General Mills Sperry Division flour mills was remodeling and expanding their facilities. The Bechtel Corporation of California was in charge of the building construction project. View of equipment, possibly a control panel.

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Grain industry--Tacoma; Engineering--Tacoma; Remodeling--Tacoma; Machinery; Equipment; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Bechtel Corp. (Tacoma);

Truck hauling large machine, designed and manufactured by I. W. Johnson Engineering Company. The machine is possibly a wood chipping machine or a log debarking machine, Northwest Machine Works building in background. I. W. Johnson machines could be found in the lumber mills and plants throughout Tacoma and other Pacific Northwest towns and cities, the machines were custom built to fit your company's needs.

Machinery industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Engineering--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; I.W. Johnson Engineering Co. (Tacoma); Northwest Machine Works (Tacoma);

Joannette II was built at Tacoma Boat Building Company's plant by C. R. Martinolich in his spare time. The boat is a 42 foot bridge deck cruiser, with her top speed at 14 knots. The "Joannette ll" was launched on the 15th birthday of Mr. Martinolich's daughter, Joan, who also got to christen the vessel. The power boat is named after Mr. Martinolich's two daughters, Joan and Annette. The boat has been entered into the 17th annual International Cruiser Race from Tacoma to Vancouver, British Columbia (T. Times, 6/28/48, p. 3; TNT 6-28-1948, p. 10)

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Boats--Tacoma; Ships--Tacoma; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Martinolich, Carl R.;

Atlas Foundry was giving over 100 Purchasing Agent's Association members a tour of their facilities. The tour would show the complete cycle machinery manufacturing and producing goes through. It started in the drawing room, followed by the pattern shop, brass foundry, steel foundry, cleaning department, sand laboratory and ended with the finished product. View of men looking at finished machinery pieces (T. Times, 2/19/47, p. 7).

Machinery industry-- Tacoma; Machine shops--Tacoma; Businessmen--Tacoma; Atlas Foundry & Machine Co. (Tacoma);

Permanente Metals would produce 40 million pounds of aluminum per year. The company sells a million and a half pounds of finished aluminum sheets per year o many U. S. firms. Permanente Metals had their headquarters in Oakland, California, Henry Kaiser was the President. View of laborers stacking up pigs, alloyed metals that have been cast into individual ignots (T. Times, 2/12/47, p. 5).

Machinery; Equipment; Laborers--Tacoma; Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma);

One hundred fifty members of the Tacoma Eagles Aerie No. 3 will be visiting the Spokane Chapter. They will board a special train at the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific passenger depot and head towards Spokane. This will be the largest visit in the Tacoma Eagles history. View of Eagles making arrangements prior to their departure, names appear in newspaper (T. Times, 2/14/47, p. 4).

Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroad cars--Tacoma; Fraternal organizations--Tacoma; Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie No. 3 (Tacoma); Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma);

General Mills had now been in the flour business for 95 years. The company had steadily expanded and was about to go through more expansions. Their flour products were marketed both domestically and in the international markets as well. Sperry flour products were exported to South and Central America, many East Asian countries and many others. Interior view of storage building with thousands of sacks of flour stacked up.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grains--Tacoma; Bags; Food storage buildings--Tacoma; Storage facilities--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

Western Boat Building Co. was owned and operated by the Petrich family. They were working on government and commercial contracts. View of ship's covered deck with covered compartments. Ventilation machinery on upper left side. TPL-8891

Decks (Ships); HVAC systems; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma);

Launching of "Hustler." A group of dignitaries are on hand at Western Boat for the launching of the fishing boat, the "Hustler," on June 6, 1945. The sponsors and their families are on a raised stage. Signs for U.S. Navy are on either side of the steps up to the stage. The ship's owner was R. Tom Muchlinski.

