The Tidewater Mill, on the east side of the Hylebos Waterway, was photographed on September 2, 1921 as the large steamship "Quinault" was being loaded with timber. The mill was built in 1918 on six acres of soggy land purchased from Gen. James Ashton. The land was filled in and the mill was built. It was one of only a handful on the Pacific Coast capable of producing the longest timbers. Tidewater could cut timbers up to 130 feet in length. The mill site's major advantage was 750 feet of deep water moorage, allowing the loading of several vessels at a time. (TDL 12/22/1918, pg. B-8) G49.1-071; TPL-9251
An unidentified mill in Tacoma's Tideflats was photographed by Marvin Boland in March of 1921. No workers are in sight. Piles of lumber are stacked throughout the yard. G36.1-043
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;
St. Paul & Tacoma lumber yard. This November, 1920, progress photograph shows a fuel conveyor belt being constructed 24 feet above the ground at the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. Two 2 ton locomotive cranes are pictured lifting a 106 foot truss into place. The 641 foot long aerial belt will run from the mill to a point on the waterway directly across from the Consumers Central Heating Co. The conveyor belt will be used to transport the mill's waste wood, formed into logs. The fuel will be dumped on barges and carried across to the heating plant where it will be burned to supply heat to the city. The conveyor belt was all wood with the exception of the belt itself and the roller bearings. Parallel chord lattice was used for the entire length with the exception of street crossings where 106 foot span Belfast type lattice trusses were used. (TDL 1/9/1921, pg. 6) TPL-2047; G36.1-163
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Belts & belting (Equipment); Fuel trade--Tacoma--1920-1930;
Side view of parked St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. No. 1 truck filled with stacks of what may be plywood. This April, 1920, photograph may have been taken at the company's downtown Tacoma yard. As noted through the doorless truck, there was no driver at the wheel. G36.1-160
St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--1920-1930;
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, Engine #10254. On an official test trip in March of 1920, a brand new Bi-polar engine pauses for some publicity shots. The class EP2 engine was manufactured by Alco-GE. The bi-polars were unique in design because the bi-polar fields for each motor were carried on the truck frame. The huge 265 ton, 3,240 hp bi-polars were designed specifically for passenger service in the Cascades and were an immediate success when put into service in 1920. Their top speed was rated at 70 mph and they could pull 1, 120 tons (14 cars) up a 2% grade at 25 mph. The electric locomotives were also unique in appearance, riding low on 44" drivers, and in sound, their trademark a distinctive high pitched shrill from their air whistles. (Charles and Dorothy Wood "Milwaukee Road West") G44.1-079, TPL-2379
Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroad cars--Tacoma; Railroads--Tacoma; Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Co. (Tacoma);
On March 5, 1920, cameras rolled as the electric powered "Olympian" pulled out from Tacoma and made history. This marked the formal opening of the Cascade division for electrically operated trains driven by 3000-volt current supplied by the glacier streams of the Cascades. Over 100 guests from Tacoma and Seattle (railroad officials, newsmen and politicos) were aboard a special pilot train that preceded the Olympian. The Olympian made its maiden electric powered ascent through the passages of the snow draped Cascades to its summit where the special train was sidetracked so the Olympian could continue on to Chicago. The special train would travel to Cle Elum and back to Tacoma. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul train reached speeds up to 60 mph with barely any effort and without puffs of black smoke. It descended as smoothly as it ascended, proving that cross country electrical trains were viable. G44.1-080 (TDL 3/6/1920, pg. 3; TNT 3-6-20, p. 1) TPL-2376
Railroad cars--Tacoma; Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroad companies--Tacoma; Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Railroads--Tacoma--1920-1930;
Linco Log & Lumber Co.; Yard engine. The versatility of the steam powered railroad was responsible for early advances in logging. By replacing animals as beasts of burden, they made it possible to harvest timber in the most inaccessible areas. During the 1920's, large scale locomotive operations flourished in the northwest. The system consisted of a main line with spurs, trackage that could be shifted constantly to follow the timber. With the aid of geared engines, such as the Shay locomotive, built from 1884-1945 by the Lima Locomotive Co., they could go into most mountainous areas despite the grade. The logs could then be "yarded," brought from the field into areas for shipment. (Labbe & Goe, Railroads in the Woods) G75.1-074; TPL-818
