ca. 1900. George P. Wright was elected mayor of Tacoma April 4, 1904, defeating incumbent Louis D. Campbell by a vote of 4,239 to 3,578. The Democratic mayor would go on to re-election in 1906. Mr. Wright was born in Ontario, Canada in 1865. He would have a variety of occupations including teacher, farmer, government employee, merchant, contractor, and real estate and investment operator. Mr. Wright arrived in Walla Walla county about 1889 and moved to Tacoma about seven years later. During Mr. Wright's four years as mayor, his greatest accomplishments may have been the planning, engineering, financing and advocating of municipally owned systems of power and light and water supply. Charles F.A. Mann in his "An anniversary celebration commemorating one hundred years of Tacoma" called Mayor Wright the man who "started Tacoma's public utilities." Two terms of office were enough for Mr. Wright who would later establish Wright Shipyard in WWI. He would pass away in April of 1932 while serving as a Port of Tacoma commissioner and president of Tacoma Grocery Co. This picture is from Herbert Hunt's "Tacoma, Its History and Its Builders, Volume 2" p.517 ALBUM 16. (Mann: An anniversary commemorating one hundred years of Tacoma, p. 31; Hunt: Tacoma Its History and Its Builders, II, p. 202, 516-520)

Wright, George P.; Mayors--Tacoma--1900-1910

ca. 1900. John W. Linck was elected mayor of Tacoma April 7, 1908, defeating Democratic two-term incumbent George P. Wright. Mr. Linck had served with the Union Army in the Civil War and had extensive legal and political experience prior to his arrival in Tacoma in 1898 as a U.S. Treasury agent. After his one term of office expired, he, a former police judge, would hold the office of justice of the peace for several years. ALBUM 16. (G1.1-106)

Linck, John W.; Mayors--Tacoma--1900-1910

ca. 1900. Tacoma grain elevators. The Tacoma Warehouse & Elevator Co. grain dock and Elevator B are in the foreground of this circa 1900 photograph. A masted sailing ship is docked there waiting for a shipment of flour. In the background is Elevator A, operated by Cardin & Bibb. The Sperry Flour Co. would be built on the site of Tacoma Warehouse & Elevator in 1905. Sperry Flour would be purchased later by General Mills, Inc.

Warehouses--Tacoma--1900-1910; Grain elevators--Tacoma--1900-1910; Shipping--Tacoma--1900-1910; Sailing ships--Tacoma--1900-1910; Piers & wharves--Tacoma--1900-1910; Waterfronts--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1900. Men at work at unidentified machine shop in Tacoma circa 1900. They stand while working at their machines. Most are wearing hats/caps and retain their jackets/coats. Several of the machines are placed by the large windows which would allow for natural light.

Machine shops--Tacoma; Machinery; Men--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1900. Horse drawn wagon dressed in bunting parked in front of photo studio at 947 C Street (now Broadway). The occasion, in this circa 1900 photograph, may have been a Fourth of July parade. A.G. Bonner had his studio at 947 C Street with Christian Nelsen, boot and shoemaker, next door at 947 1/2 C Street. Both the sidewalk and street appear to be constructed of planks. The decorated wagon was from the R(obert) S. Bennatts' grocery, located at 2416 North 30th St. in the Pioneer Block Bldg. in Old Town. Mr. Bennatts would be in the grocery business in the north end for 40 years before his retirement in 1930. BiCentennial Project #75346-40.

Carts & wagons--Tacoma--1900-1910; A.G. Bonner Studio (Tacoma); C. Nelsen Boot & Shoe Maker (Tacoma); Robert S. Bennatts Grocery (Tacoma);

ca. 1900. German immigrant Henry Mahncke, with partner Charles Muehlenbruch, built the Berlin Building in 1892. It was the American dream come true for Mahncke who had toiled in his Tacoma bakery since 1882. Losing everything but his dignity in the economic Panic of 1893, Mahncke became a janitor and elevator operator in the building he once owned. The Berlin Building was demolished in 1920 to make way for the present Washington Building. Mahncke went on to a successful career in real estate and died in 1937.