Launchings--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fishing boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma);

Preliminary filtering operations at Columbia Breweries. Columbia's two fine beverages were pumped through this filtration process as their first step in assuring clarity. The beer would pass through one more battery of filters before bottling. Glass inserts can be seen in the left forefront to show the progress of filtering the beer and ale from the secondary fermentation tanks. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-6)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Columbia Breweries was proud of their new storage cellars where thousands of barrels of Alt Heidelberg Beer and Columbia Ale were constantly in the process of being perfected. Floor upon floor, cellar after cellar, there were rows of giant tanks holding up to 800 barrels each. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (TNT, 1/7/1952)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Assembly-line methods were also provided in the shipping areas of the recently expanded plant at Columbia Breweries. Cartons filled with cans of Alt Heidelberg travel along moving belts to be sealed and prepared for shipment. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Sophisticated pumps and filters have been added during the remodeling and rebuilding of the plant at Columbia Breweries begun in 1948. A workman stands by the controls. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Not all operations had been automated at the newly expanded Columbia Breweries plant on May 31, 1951. Empty Alt Heidelberg bottles were being pulled from cartons in the left foreground to add them to the automated processes. Lines of cartons moved along conveyor belts from one level to another looking like freeway entrance ramps while workmen made sure nothing caused the line to be stopped. Every working day in 1952, 20,000 cases, or nearly 500,000 bottles, entered through one entrance to the bottling department and left by another. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-8)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bottles;

A large group of drivers was given a tour of the Columbia Breweries on July 28, 1951. Over thirty drivers from Everett participated in the tour of the plant which had undergone massive expansion and modernization. They are posed on the sidewalk before the main entrance to the plant. Columbia Breweries manufactured Alt Heidelberg and Columbia Ale, two very popular beverages.

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Business enterprises--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Group portraits--1950-1960;

Two workmen put down membrane over the joints where the plywood panels butt together at the Puget Sound Plywood, Inc., on August 16, 1951. They have apparently completed a good portion of the job as the dark membrane covering the numerous rows of plywood panels can be seen. Puget Sound Plywood, established in 1942, was Tacoma's first cooperative plywood plant. Photograph commissioned by Tom Sias, Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Laborers--Tacoma; Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Cooperatives--Tacoma;

Men survey the massive fire damage to the Tacoma Boat Building Company's boatworks on August 24, 1951. Twelve land companies and the city's fireboat were called to battle the extensive blaze; however, due to the large amounts of dry materials present, the firemen were unable to save the construction yard of five connecting buildings. Damages were estimated by Fire Chief Charles Eisenbacher at approximately one million dollars. It was Tacoma's sixth major fire of 1951. Owners Haldor Dahl and Arne Strom shortly after announced plans for a new plant on Sitcum Waterway to replace the City Waterway installation; the main building would be 244 feet by 300 feet plus an additional large machine shop and spacious office building. (TNT 8-24-51, p. 1, TNT 10-7-51, B-2) TPL-9119

Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960;

On August 25, 1951, the open front gates of the Hooker Electrochemical Company framed the flagpole in front of the company's administrative buildings. The ornate gates were attached to brick pillars and the company name was clearly listed in wrought iron on top. Hooker had its plant on the Tacoma tideflats at 605 Alexander Avenue. Established in Tacoma in 1929, it underwent several expansions before it was sold in 1997 to Pioneer Companies, Inc. Hooker Electrochemical was one of the area's largest chemical companies. TPL-4445

Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Gates--Tacoma; Flagpoles--Tacoma;

Expansion continues at the Hooker Electrochemical Company's Tideflats plant in August, 1951. Steel reinforcing and footing for a new building are being installed. Hooker began operations in Tacoma in 1929 and constantly remodeled and expanded in order to handle their growing business. Along with Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company of Washington, Hooker supplied the Pacific Northwest pulp and paper industry with caustic soda and chlorine. Hooker tank cars can be seen in the photograph's background; they were one method of shipping Hooker products to their customers.

Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad tank cars--Tacoma--1950-1960;

An employee of the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company gestures to have piles of 20 and 40 foot long 10x10 cut lumber carefully hoisted and stacked on board a ship in the summer of 1951. Positioning the heavy lumber was crucial to maximizing the total amount of lumber shipped and to also ensure that the load would not slip. The St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company had utilized water transportation for many years in bringing their cut lumber to such ports as San Francisco and Alaska. St. Paul & Tacoma's lumber played an important part in rebuilding San Francisco after the massive 1906 earthquake and in the Alaskan gold rush boom. The St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Co. was absorbed by St. Regis in the late 1950s. (A History of Pierce County, p. 11; Tree Life Hemlock, St. Paul & Tacoma lumber Co.)

