shipbuilding in Gig Harbor. The "Relief" was 72-feet long with a 32-foot beam and 85 hp diesel engine. Befitting her name, she was used as a relief ship when other ferries were laid up for repairs. The Washington Navigation Co. was founded by Mitchell Skansie of Skansie Shipbuilding around 1926. When Pierce County could no longer afford to run its own ferry service to Gig Harbor, the service was contracted out to WNC. By the 1930's, the company had several ferries running on many routes in the South Sound. The company was almost ruined by the Great Depression and the opening of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940. When the bridge collapsed a scant seven months after construction, the ferry runs were restored and WNC began a bidding war with Puget Sound Navigation Co. for state ferry contracts. (Neal & Janus "Puget Sound Ferries"; TNT 7-17-30, p. 5-article) G66.1-089

Ferries--1930-1940; Washington Navigation Co. (Gig Harbor);

A shining black hearse from the Allen Motor Co. was parked in front of the Mellinger funeral home on April 17, 1931. A black-clad driver is waiting patiently at the wheel of the sleek Studebaker. The C.C. Mellinger Co. colonial-styled mortuary, located at 510 Tacoma Avenue South, was built in 1909 for $65,000 by noted architects Heath & Twichell. The firm was established by Ohio native Charles C. Mellinger who first began on a small scale in Tacoma in 1897. The company grew quickly to become one of the largest in the city. G26.1-135; TPL-1743 Hunt: "Charles C. Mellinger," History of Tacoma, p. 580-582)

C.C. Mellinger Funeral Directors (Tacoma); Morgues & mortuaries--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hearses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Studebaker automobile;

In July of 1931, passengers on the Washington Navigation Company ferry "Skansonia" could climb onto a stool and order a fried ham sandwich for 15 cents as they commuted between Gig Harbor and Point Defiance. The "Skansonia" was built in 1929 at the Skansie Brothers Shipyard in Gig Harbor. The curved lunch counter on the ferry offered a fried egg for 15 cents; or a Swiss cheese sandwich, hamburger or hotdog for 10 cents. You could top off your breakfast or lunch with a slice of homemade pie for a dime and wash it down with coffee, cold milk or pop. On hot days, the kiddies could enjoy a frozen Popsicle or a malted milk shake. (Neal & Janus "Puget Sound Ferries.") TPL-9261; G66.1-090

Ferries--1930-1940; Washington Navigation Co. (Gig Harbor);

The USS West Virginia at anchor in Commencement Bay in July of 1931. The ship, under command of Rear Admiral R.H. Leigh, was in town to participate in Fleet Week. The battleship had been commissioned in 1923 and was the most recent of the "super-dreadnoughts." She would be heavily damaged during the attack on Pearl Harbor but was completely rebuilt at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton. Although missing much of the war, the West Virginian would still earn five battle stars. She was decommissioned in January of 1947. (www.usswestvirginia.org; TDL 6-30-31, p. 5-article) G71.007

Battleships--1930-1940; Commencement Bay (Wash.);

A longshoreman keeps a careful eye on cargo being unloaded from a ship docked at the Port of Tacoma in November of 1931. G50.1-009

Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940; Longshoremen--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hoisting machinery;

S. Shumate & Sons of Olympia lined up a small fleet of Kenworth trucks plus a trailer while in Tacoma on April 18, 1932. The trucking firm's drivers carried along a small dog as a passenger in truck #4. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Kenworth. G66.2-103

Trucks--1930-1940; S. Shumate & Sons (Olympia); Dogs--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Copy of undated original photograph of tugboat "Peter Foss." Copy was made on March 14, 1933, per Foss Launch & Tug Co. request. Built in 1930 as the fourth tug in the series of five similar tugs for Foss Launch, she was named for Andrew Foss' brother, Peter. All Foss vessels were named for Foss family members. At 62-feet with a beam of 19-feet, the "Peter Foss" had a 375-hp Western Enterprise diesel engine which made her one of the most powerful tugs in the area. The high operating costs were offset by the enormous amount of work she could produce. (Skalley: Foss Ninety Years of Towboating, p. 87-88)

Tugboats--Tacoma--1930-1940; Foss Launch & Tug Co. (Tacoma);

The "Infallible," an 86-foot diesel cannery tender, was launched on June 19, 1936 at Western Boat. An unidentified woman, in a long floral -patterned gown and dark hat, was the sponsor of the event. She is pictured holding a bouquet of assorted blossoms as she reaches to officially launch the vessel. G37.1-133

Launchings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Boats--Tacoma; Canneries; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;

The schooner "Commodore," the last of the offshore sailing fleet in regular service on the Puget Sound, was photographed in September of 1936 while taking on a load of lumber at one of the mills in Tacoma. She was built in 1919 by the J.H. Price Construction Company, a Lake Washington shipyard, and by 1935 the wooden four masted schooner had fallen on hard times. In 1937 she was operating in Alaska as the Iniskin. She met her end in 1942. She was towed to South America and broken up for lumber to build houses. ("Marine History of the Pacific Northwest" H.W. McCurdy) G50.1-118, TPL-5845

Sailing ships; Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940;