Office buildings--Tacoma--1900-1910; Berlin Building (Tacoma); Mahncke, Henry;

ca. 1900. John W. Linck was elected mayor of Tacoma April 7, 1908, succeeding mayor George P. Wright. According to author and historian Herbert Hunt, the campaign was highly contested. Mr. Linck, Republican nominee, (often called by the honorary term, "Colonel" due to his able duty on the Union side of the Civil War) was victorious, defeating Mr. Wright by a vote of 6,840 to 4,799. Mayor Linck was born in 1843 near Madison, Jefferson County, Indiana. Prior to his arrival in Tacoma in 1898 as a special agent for the U.S. Treasury, John Linck had been a school teacher, attorney, justice of the peace, prosecuting attorney, U.S. commissioner, Indiana legislator, city attorney, prison director, postmaster and lastly, mayor of Madison. He would also serve as a police judge and justice of the peace in Tacoma. In 1901 the Linck family moved to 817 North J St., the previous home of Tacoma pioneers John and Virginia Mason. There neighborhood children were welcomed, including a very young Bing Crosby and siblings. ALBUM 16. (Hunt: Tacoma Its History and Its Builders, II, p. 225-26; Prosser: A History of Puget Sound Country, II, p. 236-38) (G1.1-104)

Linck, John W.; Mayors--Tacoma--1900-1910

ca. 1901. Sepia photograph of a Lincoln Elementary School class in 1901. Standing on the steps of Lincoln Elementary are numerous students; in the third row, second from the left is reportedly Jeston Reed Foss. Originally named West School, construction began on the new school at 1610 South K Street (now MLK Way) in 1887. It was renamed in honor of President Abraham Lincoln in 1889. The school began as a two-room school with two grades; by 1890, it had four grades and five teachers. The school was closed and demolished in 1938. Most of the students and staff were transferred to McCarver Junior High where they joined students from Longfellow to form a new elementary school. Others were assigned to either Central or Stanley schools. (Olsen: For the Record, p. 57) (note: the same photograph is identified in Olsen's book as Hawthorne School)

Lincoln Elementary School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1900-1910; School children--Tacoma;

ca. 1901. Looking up 11th Sreet in the heart of the business section of Tacoma, ca. 1901. Sidewalks are crowded with people. Several pedestrians leisurely cross the street ahead of oncoming streetcars.

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1900-1910; Business districts--Tacoma--1900-1910; Pedestrians--Tacoma; Street railroads--Tacoma--1900-1910; Street railroad tracks--Tacoma--1900-1910;

Crompton, The four masted steel barque 'Crompton', 2810 tons, under sail [steel 4 mast barque, 2810 tons, ON97800, 310.0 x 45.3 x 24.9. Built 1890 (7) T. Royden and Sons Liverpool. Owners Steel Sailing Ship Crompton Co. MacVicar, Marshall and Co. registered Liverpool. State Library of South Australia, B 3456, PRG 1218/3 or OH 456/1, Digital Collections, South Australiana Collection, Photographs, A. d. Edwardes Collection, https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+1373/6/67

Sailing ships; barks; barques;

ca. 1902. Stone masons pause to be photographed circa 1902 before resuming work cutting stone to be used in the construction of the Carnegie Library at 1102 Tacoma Avenue South. The sandstone used came from both Wilkeson and Tenino. Industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie had donated $75,000 for the construction of a new Tacoma Public Library near So. 12th and Tacoma Avenue So. The 85th Carnegie Library to be built in the United States opened on June 4, 1903, as the first Carnegie Library in the State of Washington. Thousands attended the grand opening until 10:30 that night.

Stone cutting--Tacoma; Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1903. Noted Northwest marine photographer Wilhelm Hester photographed the crew of the "Buckingham" circa 1903 with grain elevator A on Tacoma's waterfront in the background. The men were under the command of William Roberts and all were neatly dressed in suits. There was also one woman in the center of the group, perhaps a family member of one of the crew. Wilhelm Hester, a Seattle resident, had offices in Tacoma's Bernice Building at 1106-08 Pacific Ave. for several years in the first decade of the 20th century. He took photographs of ships and sailors on the Tacoma, Seattle and Port Blakely waterfronts. This ship was probably in port to pick up a cargo of flour.

