A three-axle International truck has been fitted with a tank on the rear for Washington Cooperative Farmers Association. The truck is seen in front of two of the storage tanks at Standard Oil Company.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Standard Oil Co. of California (Tacoma); Storage tanks--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; International trucks;

Launching of the AMS (motor minesweeper) 117 at Pacific Boat Building Company. Haldor A. Dahl, co-owner of the boat building company with Arne Strom, is seen on the right. Mrs. Frances K. Palmer, secretary to the manager of Pacific Boat Building company, was the sponsor and her daughter, Carole Ann, was the flower girl. Capt. Albert Handly, commander of the Tacoma group, Pacific reserve fleet, delivered the principal address. Other Navy officials present were Capt. Linton Herndon, supervisor of Navy shipbuilding in the Seattle area, and LT. Cmdr. Laurence L. MacKinlay, resident supervisor of shipbuilding. The AMS 117 was the second 144-foot to be launched October 18, 1952. (TNT, 10/19/1952, p.B-2)

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Pacific Boat Building Co. (Tacoma); Launchings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Dahl, Haldor; Palmer, Frances K.; Palmer, Carole Ann;

Two unidentified men are assembling carburetors in the rebuilding shop at TAM Engineering Corporation on October 20, 1952. Ben Christel has been identified as the employee seated on the test bench at far left. He has his sleeves rolled up. (Identification provided by a reader)

Machine shops--Tacoma; TAM Engineering Corp. (Tacoma); Christel, Ben;

A hanging, mobile sign promoting Douglas Fir Plywood. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

A young man is building a cabinet or desk. Legs that look like pipes are sticking straight up as he tightens a screw in one of the supporting members.

Plywood; Woodworking--Tacoma--1950-1960;

This October, 1952, view of C. S. Barlow and Sons' facilities shows the belt fed batching plant. The company handled building materials, sand and gravel, metal sash, and mixed concrete. Here a cement truck is being loaded with cement. The company was proud to have been in operation in Tacoma for seventy years. (TNT, 11/1/1952, p.C-15)

Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building materials; C.S. Barlow & Sons, Inc. (Tacoma); Concrete mixers--Tacoma; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The interior Weyerhaeuser's bleached Kraft mill at Longview, Washington, showing overhead duct work and machinery in place. Ordered by Drew Engineering Company, Portland, Oregon, manufacturers of industrial air systems.

Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. (Longview); Mills--Longview; Lumber industry--Longview; Drew Engineering Co. (Portland); Machinery;

The interior Weyerhaeuser's bleached Kraft mill at Longview, Washington, showing the "wet end" of the paper producing process. The prepared pulp is diluted in the "headbox" with large quantities of water and evenly distributed on a fine, large, bronze wire woven as an endless belt 130 feet long and 216 inches wide and traveling at a speed of several hundred feet a minute. Ordered by Drew Engineering Company, Portland, Oregon, manufacturers of industrial air systems.

Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. (Longview); Mills--Longview; Lumber industry--Longview; Drew Engineering Co. (Portland); Machinery; Fans (Machinery);

A Tacoma Boat Mart employee is shown assembling a Chris-Craft kit boat at the company's Ruston Way facilities on November 19, 1952. Owned by Mendel and Paul Riggs, Tacoma Boat Mart was a boat service plant which opened in 1938. In addition to boat painting and repairing, they handled new and used boats, outboard motors, and yachts for charters. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Boat Mart.

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Boats--Tacoma; Tacoma Boat Mart (Tacoma);

Plywood was used for sheathing and concrete forms during construction at the new Custer School. The school was designed by Lea, Pearson & Richards. The building was dedicated September 30, 1953. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Reinforced concrete construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Custer School (Lakewood);

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association held their 1952 stockholders' meeting at Temple Theater in Tacoma. Nearly 2,000 people from Pierce County and Enumclaw attended the annual nomination meeting of District No. 6 of the Washington Cooperative Farmers Association. Harold D. Foster of Sumner was renominated for director. He had held the post 21 years. Poultryman James Anderson of Edgemont was nominated for director as well. The vote would be made by ballot before the February 12, 1953, meeting. (TNT, 11/20/1952, p.3)

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Meetings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Stages (Platforms); Temple Theatre (Tacoma);

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association held their 1952 stockholders' meeting at Temple Theater in Tacoma. This was the 35th anniversary meeting of the cooperative. Wide interest was shown in news brought by Harry J. Beernink, general manager, that the Co-Op was arranging to acquire reserves of both petroleum and phosphate to be able to produce fertilizer for Co-Op members. (TNT, 11/20/1953, p.3)

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Meetings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Temple Theatre (Tacoma);

This 31-foot Chris-Craft wood boat was being assembled at Tacoma Boat Mart in January of 1953. After World War II, Chris-Craft began selling boats in kits which could be easily put together. An unidentified Tacoma Boat Mart employee is examining the plywood hull of the boat. To keep the cost of their kits down, Chris-Craft introduced a new boat building material into their kits - plywood. Tacoma Boat Mart, located on Ruston Way, was a boat service plant which had opened in 1938. The Chris-Craft Kit Boat Division was in business from 1950 to 1958. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Boats--Tacoma; Tacoma Boat Mart (Tacoma); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

A line of parked cars outside the Columbia Breweries building indicates that people are still working late on a rainy January, 1953, evening. There are still lights on the first floor and partially on the second floor. Columbia Breweries was well known across the country for their production of Heidelberg beer and Columbia Ale.

