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
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)
On May 9, 1922, a steam cargo ship was pictured docked at the Tidewater Mill, where it was taking on a shipment of lumber. The Mill was located on the east side of the Hylebos Waterway, near the end of 11th St. It was opened in 1918 and had a capacity of 100,000 logs a day. The mill was built on wetlands which were filled for the construction of the mill. Its greatest advantage was its frontage on 750 feet of deep water, allowing the loading of several vessels at a time. (TDL 12/22/1918, Pg. B-8)
Mess tents pitched on the old Central School playgrounds across from the Armory as cooks prepare to feed the men of the second battalion of the Washington National Guard 161st Infantry called out to control the violence associated with the 1935 Lumber workers' strike. In June of 1935, the mills in Tacoma and surrounded areas attempted to reopen with workers willing to return to work. Violence erupted between the returning workers and the strikers. Governor Clarence Martin ordered the Guard in on June 23rd, 1935 after reports that local authorities were unable to handle the situation. It was the second time the Guard was ordered out since the World War, the other two times being in 1919 and 1933. (TNT 6/24/1935, pg. 1 & 2)
Soldiers from the 161st Infantry of the Washington National Guard patrol the Tideflats during the Lumber worker's strike of 1935. In June of 1935, the mills of Tacoma and surrounding areas were attempting to reopen after petitions circulated stating that over 60 % of the work force was willing to return. Governor Clarence Martin promised protection to the mills and workers and called in the Guard to patrol the Tideflats and guard the entrances into the industrial area. They also accompanied returning workers on the main thoroughfares into the area. The troops totalled over 500 by June 25th and came from Yakima, Prosser, Pullman and Walla Walla. (TNT 6/24/1935, pg. 1 & 2)
Members of the 2nd battalion of the Washington National Guard 161st Infantry lounge on the ground, or stand in line with their mess kits, preparing to eat at the temporary mess tents set up on the old Central School playground. The Guard was called into Tacoma by Governor Clarence Martin on June 23rd, 1935 to control the violence associated with the lumber workers' strike. The soldiers were stationed at the Armory and their mess tents set up in this nearby playground. The lumber and sawmill workers' strike started on May 6th and was settled August 2nd, 1935. (TNT 6/24/1935, pg. 1 & 2)
When the attempts in June of 1935 of workers to return to the striking mills erupted in violence, Governor Clarence Martin ordered in the Washington National Guard late Sunday night, June 23, 1935. The guards were whisked from Camp Murray to Tacoma in 16 trucks. Their job was to protect the returning workers and the mills. (TNT 6/24/1935, pg. 1 & 2)
Four delegates to the 13th annual Pacific Logging Congress Convention posed for photographer Marvin Boland on October 28, 1922. The men have removed their hats for this picture. The earlier conventions of the Pacific Logging Congress had a mixture of delegates representing management and workmen. All were interested in the latest logging techniques and equipment to further improve their industry. The 1922 convention saw representatives from all the Pacific Coast states and British Columbia in attendance at the four-day session in Tacoma. G75.1-135
At a time when timber was king, and logs of this size were not unusual, thirteen delegates to the 13th annual Pacific Logging Congress Convention were able to balance themselves on top of large cut logs in this late October of 1922 photograph - with room to spare. A special excursion train left Tacoma's Union Station on Saturday, October 28, 1922, for a day trip to the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. camp at Kapowsin. There the many delegates viewed up-to-date methods of logging by high leads and lidgerwood skidders. The convention took place October 25-28, 1922, and attracted some 500 representatives of the logging industry. G75.1-138 (TDL 10-23-22, p. 5-article; TDL 10-25-22, p. 1-article; TDL 10-26-22, p. 1-article)
Permits were taken out in late December of 1922 to construct a new lumber yard at 6030 South Tacoma Way (then called South Union Avenue). Fairhurst Lumber Co. would open for business in early 1923. G36.1-084; Bu12,859
On February 19, 1924, this giant 40-foot log was successfully loaded onto a Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad freight car by employees of the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. The log, measuring 72 inches in diameter, would be a prime exhibit when shown in the East and Midwest the following summer. The sheer size of the log would remind viewers that lumber from Tacoma mills came from logs similar to the one displayed. TPL-2375; G44.1-093
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Logs; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Co. (Tacoma);
Logging operations in the woods, in the Seabeck, Washington, area. West Fork Logging Co. apparatus on railroad tracks photographed on March 23, 1924. L.T. Murray was the president of the firm. Mr. Murray would move his logging operation to Lewis County in 1927. G75.1-089 (Additional information provided by a reader)
West Fork Logging Co.; Lumber industry--1920-1930;
On March 23, 1924, West Fork Logging Co. employees posed near the company's steam donkey on a sled. The donkeys were a replacement for the horse and oxen power formerly used to pull logs from the woods. This photograph was probably taken in logging areas near Seabeck where the company was then based. Logging operation would move to Lewis County three years later. G75.1-033 (for an earlier view of a steam donkey, see B2726) (Additional information provided by a reader)
West Fork Logging Co.; Lumber industry--1920-1930; Steam donkeys; Donkey engines;
Four unidentified men gaze at a long line of railroad flat cars stacked with mahogany logs on May 1, 1925. The log train was bound for the Buffelen Lumber & Mfg. Co. The logs had arrived at the Port of Tacoma on the "Wheatland Montana" and were a product of the Philippines. The arrival of the logs marked a transition to direct transactions between the overseas grower and a Tacoma manufacturer. Prior to this, mahogany used in fine furniture, cabinets and other uses was brought here in board form. G36.1-030 (TNT 5-4-25, p. 6)
Henry Mill in Old Town. A new and very modern mill opened in Old Town on July 20, 1925, located on the waterfront at 3001 North Starr St. Henry Mill & Timber Co. would remain in business there until 1945 when it was taken over by the Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. During WWII, Henry Mill became active in prefabricated structures for the military. They specialized in bridges and hangars. TPL-2048; G36.1-143B
Close-up of burnt timber at the Mineral Lake Logging Co.'s Camp 17. Photographer Boland ventured out to the remote logging camp located in north central Lewis County on September 3, 1926, to document the damage that fire had caused to timberlands. Burned sections of cut timber are piled haphazardly on the ground, obscuring many tree stumps.
Mineral Lake Logging Co. Camp 17; Fires; Tree stumps; Logs; Lumber industry--Washington--1920-1930;
St. Regis logging operations, location unknown, in May of 1936. A heavy duty truck with five coils of wire/chain/rope hanging on one side is mired off the dirt road. Many logs have already been downed and a "donkey" is billowing steam. G75.1-043
Lumber industry--1930-1940; St. Regis Paper Co.; Trucks--1930-1940; Logs; Donkey engines;
Small sheets of plywood are being loaded from an Olympia sawmill directly onto a Northern Pacific car by three men on June 12, 1924. These will be used by the Pacific Mutual Door Co. G75.1-023
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
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;