These plain, but functional, wooden cottages were built for loggers employed by the Linco Log & Lumber Co. The cottages, as seen in March of 1920, were planted in dirt and built tightly side-by-side. Railroad tracks ran directly in front of the houses. These homes are believed to have been located in the Lewis County logging camp owned by Gustaf Lindberg. Linco had an office in Morton and a sawmill in Lindberg, four miles northeast. The company employed 75 men. Gustaf Lindberg, a prominent Scandinavian businessman of Tacoma, had founded the town of Lindberg in 1911 as the company town for Linco. Originally named Coal Canyon, the town was destroyed by fire in 1918 and subsequently rebuilt and renamed for Mr. Lindberg. The town's population remained small and never exceeded 200. Gustaf Lindberg lost ownership of the town and it underwent several name changes. Only ruins of the mill, brick homes and company store remain. G69.1-151 (www.drizzle.com/~jtenlen/walewis/townsal.html)
This is a view of the Linco Log & Lumber Co. mill as seen in March of 1920. It was located in central Lewis County in the small logging community of Lindberg, just a few miles from Morton. Lindberg (formerly known as Coal Canyon) was founded by Tacoma businessman Gustaf Lindberg as the company town for Linco Log & Lumber. G36.1-081
West Fork Logging Co.; Spar Pole. One of the ways to get logs from a remote location to the railroad car was the use of "High Lead" logging. It involved a main cable passed from the engine drum of a "donkey" through a block at the top of a tall spar tree (or pole.) A spar was a 150 to over 200 foot tree with the branches trimmed away and the top lopped off by a "high climber." The cable, powered by the steam donkey, could then be used to pull the logs to the dump. West Fork Logging was located in Mineral in Lewis County and had an office in the Tacoma Building. L.T. Murray was the president and H.E. Post was the secretary. G75.1-091
West Fork Logging Co. (Mineral); Lumber industry--1920-1930;
In March of 1920, a steam donkey on a sled was photographed for the West Fork Logging Co. The donkey was used for pulling logs in from the woods. In its simplest form, a donkey was just a steam engine with a drum and a steel cable. The winch was used to pull in logs or load them. In this case, the boiler is mounted, along with the drums, on a sled to make the unit portable. The steam donkey replaced the logging horses and oxen with the power of steam. It was faster, cheaper and more reliable than animals. The West Fork Logging Co. was located in Mineral, about 14 miles north of Morton in Lewis County. It was owned and operated by L.T. Murray. G75.1-093; TPL-9856 (Labbe & Goe, Railroads in the Woods)
ca. 1919. Columbia Breweries. The early day bottling machine was a tedious, hand-operated contraption. A production of 500,000 bottles per year was regarded as somewhat stupendous. Wide belts connected with drive shafts located at the ceiling level operate these early assembly-line machines. Ordered by Columbia Breweries in 1951. (TNT, 1/7/1952) (This was a copy print made by the Richards Studio of a Marvin D. Boland photograph #B4392). TPL-9628. Previously cataloged as WO58568-2.
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Machinery; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma)--People; Bottles;
The Columbia Brewing Company was started in 1900 by three men with a capitalization of $50,000. William Kiltz was sales manager and Emile Kliese was owner, president and brewmaster. Their facilities, typical of the era, were primitive, but they were determined to make the finest beer possible. During the early stages of beer making malted barley was milled and the malt grain was mixed with pure water in a large wooden tub called a "mash tun". This "malt mash" was stired by hand with a long wooden paddle and then channeled or piped into large copper brew kettles where the "wort" was boiled with hops. This view shows the laboratory and mixing room in the bottling department of Columbia Brewing Company. The brewery was located in a newly built facility at 2120-32 South C Street. Copy ordered by Columbia Breweries, Inc., in 1951. (This was a copy print made by the Richards Studio of a Marvin D. Boland photograph #B4391) Another copy of this photograph was ordered under number C87485-42. TPL-7956. Previously cataloged as WO58568-1.
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma)--People;
The early racking room at Columbia Brewing Company, where draft beer was barreled, was a matter of wooden barrels, cumbersome hand maneuvering methods and inexact controls. A thick layer of frost can be seen on the pipes above the workmen's heads. They are wearing heavy clothes to work in the chilled cellars. Ordered by Columbia Breweries in 1951. (TNT, 1/7/1952) (This was a copy print made by the Richards Studio of a Marvin D. Boland photograph #B4394). Previously cataloged as WO58568-3.