Shipping--Tacoma--1900-1910; Cargo ships--Tacoma--1900-1910; Waterfronts--Tacoma--1900-1910; Grain elevators--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1903. Salmon weir under construction in White River, four miles south east of Auburn and near or within the south west boundary of the Mucklesoot Reservation. The structure seems to be complete except for the wattled screen. A horizontal pole suspended by a cord is being installed by the workers. This snapshot was taken when two youths were on a hike in the summer of 1903. Photo by Elmer E. Patten. Mr. E. D. VanWinkle, of Auburn, furnished the print of which this is a copy. (Caption from the typed note on the back of the photo.) (Donated by Arthur Ballard) TPL-8040

Fishing weirs--Washington;

ca. 1903. The lake at Point Defiance, circa 1903. Much of the early design of Point Defiance can be laid at the feet of Welsh landscape gardener, and Point Defiance's first superintendent, Ebenezer Roberts. He saw the park as an island of peace and beauty to be used and enjoyed by the people of Tacoma. He also sought to preserve its wildness. He was also one of the forces behind the city obtaining sole ownership of the park in 1905. His vision of rustic beauty shaped the early look of the park. In those days, the animals were housed in the pens seen behind the lake. Elk, bison and deer would gather to eat at the animal pavilions, the small buildings in the pens. Ducks inhabited the lake. In the photograph, a woman in a floor length skirt stands at the top of the lake, taking in its beauty.

Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Parks--Tacoma; Lakes & ponds--Tacoma;

ca. 1903. This large Victorian style home with veranda at 107 South G Street was the residence of Col. Marshall K. Snell, prominent Tacoma attorney, who practiced in the State of Washington for more than fifty years. Another view of the house can be seen at TPL 1021 with a few landscaping differences. Col. Snell, an Iowa native who was educated at the University of Wisconsin, came to Tacoma in 1888. He was involved in criminal defense and later corporate law. His second wife Bertha was the first woman to be admitted to practice in Washington and became her husband's law partner throughout the rest of his life. Col. Snell made time for a variety of interests besides law including breeding and showing horses, farming problems and solutions and developing good roads to make marketing farmers products easier and more beneficial to the growers. School, church and community center sites were donated by Col. Snell for the betterment of others. Col. Snell would pass away in Tacoma on April 19, 1939, at the age of 79. (Downs, Winfield, Encyclopedia of Northwest Biography, p. 109-110-article)

Snell, Marshall K.--Homes & haunts;

ca. 1903. Rhodes Brothers horse drawn delivery wagon, circa 1903. When the Rhodes Brothers store opened in 1903, they employed four horse drawn delivery wagons. The name of the store was printed boldly on the side, and the wagons were kept busy delivering throughout the area. By 1912, the horses were retired and replaced by automobiles. (photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)

Department stores--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma);

ca. 1904. The Tacoma Public Library, built with funds from industrialist Andrew Carnegie, was dedicated in 1903. The stacks area, where most of the Library's books were shelved (shown at the rear of the picture,) was "closed," meaning that the librarian retrieved books for the patron. The librarians worked behind the wooden, windowed structure at the rear center of the picture much like tellers in a bank. Pictured in the foreground is the top of the white Vermont marble staircase. Above can be seen the decorative stained glass dome. Graceful Ionic columns support the high ceilings. The original glass dome was damaged in the 1949 earthquake. In 1952, a new main library was built adjoining the Carnegie building and the older building was used for storage and meeting rooms. A 5.1 million dollar renovation in 1990 remodeled the newer building and restored the Carnegie Library. This room is now home to the Library's NW Room/ Special Collection Department.

Public Libraries--Tacoma; Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma);

ca. 1904. U.S.S. Tacoma on maiden voyage to Tacoma after being commissioned on January 30, 1904. She was laid down on September 27, 1900, at Mare Island, California by Union Iron Works and launched on June 2, 1903. The ship was the second "Tacoma" and was Cruiser No. 18. She was under the command of Comdr. R.F. Nicholson. After her visit to Tacoma she voyaged to Hawaii in the spring of 1904 and then, after returning to San Francisco, proceeded to sail for Cape Horn. In the next couple of years the busy "Tacoma" voyaged to Hispaniola, Europe and the Mediterranean. She spent the next ten years providing service on the east coast and cruising the Caribbean and West Indies to protect American interests there. More cruising involving the Canal Zone, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras followed. After a short spell in reserve, she once again began patrolling in 1912 where she cruised the Gulf of Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. The "Tacoma" cruised the Mexican coast in 1914 and then to Haiti. After another stint in reserve in 1916 she was fully commissioned for patrol duty. The warship made five round trips to Europe protecting US convoys once the United States entered World War l. The "Tacoma" ran aground on January 16, 1924 near Vera Cruz. She was unable to be freed and her name was struck from the Navy list in February of 1924. (Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, p.7-8-article)

