ca. 1905. Copy made from glass plate, Richards Studio. People dressed more formally during the early part of the last century, even for a day at the beach. Women are strolling on sandy Owen Beach with hats, outfits that sweep the ground, folded umbrellas and handbags. Men wearing suits and hats are lounging on the bare sand. Even little children have on proper dresses and the ever present hat. In the background, crowds line the pier extending into the water; the Point Defiance Pavillion is adjacent to the pier. Copy made from glass plate on October 3, 1958.

Piers & wharves--Tacoma; Beaches--Tacoma; Point Defiance Park (Tacoma);

ca. 1905. Copy from glass plate, Richards Studio. View of South 11th and Pacific Ave., circa 1905. Streetcars once ran up 11th Street, an additional source of transportation besides the horse & cart and the occasional automobile. A few pedestrians are spotted crossing carefully as there are no visible "stop" signs for oncoming traffic. United Cigars, Tacoma Oyster and the Union Dental Co. are some of the visible businesses in a building on the corner of 11th & Pacific. That building was later demolished and the Rust Building constructed in its place. The building at the left foreground is the Equitable Building, 1102-04 Pacific. The Fidelity Building is on Broadway at the northeast corner of 11th. Additional stories would be added later. The tower on the County Courthouse is dimly seen to the rear of the photograph. Copy from glass plate made on October 3, 1958. TPL-9912

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1900-1910; Street railroads--Tacoma--1900-1910; Equitable Building (Tacoma); Fidelity Building (Tacoma);

ca. 1905. Copy of customer print, ordered by the City of Steilacoom. The photograph is of the Steilacoom business district around 1905. Board sidewalks lead up to area businesses along the main road. Steilacoom is the state's oldest incorporated town and the first county courthouse north of the Columbia was built there. By 1910, Steilacoom boasted a population of 430.

Business districts--Steilacoom--1900-1910;

ca. 1905. This early photograph of the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) dates from about 1905. To the left is the smelter's new 307 foot tall chimney which when built in 1905 was the tallest concrete chimney in the world. Twelve years later, in 1917, ASARCO replaced this giant chimney with a new one that stood almost twice as tall - at 571 feet. The smelter closed in 1985 due to both environmental and economic reasons; the smelter's tall stack was demolished on January 17, 1993. (Copy was made on October 3, 1958.)

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

A letter to Margery B. Stallcup to her mother dated Sept. 3rd, 1906.

ca. 1906. Copy made from glass plate, Richards Studio. Exterior of Provident Building, circa 1906. The Provident Building was designed by George Bullard and was finished by summer, 1903. The solid Romanesque-style building was constructed of brick and used the semi-circular Roman arch. Many businesses occupied the six-story structure over the years. At the time of the above photograph, Menzies & Stevens who were clothiers, hatters and furnishers, C.J. Johnson & Co., real state & timber lands, and the Canadian Pacific Railway were listed as doing business there in the 1906 City Directory. The building was renamed the Security Building in 1952. Copy of glass plate made on October 3, 1958.

Provident Building (Tacoma); Security Building (Tacoma); Facades--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1906. A portrait of Ben Cheney as an infant. He was born in Lima, Montana, in 1905. This young boy grew to love baseball, to develop a business that included lumber mills in three states and to become the owner of the Tacoma Giants baseball team and a stockholder in the San Francisco Giants. He generously spent his money so youngsters could play in organized team sports. Over 20 years more than 5,000 persons had played on the Cheney Studs teams. He lived out his benevolent life in the Tacoma area and died in 1971. (The Ben Cheney Story by Med Nicholson, The Sou'wester, Fall 2000)

Portraits; Cheney, Ben B., 1905-1971; Philanthropists;

ca. 1906. "Indian Annie" and son John, descendants of Chief Steilacoom, are pictured aboard their new houseboat, a Christmas gift from friends, circa 1906. Indian Annie's shack was destroyed by fire and she, the granddaughter of Chief Steilacoom, was forced to live in a tepee on the beach of Puget Sound. Concerned local residents led by Mrs. Francis M. Haskell got together and contributed money to build a suitable houseboat for Indian Annie so that she would not have to leave the Sound. The houseboat was completed a few days before Christmas in 1906 and was towed to the beach near Steilacoom where Indian Annie had pitched her tepee. The new home took Indian Annie completely by surprise, especially when told it was a gift from her deceased husband, John, whom she had mourned greatly. The actual contributors to the project --Mrs. Haskell, Tacoma Mill, Tidewater Lumber, Standard House Furnishings and others--stayed silent. Indian Annie and her dog immediately took residency in what she repeatedly stated was "my home." (TNT 12-20-81- "Time Machine" article)

Houseboats--Washington; Indigenous peoples--Washington;

An early automobile shares Pacific Avenue with two street cars and a horse drawn wagon in August of 1907. The buildings on the east side of Pacific include: the Tourist Hotel, 1013 Pacific Avenue; The Royal saloon, 1015 Pacific Ave.; the Berlin Building, on the corner of South 11th and Pacific Ave.; and the Peoples Store, 1101-07 Pacific Avenue. Of the buildings in this two block section of Pacific Avenue, only the Peoples Store is still standing. TPL-8101

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1900-1910; Business districts--Tacoma--1900-1910; Street railroads--Tacoma--1900-1910; Automobiles--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1907. Jones Block ca. 1907. Also known as the Gross Brothers Store prior to 1899. Located at 901 Broadway, the occupants included Tacoma Bazaar, Christoffersen, Campion & Co. and Bay View Hotel on upper floors. The Olympic Club was located at 902-06 Commerce; sign visible at left corner. The Jones Block was later demolished in 1916 to make way for the Pantages Theater. Copy of customer print ordered by Harry Roegner. TPL-5476