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Barrels--Tacoma; Columbia Brewing Co. (Tacoma)--People;
St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. yard as photographed on November 24, 1919. As reported in the August 22, 1919, Tacoma Times newspaper, St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber was spending nearly $500,000 in improvements to its sawmill on the Tideflats. An aerial tramway was constructed to carry lumber from dry kilns to other parts of the plant. This would facilitate handling of lumber in the mill. The company was established in 1888 and provided steady employment for many residents for decades. It would merge with St. Regis Paper Co. in 1957. G36.1-083 (T.Times 8-22-1919, p. 12-article)
St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1910-1920;
Extended view of St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. planing mill and "monorail" as pictured in November of 1919. This may be the aerial tramway constructed to transport lumber from dry kilns to various other parts of the plant, replacing the old horse-and-truck system. St. Paul & Tacoma were putting in improvements to their sawmill on the Tideflats totaling nearly half-a-million dollars. Two new dry kilns were being built as well as an aerial tramway. The improvements were expected to reduce the cost of plant operation. St. Paul & Tacoma employed about 800 men at the time including a considerable night shift. G36.1-155 (T.Times 8-22-19, p. 12-article; TDL 7-19-20, p. 6-article)
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);
An early logging truck, used by Wilson Logging Co. to bring in logs, was photographed in August of 1919. The early motor trucks offered an economical alternative to railway logging. Despite the cost of constructing roads, the trucks were a cheaper, faster and more practical way to move the logs. They were a common sight by the 1920s. They usually were underpowered, had an open cab and hard rubber tires, but they could go places that locomotives could not. There was a C.C. (Chan) Wilson Lumber Co. located in Hudson, just west of Rainier, Oregon. G75.1-032 (website for the Museum at Campbell River www.crmuseum.ca\exhibits)
Although motorized logging trucks were becoming more common in the lumber industry, horses were still being used in August of 1919. A pair of horses are pictured above at an unidentified sawmill waiting patiently as planks are being loaded onto an open cart. Photograph ordered by the Wilson Logging Co. TPL-6636 G36.1-052
Side view of logging equipment on wheels belonging to the Wilson Logging Co. Photograph taken at unidentified location on August 23, 1919. TPL-9852 ; G36.1-032
In August of 1919, a steam donkey mounted on a sled was photographed loaded on a truck for ease in transport to a logging site. Only the sled itself, built from huge logs, is clearly visible. The cable and winch on the donkey could be used to help load and unload it from the truck. This photograph was ordered by the Wilson Logging Co. There was a C.C. (Chan) Wilson Lumber Co. located in Hudson, just west of Rainier, Oregon. G75.1-082
Jacona at dock. The 7,600-ton freighter "Jacona" had been launched on November 20, 1918 by Todd Dry Dock & Construction Co. and delivered to her owners on May 9, 1919. Later in 1930 she was converted into a floating power generation station. TPL-1677
Daily operations at Todd Shipyards as photographed in March of 1919. Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corporation had bought land along Commencement Bay in 1917 and built a modern shipyard. They delivered eleven cargo ships in 1919. TPL-1526; G37.1-176 (www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/toddtacoma.htm--list of ships built)
Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1910-1920;
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;
Exterior 1919 view of Babare Brothers Shipyards. The plant, located on five acres in Old Town, was one of Tacoma's pioneer shipbuilding facilities. The Babare Brothers consisted of George and Nick Babare, whose Croatian-born father Stephen was a master shipbuilder. Employing some 300 workers in 1918, the plant was busy building large wooden steamers for the government. The yard contained two building slips, each served by gantry cranes, a modern sawmill and in-demand machine shop. Prior to the Babare Brothers entry into government work, they built cannery tenders and purse seine boats for fishermen and canneries in Oregon, Washington and Alaska. They were prepared to return to this type of work after the government's demand for ships decreased. On November 30, 1919, the Tacoma Daily Ledger reported that the Babare Brothers had obtained a site along the Hylebos Waterway. (Pacific Marine Review, August, 1918, p. 90-article) G37.1-180
The dining room staff at Todd Shipyards on the tideflats posed for a group portrait in February of 1919 in front of what is believed to be the shipyard's dining hall. The unidentified woman in dark dress and white collar in back row may be the supervisor. The massive $1,000,000 shipbuilding plant, covering a 30-block area located around 100 Alexander Avenue, required many workers in all categories. Known formally as the Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp., the shipyard provided a company hotel with room for over 600 men, a large dining facility, and began building modest homes for sale to shipyard employees in 1919. G33.1-132
Todd Dry Dock & Construction Corp. (Tacoma); Employee eating facilities--Tacoma; Restaurant workers--Tacoma--1910-1920;
ca. 1918. The Puget Mill Company Hall in Port Gamble, circa 1918. The Company Hall was built in 1907 and designed by the Seattle architecture firm of Bebb and Mendel. It was located across Rainier Ave. from the General Store. The hall was intended to serve as a location for meetings, athletic events, socials and worship. The first floor contained offices for the doctor and dentist, a barber shop, telegraph office and Post Office. The second floor served as a meeting room, theater, movie house and dance hall. The building is still in use as a Post Office and rents office space. (Historylink.org) Boland #P-4
Lumber industry--Port Gamble; Puget Mill Co. (Port Gamble); Post offices--Port Gamble; Community centers--Port Gamble;
ca. 1918. The home at the top right of the picture is the Walker-Ames house in Port Gamble, circa 1918. The structure on the left is unidentified. Port Gamble was the company town owned by the Puget Mill. A hierarchy developed in company housing, with the Superintendent receiving the largest house on the highest ground with the best view of the mill. The original Superintendent's home burned down in 1885 and was replaced by this Queen Anne structure built in 1888. Superintendent Edwin Ames was single at the home's completion and did not need such a large structure, so the home was occupied by master mechanic William Walker, brother of original general manager and shareholder Cyrus Walker, and his family. Ames married the Williams daughter and the two families shared the house until 1900. (TNT 12/31/1972, pg. B-5, Historylink.org) G73.1-032