Cruisers (Warships)--United States--1900-1910;

ca. 1904. Interior of Tacoma Public Library. Originating in Grace Moore's South Tacoma home in 1886 from the donated volumes of 18 women friends, Puget Sound's first circulating library grew towards this ornate structure. In 1893, the 2,000 volumes in Mrs. Moore's Mercantile Library were given for free to the city of Tacoma as a public library. The library was housed in a series of buildings until it moved to City Hall. In 1901, the Reverend Calvin Stewart, a Presbyterian minister, obtained for the city a promise of $75,000 from industrialist Andrew Carnegie for the construction of a library. The donation was made on the condition that the city provide a suitable site and $7,500 yearly in maintenance. Tacoma would soon have the 85th Carnegie library built in the United States and the first in the state of Washington. It was designed by the New York architectural firm of Jardine, Kent and Jardine in the Renaissance style. The building featured a grand staircase of White Vermont marble, an ornate copper clad dome, decorative ceiling stenciling, Ionic columns and high ceilings. It was dedicated June 4, 1903. At the rear of the photograph behind the columns is the public reading room, the area is now occupied by the rare book room. To the right is the wooden structure that housed the librarian, who retrieved books from the closed stacks behind them. Potted plants and ornate lighting fixtures complete the opulent setting. ("A History of Pierce County Washington" volume 3, pg. 99)

Public Libraries--Tacoma; Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma);

ca. 1904. In November of 1903, Henry A. Rhodes opened his grand emporium at 11th and C (now Broadway) Streets in one of Tacoma's first big building projects to be completed after the "Panic" of the 1890's. The new Rhodes Brothers department store was modeled after Philadelphia's Wanamakers and Chicago's Marshall Fields. With its three floors of new merchandise, it was a far cry from the one room tea and coffee shop opened by Mr. Rhodes in 1892. For its three day Grand Opening, an orchestra played while Tacomans visited in droves to admire the decorations and elegant window displays. (Photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)

Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma;

The four masted steel barque 'Springburn', 2655 tons, under sail [steel 4 mast barque, 2655 tons, ON98318, 296.0 x 45.6 x 25.7. Built 1892 (2) Barclay, Curle and Co. Glasgow. Owners: R Shankland and Co., registered Greenock, 1906 sold to AD Bordes et Fils, and renamed 'Alexandre'. Sunk during WW1. State Library of South Australia, B 3456, PRG 1218/3 or OH 456/1, Digital Collections, South Australiana Collection, Photographs, A. d. Edwardes Collection, https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+1373/11/90

Sailing ships; Barques; Barks;

ca. 1904. Col. Patterson (seated) of Vashon Island led the fifth annual encampment of Cadets at Camp Murray, American Lake, in 1904. Cadets from several Washington state high schools including Tacoma (now called Stadium) High School and Seattle High School posed with their commanding officer. Some of the Tacoma boys have been identified as : Harry Van Eaton (standing, second from left); Ray Baker (kneeling, far left); Walter Schwarz (Schwartz)(second from right). Ray Baker was the 2nd Lt. for the 1903-04 school year. Harry Van Eaton was elected Captain of the Tacoma High School Cadets the following June, replacing Walter Schwarz (Schwartz) who was Captain at the time of the encampment.

Cadets--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1900-1910; Van Eaton, Harry; Baker, Ray; Schwarz, Walter; Schwartz, Walter; Military training--Camp Murray;

ca. 1904. Interior of the Red Front Saloon, 5244 South Union (now South Tacoma Way), circa 1904. The saloon was located on the west side of the 5200 block of South Union. Besides the usual beer and other alcoholic beverages, the Red Front offered its clientele pool and billiards on at least three tables. The pool tables were covered up to prevent dust or spillage until wanted by customers.

Red Front Saloon (Tacoma); Bars--Tacoma--1900-1910; Eating & drinking facilities--Tacoma--1900-1910; Billiards--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1904. Students and teacher on the front steps of a school, probably Franklin School, 3210 So. 12th St., circa 1904. Class sizes in 1904 at Franklin averaged 48 children with one teacher. Franklin School (first named Pierce's Addition School and then renamed shortly after opening in honor of Benjamin Franklin) had the distinction of being older than Washington statehood. It opened in October of 1889 and Washington became the 42nd state in November of the same year. The original Franklin School would stand until 1910 when overcrowding forced the construction of a new school . The old school with gables and bell tower was sold for $250 and hauled away for scrap lumber. A new Franklin arose nearby at 3202 So. 12th St. where it would remain until its demolition in 1997. The third Franklin School was then built in 1998 at 1402 So. Lawrence St. (Olsen: For the Record, p. 59-article; TNT 4-10-97, SL3-article, various photos)

Public schools--Tacoma--1900-1910; School children--Tacoma--1900-1910; Teachers--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1904. This is the exterior of the Rhodes Brothers store at 950 C Street (now Broadway) as it looked from its Grand Opening in November of 1903 until its first remodel in 1907. Rhodes was founded by Henry A. Rhodes in 1892 in a small storefront at 932 C St. Through the years, the tea and coffee shop moved into progressively larger quarters and added glassware, crockery, stationery, books and dry goods to its wares. Henry Rhodes was joined in business by his brothers Will and Albert. In the early 1900's, Henry Rhodes proposed building a grand mercantile establishment on the order of Marshall Fields or Wanamakers. A lease was signed for a new, three story building at 11th and C (Broadway) Sts with Russell & Heath as architects. The new emporium, pictured, had its formal opening November 5-7, 1903, which attracted thousands of admiring visitors. At that time Rhodes Brothers employed 100 clerks and four delivery wagons. (Photo donated by the Rhodes Reunion Comm.) (TDL 11/8/1903, p.17; "A History of Pierce County Washington", Vol. 3, pg 73-77)

Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1900-1910;

Harness gleaming and bedecked in garlands, the huge bays of Chemical Engine Co. No. 1 were ready to participate in the Tacoma Rose Carnival Parade on June 22,1905 . The parade was just one of the many activities in the three day festival which included band concerts, water pageants, a children's parade and a carnival ball. Chemical Co. No. 1, Engine Co. No. 1, and the hook and ladder Co. No. 1 from the Saint Helens station were chosen to represent the Tacoma Fire Department during the parade. Chief George McAlevy had wanted to furnish a larger display but reconsidered due to the city's need in case of fires. Chemical Engine Co. No. 1 was housed in the Fire Department headquarters at 9th & A Streets in downtown Tacoma. It would remain there until 1916 when it was put out of service. Photograph taken on June 22, 1905, by B. Waters. (Tacoma Daily News, 6-21-05, p. 3, Tacoma Daily News, 6-22-05, p. 1)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire fighters--Tacoma--1900-1910; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Horses--Tacoma; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1900-1910; Rose Carnival (Tacoma);

In 1905, Sarsaparilla, the pampered pooch of the Tacoma police force, was famous for using his ugly mug to "sweat" a confession out of suspects. "Sas," as he was known, had been left at the police station when only a few days old and was raised on a bottle. The bull dog was soon known as the ugliest dog in Tacoma. When a suspect was brought into Police Chief Malony's office for questioning, "Sas" only had to be called from his blanket in the Chief's office, fix his slanted eyes on the criminal and the information began to flow. (TDN 10/28/1905, pg. 17)

Bulldogs; Dogs--Tacoma--1900-1910; Police dogs;

ca. 1905. Peter Olson behind the wheel of an unidentified make of limousine, possibly a Packard, at the entrance to Wright Park. The 1905 Tacoma City Directory listed Mr. Olson's occupation as coachman and his residence as 318 North E., the home of Capt. Everett G. Griggs. Capt. Griggs had built a new carriage house and stables that year. Peter Olson later became the driver for the W.R. Rust family.

Olson, Peter; Limousines--Tacoma; Chauffeurs--Tacoma; Wright Park (Tacoma);

ca. 1905. Interior view of a room in the Marshall K. Snell home circa 1905. Col. Snell was a prominent attorney in Tacoma for over fifty years. He and wife Bertha lived at 107 South G St. This room is possibly the parlor/reading room with delicate wallpaper, fine rugs and flowered pillows juxtaposed with sturdy leather rocking chairs and a fierce bear rug. Several paintings adorn the walls.

Snell, Marshall K.--Homes & haunts;

ca. 1905. Peoples department store had been featuring the latest fashions since its opening in 1888. By 1905 it was located at 1101-07 Pacific Avenue and provided an elegant atmosphere for discriminating shoppers. The abundance of flowers shown above, including sprays of lilies, probably denoted the coming of the annual spring white sales. (TNT 10-1-1963,B-4-photographs of old Peoples Store)

Peoples (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1900-1910; Women--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1900-1910;