Jones Block (Tacoma); Bay View Hotel (Tacoma); Tacoma Bazaar (Tacoma); Christoffersen, Campion & Co. (Tacoma); Signs (Notices);

ca. 1907. Copy of photograph of Rhodes Department Store, circa 1907. View of three story building by Ambrose J. Russell and Frederick Heath, Architects, 1903. Photograph was taken after repairs to building. Richards Studio copy made on 11-31-1937. (filed with Argentum)

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

ca. 1907. Copy of customer print. Composite picture where President Teddy Roosevelt has been inserted to stand next to Northwest pioneer Ezra Meeker before the old State Department's "War and Navy" building in Washington D.C., upon the conclusion of Meeker's reenactment of his 1852 journey via covered wagon on the Oregon Trial. Signs decorating the old prairie schooner indicate that Meeker had left Puyallup on January 29, 1906, and arrived in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 5, 1907, a distance of 2,610 miles. Accompanied by his faithful dog "Jim," Edward Songer and Mr. and Mrs. Herman Goble, the 76-year-old Meeker and his yoke of oxen and wagon were a throwback to the days of westward expansion. Mr. and Mrs. Goble are believed to be included in the above photograph. Meeker sought preservation of the Oregon Trail route as an important part of our nation's history. He stopped at many towns along the way to raise money for memorials to the Trail and even received a special permit to drive his team down New York City's famous Broadway. Meeker did meet up with President Roosevelt after he decided to continue his journey to Washington D.C., arriving there on November 29, 1907. The president was interested in preserving the Trail and eventually Congress would appropriate $50,000 to mark the trail. Photograph ordered by the Washington State Historical Society. (en.wikipedia.org, NWR clipping file, TDL 1-31-06, p. 12)

Meeker, Ezra, 1830-1928; Covered wagons--Washington D.C.; Cattle--Washington D.C.; Pioneers; Westward movement; Roosevelt, Theodore; Presidents; Dogs;

ca. 1907. Established by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1888 as Puget Sound University and reorganized in 1903 as the University of Puget Sound, the university opened its first permanent campus at 602 North Sprague Ave. that year. Noted architect George W. Bullard designed the buildings. In 1924 the university moved to its present location at 1500 North Warner and the buildings were demolished. Jason Lee Intermediate (now Middle School) was built on the site of the former campus. From 1914-1959 U.P.S. was known as the College of Puget Sound before resuming its current name.

University of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1900-1910; Universities & colleges--Tacoma--1900-1910;

ca. 1907. A long row of Augustine & Kyer store horse-drawn delivery wagons is pictured outside the massive Italianate-style Coleman building in Seattle circa 1907. Augustine & Kyer were wholesale and retail grocers who also manufacturered chocolates. They shared the Coleman building with the Hudson's Bay Fur Co., Wells Fargo & Co., Morey-Merriam, and Men's Shoe Store. The real estate firm of McGraw, Kittinger and Case and Empire Lines were on the second floor. The Coleman building was located at the corner of 1st Avenue and Marion. Augustine & Kyer maintained a store in Seattle until at least through 1951. They sold their candy manufacturing and sales business to Horace William Heath. Stains on the sepia copy were on the original photograph. Date of original print is not known; copy was made on September 30, 1958. Copy of customer print, ordered by Bud Merrill of Seattle.

Augustine & Kyer (Seattle); Carts & wagons--Seattle; Horses--Seattle; Facades--Seattle; Coleman Building (Seattle);

ca. 1907. This view of the west side of the 5200 block of South Tacoma Way dates from about 1907. The Red Front Saloon stands on the extreme left with large signs that advertise full measures sold of Old Taylor, Sunny Brook, King Kentucky and Old Crow, all at reasonable prices. Furnished rooms and lodging could also be obtained upstairs at the Red Front. Other nearby businesses included a tobacco shop, the Mechanics Exchange, the brick Peter Leonard Block building and a rooming house. This block would later be the approximate site of Steve's Gay '90s Restaurant. The bar from the Red Front Saloon was relocated to Steve's. (Photograph ordered by Steve's.) TPL-4762, TPL-5709.

Red Front Saloon (Tacoma); Bars--Tacoma--1900-1910; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1900-1910; Signs (Notices);

A large crowd gathered to witness firefighters attempting to put out the flames that engulfed the top floor of the Davis Smith & Co. building at 1754 Pacific Avenue on February 24, 1908. The early morning fire caused $47,000 damage to the building and its contents. The fire was apparently caused by the accidental crossing of electric wires on the five-story brick building's top floor. Lt. George Hill, Engine Co. No. 4, was killed falling from a ladder from the fifth floor. In addition, five other firefighters were injured and six employees suffered burns. Engine Co. No. 5's hose wagon overturned on the way to the fire; injured firefighters righted the wagon and continued to the fire to render assistance. (100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 44-45)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Fire fighting--Tacoma;

The Ladies Aid group of the Fern Hill Methodist Church met at a private residence near South 78th Street and Pacific Avenue in 1908. The women planned ice cream socials, bazaars and other church activities. Some of the women in this portrait were later identified as: Mrs. A. Hartley, Ms. Cooper, Mrs. Gibson, Mrs. Brill, Mrs. Chenowith, Mrs. Wilhelmi and Dorothy, Mrs. Clarkson and little Mildred.