American Smelter and Refining Company (ASARCO) was celebrating 50 years of business with an open-house. ASARCO was founded in 1899 in New Jersey, by Henry H. Rogers and associates. The original smelter at this local site was founded by five Tacoma businessmen, the company merged with ASARCO in 1905. View of ten unidentified ASARCO employees standing in front of a welcome sign (T.N.T., 4/3/49, p. A-15 & 4/5/49, p. 1).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Celebrations--Tacoma; Copper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Smelters--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma)--Anniversaries;

Upwards of 7,000 people from throughout the Puget Sound region visited the ASARCO smelter on April 4, 1949 when the American Smelting & Refining Co. held an open house to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The smelter in Tacoma was actually over 50 years old at the time, having been started in 1890 by W. R. Rust. The celebration marked the anniversary of ASARCO which was founded in 1899 and bought the Tacoma smelter in 1905. (T.N.T., 4/3/49, p. A-15 & 4/5/49, p. 1).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Celebrations--Tacoma; Smelters--Tacoma; Spectators--Tacoma; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma)--Anniversaries; Smokestacks--Tacoma;

American Smelter and Refining Company (ASARCO) was celebrating 50 years of business with an open-house. ASARCO was proud of their continuous modernization of their facilities, and the local Tacoma plant had recently undergone modifications and was about to expand their production of products. View of people who attended ASARCO's open house (T.N.T., 4/3/49, p. A-15 & 4/5/49, p. 1).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Celebrations--Tacoma; Smelters--Tacoma; Spectators--Tacoma; Copper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma)--Anniversaries;

Aerial view of American Smelting & Refining Co's (ASARCO) smokestack, smelter plant and surrounding area. The plant occupied a large area near Point Defiance with its own docks for shipping. The smokestack at 562 feet dominated the skyline for miles around. Thousands lined up in 1993 to say goodbye to this landmark when it was imploded.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1950-1960; Copper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The George R. Marvin Co. was a steel fabrication plant located on Taylor Way in the Tideflats. Besides manufacturing cranes and other hoists, they also were involved in fabricated steel products. A model in an October 4, 1957, photograph is examining a piece of machinery manufactured by the Marvin Co. The exact use of the product is not known; it does appear to be solidly constructed and capable of containing either solids or liquids. What appears to be an Air Force fuel tank is in the background of the photograph. Photograph ordered by the George R. Marvin Co.

George R. Marvin Co. (Tacoma); Steel industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel's works were booming in the 1950's, necessitating a $25 million dollar expansion in Seattle, as well as improvements and new construction elsewhere. New electric furnaces promised to boost steelmaking capacity 70% to 420,000 tons annually. Workers are pictured on March 6, 1958, seemingly dwarfed by the size of the huge equipment used in the Seattle plant. A cascade of sparks and smoke stream from an open hearth. The men are wearing hard hats and long coats for protection.

Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle); Steel industry--Seattle; Industrial facilities--Seattle;

Ace Furnace & Steel Co. were steel fabricators whose plant was located at 3740 South Union Avenue. One of their trucks and trailers was loaded with large storage tanks when photographed in front of the company on October 16, 1954. There was plenty of advertising on the truck and trailer, and also on the tanks. The steel firm had expanded their business in the early 1930's which eventually led to including transport of their products to customers. Ace Furnace manufactured furnaces, tanks, gasoline tanks and pre-fabricated steel gas stations. According to the 1954 City Directory, Ace Furnace was owned by Alvin T. Davies; he also owned Birchfield Boiler and Tacoma Boiler Works. Photograph ordered by Ace Furnace & Steel Co.

Ace Furnace & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Storage tanks--Tacoma; Metalworking--Tacoma; Signs (Notices);

Workmen balance high atop the roof of a new hangar at McChord Field on September 24, 1954. They are in the process of inserting steel sections. One of the building's sides is already in place. The hangars were used to house and repair aircraft and were apparently made basically out of steel components rather than wood. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corporation.

Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle); Building construction; Progress photographs; Steel; Hangars;

Photo of a worker running a sheet of metal through a large piece of machinery at Ace Furnace & Steel Co. This machine is either a shear press or a brace press. The company was built in 1930 and was owned by Alvin T. Davies. Davies also owned North End Lockers and was the president of Birchfield Boiler Inc. and Tacoma Boiler Works. He and his wife Ellen lived on Day Island. Ace Furnace produced steel and sheet metal products- furnaces, tanks, stacks and did electrical welding.

Ace Furnace & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Iron construction--Tacoma; Iron & steel workers--Tacoma; Metalworking--Tacoma;

A tire with a new type of tire chains attached to it. The castings for the chains' components were made by Fick Foundry Company.

Fick Foundry Co. (Tacoma); Cast ironwork--Tacoma; Tires;

A view of the yard at George R. Marvin's plant on the Tacoma tideflats was taken on August 14, 1952. Stacks of materials used in the manufacture of cranes, special hoists and machinery of fabricated structural steel are stacked around the yard and a man is operating a mobile crane near the center. A long tank truck is seen at the rear.