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hoisting machinery;

Columbia Breweries began operation in Tacoma in 1900. By 1951 Alt Heidelberg beer and Columbia Ale, produced by Columbia Breweries, were being sold in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Northern California and were two of the fastest selling brews on the market. Chief Chemist Edward Ehmke, head of the breweries technical staff, helped maintain quality as the company expanded production to meet increased demand. By 1954 they were producing 750,000 barrels of beer a year. The Columbia plant was sold to Carling Brewing Co. in 1959. It closed in 1979. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-4)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Chemistry--Tacoma; Scientists--Tacoma; Laboratories--Tacoma; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Ehmke, Edward; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--People;

Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel had several facilities in the Seattle area in the 1950's. Two workers coordinate their movements as they work in unison in the prefabrication plant in September, 1951. They appear to be working with a pulley. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp., San Francisco office.

Factories; Steel industry; Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle);

This photograph of six cans of caustic soda manufactured by Pennsalt was taken on September 15, 1951. The black metallic cans are of various sizes; five of them contain flake caustic soda while the remaining container is labeled solid caustic soda. Caustic soda, also known as sodium hydroxide, is a white brittle solid used especially in making soap, rayon and paper. It can be in liquid, solid or flake form. The Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. had a large chemical plant in the Tideflats which manufactured basic chemicals from salt for pulp mills and then onto other products.

Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Pennsalt (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Containers; Minerals--Tacoma;

A Pennsalt employee carefully monitors a pressure gauge at the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington's tideflats plant in October, 1951. He has one hand on a handle and stares directly at the gauge. Two tanks of liquid chlorine flank a Toledo scale nearby.

Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Pennsalt (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1950-1960; Storage tanks--Tacoma; Scales; Pipes;

Temporary multi-deck storage racks at plywood plant at Garibaldi, Oregon. Note conveyor belt on racks; each rack had a conveyor belt on which the thin veneer from the peelers was laid. Workers would feed veneer onto each shelf. As each rack was filled, it would be shifted so that there was always an empty rack to fill.

Plywood; Lumber industry--Oregon--1950-1960; Oregon-Washington Plywood Co. (Garibaldi, Or.);

Finished plywood goes out for shipment by truck from the plywood plant at Garibaldi, Oregon. All plywood is carefully inspected and graded to national standards, marked as to quality and carefully packaged for shipment. In the fifties, the fir plywood industry ranked among the most important in the Pacific Northwest. In Oregon, Washington and the northern part of California, the Douglas fir grew and provided a livelihood for many thousands. The best of this fir was taken to more than 100 mills in these states and peeled into veneer from which plywood is made. Fir plywood panels were called "America's busiest building material" and business boomed after World War II.

Plywood; Lumber industry--Oregon--1950-1960; Oregon-Washington Plywood Co. (Garibaldi);

Ordered by the Holroyd Company. A Studebaker is seen parked in the car port at the front of this newly built one-story, single-family residence built of texturized brick. Poles support the roof at the near edge of the car port. The roof is nearly flat. Photograph taken on April 20, 1951; address not given.

Concrete products industry--Tacoma; Holroyd Co. (Tacoma); Building materials; Houses--Tacoma--1950-1960; Studebaker automobile;

Ordered by Holroyd Company. This one-story, single family residence built of concrete block has a cedar shake roof and an attached one-car garage. A concrete walkway and driveway lead to the house. Another similar house is seen on the left.

Concrete products industry--Tacoma; Holroyd Co. (Tacoma); Houses--Tacoma--1950-1960; Building materials; Concrete--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Aerial view of the plywood plant at Garibaldi, Oregon. The log boom can be seen in the foreground. The best of the Douglas Fir from the Northwest's forests in brought into the mills to be barked, peeled, dried and coated with waterproof glue to produce plywood, America's #1 building material.

Plywood; Lumber industry--Oregon--1950-1960; Oregon-Washington Plywood Co. (Garibaldi);

This new fishing boat launched by J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. has a large dining room with three tables and charis. The windows are covered with draperies and storage has been built in at the far end of the room that could also could be used for recreation. Ordered by Martinac Shipbuilding.

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma);