ca. 1888. Titled "Loading Wheat for Gt. Britain, Tacoma, W.T. 1888" this lantern slide shows several sailing ships at dock next to the Puget Sound Flouring Mills Co. Warehouses. The railroad tracks in the foreground are Northern Pacific tracks. TPL-8716

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1880-1890; Sailing ships--Tacoma--1880-1890; Puget Sound Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma); Railroad tracks--Tacoma--1880-1890;

ca. 1888. This photograph from 1888 shows the Hotel Fife, 742-50 Pacific Ave., as it appeared shortly after it was built. It stood on the north west corner of 9th and Pacific. This photograph is looking up 9th street. There is a horse drawn wagon standing in front of the hotel. The hotel was demolished in 1925. TPL-9660

Hotels--Tacoma--1880-1890; Hotel Fife (Tacoma); Commercial streets--Tacoma--1880-1890

ca. 1912. This unidentified boy is seated on a Flanders 4 motorcycle parked outside on grass while a man, several feet away, looks on in this circa 1912 photograph. The Flanders 4 was built for "all-round serious service, day in and day out, and especially on rough roads." The motorcycle was not meant for kids nor for speedsters but for those desiring a safe and dependable ride. The Flanders Mfg. Co. of Pontiac, Michigan, sold this model "4" motorcycle to RFD carriers who were certain to encounter errant road conditions or bad weather while on their carrier routes. The price was $175 at the factory and it was guaranteed unequivocally. (scanned from negative, no print on file) GDOE-168 (www.postalmuseum.si.edu/rfdmarketing) TPL-10532

Motorcycles; Houses--1910-1920;

ca. 1918. This photograph of William Thomas Case, in uniform, was probably taken during his basic training at Fort Worden around 1918. Mr. Case took his training at this fort near Port Townsend that protects the Strait of Juan de Fuca. He was trained to crew a large cannon during the first World War. The second of eight children, Mr. Case was born in Arkansas City, Kansas. He came to Washington in 1900 and Tacoma in 1913. He went to work for Henry Foss in September of 1915 as a deckhand on the tugs and launches. He worked his way through the ranks at Foss Launch & Tug Co. becoming a skipper and finally the chief dispatcher for the fleet of tugs and launches. He was the longest serving employee of Foss and one of the company's most valued. He was the skipper of Foss #12 for six years, the second oldest tug in the line, and one that served the city as a fireboat, the only one for the harbor until the city of Tacoma acquired their own. Mr. Case died in 1956 at the age of 59 after a year long illness. (photograph courtesy of the collection of William T. Case) (TNT 4/15/1956, pg. A-12)

Case, William T.; Uniforms--United States--World War, 1914-1918;

ca. 1935. William T. Case hard at work at his desk at the Foss Launch & Tug Co.'s floating office at 400 Dock St. In November of 1932, the original Foss offices at this location caught fire. Mr. Case discovered the fire and helped escort out the 20 people asleep on the premises, saving their lives. The Foss family scouted about for a viable substitute for their destroyed building. They found the first seaplane hangar in the Northwest on sale in Seattle. The huge building floated on a scow and was used by Eddie Hubbard, pioneer aviator, to house his hydroplane on Lake Union. It was purchased, towed to Tacoma and remodeled. The main deck contained the repair shop for tugs and the store for needed provisions. The second deck contained offices, bunk rooms, an apartment for Mr. Case and his family, a recreation room and company accountant Oscar Iverson's rooms. Heavy winds could cause the building to rock and more than once big freighters in the waterway came a little too close. (TNT 10/9/1935)

Case, William T.; Foss Launch & Tug Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1898. Johnson Nickeus, Mayor of Tacoma 1898 and 1899. Mr. Nickeus came to Washington around 1892, an already elderly man seeking milder weather. He brought with him the experience garnered in his long political and legal career; having served from 1883-86 in the Dakota legislature, as well as the Attorney General of that area and two years as a Consul to South America under President Benjamin Harrison. He was elected Mayor of Tacoma in April of 1898. In August of 1899, he was charged by a grand jury with "attempting to receive" a sizable bribe from C.P. Hurley, manager of the Tacoma Gas and Electric Light Co., in connection with a compromise of a million dollar suit against Light and Water. He went to trial on September 10, 1899. On the morning of September 14th, after arguing all night, the jury declared itself deadlocked 6 to 6. In April of 1900, Tacoma selected a new Mayor. (TDL 8/18/1899, pg. 1; 9/12/1899, pg. 1; 9/15/1899, pg. 3)