St. Regis' floating log dump as viewed in early May of 1937. Docked nearby is the Japanese vessel, "Gyokoh Marudairen." In the distance are prominent city structures: the towers of City Hall, Pierce County Courthouse, and Central School and the Art-Deco styled Medical Arts Building. The floating logs will eventually be pulped and the product shipped via water to St. Regis' eastern paper mills and exported to foreign countries, including Japan. Japan was St. Regis' best customer at 35,000 tons annually. G37.1-010 (T.Times 1-27-37, p. 1-article on St. Regis)

Logs; Cargo ships--Japanese; Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940; Cityscapes;

Nine little "sailors" and one "Gallant Lady" are at hand on November 7, 1937. The "Gallant Lady" was a Sea Scouts vessel. The little children, dressed in sailor suits, are listening to a man who is explaining charts to them. According to photographer Boland's notes, these children were dancers. G23.1-115

Boats--Tacoma--1930-1940; Children--Tacoma--1930-1940;

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;

In March of 1920, a row of stevedores pushing dollies piled with sacks of flour, could be seen heading for the Japan-built freighter "Eastern Knight." A passenger on the ship's gangplank stops to gaze at the picturesque sight. The "Eastern Knight" had docked at the Puget Sound Flouring Mills on Saturday, February 28th, and would be departing for the East Coast when fully loaded with 10,000-tons of flour. The Puget Sound Flouring Mills, at what is now 3 Schuster Parkway, was absorbed by the Sperry Flour Company in 1922. Photograph ordered by the Puget Sound Flouring Mills Co. G34.1-103 (TNT 3-1-20, p. 13-article; TNT 3-4-20, p. 6-article)

Cargo ships--Tacoma--1920-1930; Shipping--Tacoma--1920-1930; Puget Sound Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma);

Drifted snow flour is being transported onto the steel steamship "Edmore" from the Sperry Flour Co. facility on March 13, 1920. 400 tons of flour would join the previously loaded cargo of copper ingots from the smelter. The "Edmore" was the first of the Oriental liners to call at Tacoma under a new schedule by the Pacific Steamship Co. She had sustained damage to her structure due to heavy seas on her voyage to the Puget Sound region. Sperry Flour had completed a big grain elevator project less than two years before in time for the tremendous trade expansion that would occur. The Tacoma Daily Ledger would report on March 22, 1920, that "Flour (was the) Greatest Tacoma Industry." Three export flouring mills on the waterfront, including Sperry, had their warehouses filled with 200,000 barrels of flour. Three shifts had run both night and day since August of 1919 with combined daily capacity exceeding 10,000 barrels. Flour operations at Sperry (by then a division of General Mills) would cease in 1965. TPL-904 G34.1-127; BU-13919 (TNT 3-12-20, p. 2-article; TDL 3-22-20, p. 7-article)

Cargo ships--Tacoma--1920-1930; Shipping--Tacoma--1920-1930; Sperry Flour Milling Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1920-1930;

On March 5, 1920, Dorothy (Mrs. Allen B.) Conrad and small son, Allen B., Jr., were prepared to take a spin in their new Stephens Six, purchased recently from the R.L. Stephens Motor Co. Mrs. Conrad, with fur stole, is seated behind the wheel of the roadster. The little boy is standing on the car's running board next to the open passenger door. Mr. and Mrs. Conrad were proprietors of the Blue Bird Electric Shop and resided at 3112 N. 17th St. (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 3-21-20, C-4) G11.1-022

Automobiles--Tacoma--1920-1930; Conrad, Dorothy; Conrad, Allen B.; Families--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Three delivery trucks are parked along the side of the South Tacoma "Road" in March of 1920. Two of the three drivers stand near their vehicles while the third remains in the truck. The first truck in line, "No. 2," apparently has its route listed on the exterior of the truck, extending from Hoquiam to Seattle. The trucks may have been sold by the J.F. Hickey Motor Co. of Tacoma. G66.2-136

Trucks--Tacoma--1920-1930;

The freighter "Haxtum" in town to take on a shipment of grain in June of 1920. She is pictured above at the Milwaukee elevator. The ship was expected to take a cargo of 3000 long tons of grain to Europe. Photograph ordered by Fisher Flouring Mills. G49.1-068 (TNT 6-7-20, p. 7-article)

Cargo ships--Tacoma--1920-1930; Shipping--Tacoma--1920-1930; Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Sacks of flour will shortly be loaded onto the freighter, "Haxtum," in June of 1920. The flour was from the Fisher Flouring Mills, one of several flour mills in Tacoma at that time. The "Haxtum" was expected to take a cargo of 3000 long tons of grain to Europe with her first stop in Liverpool. She was built in Oakland with 9400 dead weight tonnage. G49.1-195 (TNT 6-7-20, p. 7-article)

Cargo ships--Tacoma--1920-1930; Shipping--Tacoma--1920-1930; Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Piers & wharves--Tacoma--1920-1930;

City of Tacoma Light Department's "Trouble Car" parked outside Griffith Motor Co., 728 Broadway, in early August of 1920. Griffith Motors was a Dodge dealership. The newly purchased Dodge automobile would probably be used to transport utility workers to locations experiencing problems. It was one of many Dodges placed in public service. TPL-6701; G43.1-028 (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 8-22-20, C-8)

Dodge automobile; Griffith Motor Co. (Tacoma); Tacoma City Light (Tacoma);