George R. Marvin Co. (Tacoma); Steel industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hoisting machinery;

ca. 1893. Tacoma smelter. This photograph of the Tacoma Smelting & Refining Co. (previously named the Ryan Smelter) was taken for the New England Magazine and published in their February, 1893, issue. The smelter was owned by prominent businessman William R. Rust who had purchased it four years before. The smelter was originally built to produce lead but in a few short years, would become a major supplier of copper. A comparison of an earlier view of the smelter, taken circa 1888, now shows a completed pier on the right and an additional large building on the property. In 1905 the American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) bought the company and it remained an important part of Tacoma's economy until its closure in 1985. (New England Magazine - February, 1893 p.800) (Scan of original print - no negative or print on file)

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

ca. 1906. Tacoma smelter smokestack. At the time of its completion in 1905, this was the largest concrete chimney in the world. It was located on the grounds of the American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) plant in Ruston. It would be superceded by the 571-foot smokestack completed in 1917. (Tacoma New Herald Annual NWR 917.97 T119N 1906)

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

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;

A lumber carrier built by Star Iron & Steel hard at work in a lumber yard in Enumclaw, WA.

Industries; Star Iron & Steel, Lumber, Enumclaw

Star Iron & Steel built lumber carrier at work in a lumber yard in Enumclaw, WA.

Industries; Star Iron & Steel; Lumber; Enumclaw;

Machinery at Star Iron &Steel Foundry at 435 E 11th St, Tacoma

Industries; Star Iron & Steel; Machinery; Tideflats

Cranes built by Star Iron & Steel for the ASARCO smelter at 5300 N 52nd St, Tacoma

Industries; ASARCO; Star Iron & Steel; Smelters;

Interior of a section of the Tacoma Smelter taken in March of 1919. This was the copper refinery. Copper anodes from the smelter were inserted between copper cathodes in a copper-sulfuric acid bath. Copper was transferred from the anode to the cathode. The two raised frameworks in the photograph's middle were stands for "slapping copper starter sheets" before they were inserted into the bath as cathodes. The American Smelting & Refining Co., better known by its acronym, ASARCO, was a major employer in Ruston for nearly a hundred years. G32.1-023 (Additional information provided by a reader)

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

ca. 1888. Tacoma smelter. This smelter on Ruston's waterfront was established as the Ryan Smelter in 1887 by Dennis Ryan. It was sold to William R. Rust in 1889 who then changed its name to the Tacoma Smelting & Refining Co. This photograph was taken around 1888 when the smelter was still in its early stages. Pilings jut out into the water at the right, tree stumps are abundantly scattered on the grounds, and the chimney in the photo's center was the first of three succeedingly larger smokestacks. The smelter would be sold to the American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO) in 1905. (Print owned by Thomas Martin. Copy on file)

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

Industrial building with laborer in hardhat working in the foreground.

American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), Tacoma. Worker grasping tongs as he reaches into small, industrial oven. For J. Gius, reporter.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Copper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

Tacoma Smelter. Once the tallest smoke stack in the world, the brick structure billows smoke as it looms far above the refinery's steel gates. The stack was imploded in the 1990s after the refinery closed. Unchanged, the traffic tunnel remains in use.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Copper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

Permanente Metals began production at their newly equipped aluminun plant on Taylor Way in Tacoma on October 31, 1947. Permanente purchased the former Olin Corp. facility, built in 1942, from the federal government and spent two years modernizing the plant. The remodeled Tacoma plant was the first in the nation to have self cleaning reduction pots with scrubbing systems, minimizing pollution released into the environment (PMC Annual Report, 1947-1948).

Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Aluminum; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma; Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma)--Employees;

Charles P. Love, General Superintendent of Permanente Metals, along with plant technicians activated the first pot line in Tacoma, making October 31, 1947 the first official day of operations. Other pot lines will be activated, once the plant can make certain everything is operating without problems. The plant is expected to be producing at full capacity by the end of November. View of plant technician checking dials and control system (T. Times, 10/31/47, p. 1).

Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Control rooms--Tacoma; Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma)--Employees;

Atlas Foundry, crane for Broderick & Bascomb, wire rope. Atlas Foundry and Machine Company supplied castings for firms building new machines which kept the company in touch with the general building up of all industries in the area after the war. (T.Times, 8/28/1946, p.5)

Atlas Foundry & Machine Co. (Tacoma); Foundries--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Atlas Foundry, crane for Broderick & Bascomb, wire rope. A crane is being used to set a pole alongside a railroad track. Atlas Foundry and Machine Company was engaged at this time in work for plywood, pulp and paper, railroad and other industries. The company reports work was coming in from all over the west coast. This photograph was used in a newspaper article, Tacoma News Tribune, February 14, 1950, about the poles manufactured by Cascade Pole Company, located on Port of Tacoma Road, that were used for telephone and telegraph poles throughout the world. (T.Times, 8/28/1946, p.5)

Atlas Foundry & Machine Co. (Tacoma); Hoisting machinery; Railroad cars--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Star Iron and Steel Company, interior of plant showing machinery. The information from the upper right corner is: S328 - 1945; Typical Turret Frame Assembly for 50 Ton Capacity Dry Dock Crane, Star Iron & Steel Co., Tacoma, Wash. The Star Iron and Steel Company manufactured heavy cranes and logging machinery. They made some of the largest and heaviest cranes used by the US navy and industry. (T. Times, 2/26/46)

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Steel industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Publicity shots at Permanente Metals, Bill Gorman. One of Permanente's employees sits at his desk checking lists of figures and order forms. A map of the United States hangs on the wall behind him. Clip boards of additional data also hang on the wall along with schedules. A telephone sits to his right on the desk. The man is wearing a sports jacket, a sweater vest and a tie. He also wears a large ring on his left hand. A pencil protrudes from his jacket pocket. TPL-4555

Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma)--Employees; Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Employees--Tacoma--1940-1950; Paperwork; Maps; Telephones;