Nickeus, Johnson; Mayors--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1906. John Mason house. John Mason and family including: (l to r, standing) Robert Mason, and Lyde Wilson Wray; (l to r, sitting) woman believed to be Robert Mason's wife, John Paul Mason, Virginia (Mrs. John Quincy) Mason, Anita Noel Mason (with Ted Mason on her lap), and John Quincy Mason. Anita Noel Mason was the wife of Thomas Mason, who is not pictured. This family portrait was taken circa 1906. Mrs. John Quincy Mason had designed this Colonial home which was built in 1905. Her pioneer husband would pass away in 1920 and she died in 1936. (From the collection of David Kenworthy) (Additional identification provided by a reader)

Mason, John--Homes & haunts; Mason, John--Family; Mason, Virginia; Mason, Robert; Wray, Lyde Wilson; Mason, John Paul; Mason, Anita Noel; Mason, Ted; Mason, John Quincy; Families--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1910. Clarence R. Sharpe, Manager, (2nd from left) standing in front of the Longmire Springs Hotel in this circa 1910 photograph. From the collection of Beverly Knoll.

Longmire Springs Hotel; Mount Rainier National Park (Wash.); Sharpe, Clarence R.;

ca. 1888. Unidentified baby photographed by Isaac G. Davidson in Tacoma, W.T., circa 1888. The infant is wearing a loose fitting, long sleeved outfit and looks unsmilingly at the cameraman.

Infants--Tacoma; Children--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1880-1890;

ca. 1880. Charles Hebard and Franke Tobey Jones taken before they moved to Tacoma from Michigan.

ca. 1931. Man with an artificial left arm hanging wallpaper.

Wallpaper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Artificial limbs; Amputees

ca. 1932. A staged photograph taken for the Unemployed Citizens League of Tacoma showing five women doing various kinds of needlework. The woman at the front left appears to be doing crocheting or hooking. The woman at the right seems to be doing needlepoint. The woman seated to the right toward the back may be doing crewel work, and the woman who is standing seems to be knitting. The photograph was taken in a private residence. There is an American flag hanging over the fireplace, and a chalkboard on the wall.

Needlework--Tacoma--1930-1940; Flags--United States

ca. 1880. Alexander Smith (A.S.) Abernethy, elected Mayor of Tacoma September 6, 1882. Mr. Abernethy served as Mayor in 1882 & 1883. He was born in New York in 1813. In 1850, he was asked by his older brother George to come to the Northwest to manage the Oak Point (saw) Mill. George Abernethy (1807-1877) went on to become Oregon's first Governor. Alexander Abernethy was Oak Point's most prominent citizen from 1850-1880, campaigning for Washington Territory and later serving as a Republican in local political positions. He had a land claim west of Longview in Cowlitz County. Already an elderly man when he served as Mayor, he died five years later in February of 1888 and was buried in the family cemetary on his land claim. (History of Stella, Oak Point, Eufaula, Coal Creek and Surrounding Areas; US GenWeb Archives)

Abernethy, Alexander Smith; Mayors--Tacoma--1880-1890;

ca. 1916. Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Highway, Oregon, circa 1916 as photographed by Portland photographers Arthur B. Cross and Edward L. Dimmitt. The men teamed up to form the firm of "Cross & Dimmitt" in 1916. They sold real photo post cards of Portland, Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood off the running boards of their Model T at Crown Point as the Columbia River Highway was under construction. This view of the cascading 611-foot tall Multnomah Falls was one of theirs. Multnomah Falls, about a 30 minute drive east of Portland, remains a spectacular sight year round as it does not dry up during the late summer months. (www.pdxhistory.com/html/post_card_history-article; www.oregon.com/attractions-article)

Waterfalls; Multnomah Falls (Oregon); Scenic overlooks;

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. 1950. Simpler form of funnel snare woven of willowstems. Designed to trap the steelhead trout on its return downstream in the early spring of the year. The proportions of the snare are somewhat distorted owing to the nearness of the camera. (Caption taken from the typed note on the back of the photo) (Donated by Arthur Ballard) TPL-8042

Fishing nets--Washington;

ca. 1938. Dickman Lumber, 2423 Ruston Way. This aerial view, taken circa 1938, shows vast stacks of lumber ready to be loaded onto ships. Dickman Lumber was located just south of the present Old Town dock. It was purchased in 1922 by Leonard Howarth and Ralph L. Dickman, Sr. Dickman Lumber was closed in September of 1977 and its mill destroyed by fire in January of 1979.

Aerial photographs; Dickman Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1958. Aerial view of No. 30th Street and Ruston Way. The largest street running vertically in the photograph is No. 30th Street. The street running along side of the water is Ruston Way. Just below the bottom of the picture is the intersection with Starr Street. The next street (that crosses the railroad tracks) is McCarver. The businesses running along Ruston Way (from the bottom up) are the Ocean Fish Mart, the Top of the Ocean nightclub, a small office building, Tacoma Boat Mart and the Dickman Lumber Mill (the largest group of buildings.) TPL-8657

Aerial photographs--Tacoma--1950-1960; Ocean Fish Mart (Tacoma); Top of the Ocean (Tacoma); Dickman Lumber Mill (Tacoma);

ca. 1961. Aerial looking south by Oswald Flying Service of the neighborhoods including the Lincoln district circa 1961. Lincoln High School (701 So. 37th) and Lincoln Bowl are near the top right adjacent to So. "G" St. Cartozian & Sons Rug Co., in the large old Bye Thompson Motors building at 3320 So. "G," is further north. The massive stand of trees is part of Lincoln Park. The street to the left of "G" is Tacoma Avenue. The big building in the upper center on Tacoma Avenue is the St. Joseph Catholic Church, at the corner of So. 34th & Tacoma Ave. Holy Rosary Catholic Church, school and rectory (in the 500 block of So. 30th) are near the bottom center of the photograph. Delin St. is at the very bottom of the picture. At the upper left corner of the photograph is Pacific Avenue. Mountain View General Hospital (later renamed Puget Sound General Hospital in 1969) is at 3572 Pacific Ave., the large set of buildings near the upper left corner. G9.1-112

Aerial photographs; Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1960-1970; Streets--Tacoma--1960-1970; Holy Rosary Church (Tacoma); Lincoln High School (Tacoma); Lincoln Bowl (Tacoma); Cartozian & Sons Rug Co. (Tacoma); St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Tacoma);

W.L. Feeney, the manager of the RKO Pantages Theater, organized a very special "real old fashioned mutts" dog show on April 19, 1930 to welcome the Weaver Brothers comedy team to Tacoma. The winners of the show were: (l to r) Earl Robinson with his two month old puppy Spot, second place; Dickie Dale Simmons with first place winner Bud; and Harold Hilderman with his $1.00 cash prize winning pooch Jiggs. Four year old Dickie made sure that no one could run off with his prize winning pet; Bud was tied to his arms with a thick rope. The dog show was followed by a blackberry pie eating contest and a parade down Broadway. The Weaver Brothers, Charlie, Abner and Cicero, were most famous for introducing the musical handsaw to vaudeville as a musical instrument. They were appearing in Tacoma on a bill with the Richard Dix all talking comedy "Lovin' the Ladies." Seats were 25 cents before 1p.m. (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 4/20/1930, pg. A-7)

Robinson, Earl; Simmons, Dickie Dale; Hilderman, Harold; Dogs; Dog shows--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1930. Ox and cow pulling a hay filled wagon past an advertisement for Rhodes Brothers Store, circa 1930. The sign was the famous "All roads lead to Rhodes" version. When Henry A. Rhodes opened his modern emporium at 950 Broadway, he envisioned these signs bringing newcomers to Tacoma and his store. The signs were posted on all major roads around the Puget Sound, listing the distance from that point to the Rhodes store and stating "All roads lead to Rhodes." (photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)

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

Undated photograph of Allan Clark and his Indian head sculpture, possibly one of ten heads commissioned in 1930. Allan Clark was born in 1896 in Missoula Mt. to Harry and Bessie Clark. The elder Clark's work with the railroad brought him to Tacoma around 1908 and Allan Clark was raised here. He attended Stadium High School and Puget Sound College before continuing his art education at the Chicago Institute of Art. His work reflected his travels and study in the Orient from 1924-27 and his 20 years of residency in Santa Fe, NM. His sculptures are housed in museums across the country, although many of the smaller pieces are still in private collections. His largest commission was the sculpting of 21 figures that adorn the Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington, Seattle. He was killed in a car accident in 1950, at the age of 53. CLARK-002

Sculpture--Tacoma; Clark, Allan, 1896-1950; Sculptors--Tacoma; Artists--Tacoma;

ca. 1916. J.E. "Ed" Hahn and Bill Gray (behind steering wheel), foreman and sales manager, respectively, of the Gerlinger Motor Car Co., are seated on a Gersix truck ca. 1916 while a band plays in the rear. The Gerlinger Motor Car Company, 3011 South Fife Street, manufactured 6-cylinder, structural steel trucks in Tacoma beginning in 1915. This particular truck may have been the third truck manufactured by the Tacoma Company. Gerlinger Motor Car Co. eventually became the Kenworth Motor Truck Co., a leading producer of custom trucks. A Kenworth dealership opened in Tacoma in 1929 and both Bill Gray and Ed Hahn worked there for many years. Mr. Gray left in 1940; Mr. Hahn stayed until 1950. Photograph provided by Robert (Bob) Hahn, Ed Hahn's son.

Hahn, J.E.; Gray, Bill; Trucks--Tacoma--1910-1920; Gerlinger Motor Car Co. (Tacoma);

Inside hanger at Tacoma Field. Four airplanes are clearly visible, a single-wing tri-motor passenger plane and three bi-planes. Two of the bi-planes are marked Bennett Air Transportation Inc. Photograph was taken in March of 1931.

Airplanes--Lakewood--1930-1940; Bennett Air Transportation Inc. (Lakewood); Tacoma Field (Lakewood);

ca. 1928. A man with a fuel can stands next to a Red Crown Gasoline truck as two men work at fueling a biplane.

Biplanes--Tacoma--1920-1930; Fuel tanks;

ca. 1929. Two men work at filling a plane with fuel from a truck that has two signs on it that read Red Crown Gasoline. This photograph was taken circa 1929.

Airplanes--Tacoma--1920-1930; Fuel tanks;

ca. 1929. People crowd around to view Harold Bromley's airplane, the "City of Tacoma," at the Tacoma Field. This picture was probably taken on July 19, 1929 when Bromley arrived at Tacoma Field after a flight of 8 hours 17 minutes from Los Angeles in his new bright orange Lockheed Vega monoplane. To the right was the temporary hangar erected for the plane, a wooden framework covered by canvas. The city also erected a new 5400 foot runway for the flight. Bromley and his plane had captured the attention and newspaper headlines of Tacoma. The newspapers rang out "Tacoma to Tokyo!" Bromley was planning, with the backing of Tacoma businessmen, to make the first transPacific flight, a distance of 4,762 miles. It would be the longest flight segment ever flown. Thousands crowded the airfield to see the plane and history in the making. On July 28, 1929, Bromley's roared down the runway from the top of a ramp. It proceeded down the runway before veering off to the left and crashing nose first in the ground. A dazed Bromley descended from the cockpit, now 9 feet from the ground due to the plane's 45 degree angle, unhurt.The plane had crashed when gasoline from the overloaded tanks blinded Bromley. The crowds rushed the plane in a mob, held off by a ring of firemen and officers surrounding the gasoline soaked plane.

Bromley, Harold--Associated objects; Airplanes--Tacoma--1920-1930; Aeronautics--Tacoma--1920-1930;