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

This elevated photograph of the Tideflats featuring the St. Regis Paper Co. was taken on a sunny day in February, 1953. Smoke billows from various smokestacks in the area. St. Regis had recently completed its eight year expansion plan; a new multiwall bag plant was constructed in 1952. Photograph ordered by Electrical Products Consolidated.

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Factories--Tacoma--1950-1960; Smokestacks--Tacoma;

New DFPA offices in the Fuller Building as pictured on September 18, 1953. This appears to be the mailroom. The Douglas Fir Plywood Association's headquarters in Tacoma was the center of the industry's national promotion of fir plywood. The cost of this promotion was over 2.5 million a year, much of it spent in postage. The DFPA was the highest volume customer of the Tacoma Post Office. TPL-8393

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Offices--Tacoma--1950-1960; Office workers--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Heidelberg Brewery- Salesmen's wives boarding bus outside the Winthrop Hotel. Heidelberg often held sales meetings in Tacoma and entertainment was planned for the ladies. Here the wives are neatly attired in coats and some furs, as well as the requisite hat, and ready to board a bus for a sightseeing junket. The brewery was known as Columbia Breweries from 1900-1953; in July of 1953 the company changed its name to Heidelberg Brewing Co. Its most famous products were the beers "Alt Pilsener" and "Columbia Ale." Both labels stopped production with the breweries' closure in 1979. TPL-8479

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Heidelberg Brewing Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Launching of the A.M.S. (motor minesweeper) #97 by Tacoma Boatbuilding. A.M.S. #97 would be the last minesweeper to slide into the water as the company fulfilled its contract of five. All five vessels were in various states of completion with the first completed one to be delivered to the Navy in the fall. Mrs. Henry F. Agnew was the sponsor of #97 and Capt. J.R. Topper was the speaker. (TNT 9/27/1953, pg. C-12)

Launchings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Government vessels--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Representatives from Pendleton, Oregon, visited Heidelberg Brewery in April, 1954. The thirteen men and women pose in front of a Heidelberg doormat; it shows the familiar brewery symbol of a man quaffing a refreshing stein of beer. Heidelberg had purchased the brewery from Columbia Breweries a few years prior, although advertising until 1953 continued to emphasize the Columbia name. Carling Brewery eventually purchased Heidelberg in 1959; the plant was finally closed in 1979.

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

Engine #E-4 pulls into the Milwaukee Road's depot on April 21, 1954. A "Danger 3000 volts" warning sign alerts people to the fact that this is an electric locomotive. The train stopped very close to the new passenger depot. It was much smaller than the original depot on East 25th St. and built on the tide flats parallel to the railroad's freight yards. The old depot was finally torn down in 1972, leaving only freight sheds; the site is now the bustling Freighthouse Square. (History of Pierce County, p. 22)

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Railroad companies--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad locomotives--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad stations--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Passengers waiting to board the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad's trains could relax comfortably in the Milwaukee Road's new passenger depot at E. 11th and Milwaukee Way. In a photograph taken in April, 1954, there were many chairs available in a spacious, air conditioned room with plate glass windows to view incoming and departing traffic. A multi-window ticket office provided efficient service with gold-tone photo murals located above. The railroad had an open house for the public to tour the new $150,000 depot, hundreds apparently did so. (TNT 4-18-54, p. 1, TNT 4-22-54, B-4, TNT 4-24-54, p. 36)

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Douglas Fir Plywood Association created laboratories to maintain high quality standards of its plywood; plywood was constantly being tested for durability and to detect any flaws. View of sheets of plywood in the D.F.P.A. warehouse undergoing testing. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Product inspection--Tacoma; Testing--Tacoma;

Twenty-two employees of the General Mills Inc., Sperry Division, pose behind a large "C Day Parade '54" banner on April 2, 1954. The brand names of several General Mills cereals are listed on the banner, including Cheerios, Wheaties, Kix, and a new cereal, Sugar Jets. Nearly fifty years later, Cheerios, Wheaties and Kix are still being devoured by the hungry public.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Grain industry--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Banners--Tacoma;

Caught in mid-song are four members of a Pennsalt barbershop quartet in March, 1954. They are clutching top hats and dressed in the Gay 90's style, complete with false mustaches. Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington was a major producer of caustic soda and chlorine for several decades.

Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma)--People; Singing--Tacoma--1950-1960; Barbershop quartets; Mustaches;

United States Plywood Corp.'s logging operation at Kosmos, Wa., eight miles southeast of Morton in south central Lewis County. A tall timber is circled by ropes and pulleys. A piece of large hoisting machinery can be seen. The ropes possibly helped bring down the trees down safely when the timber was cut.

Plywood; Lumber industry--Kosmos--1950-1960; United States Plywood Corp. (Seattle);

Several views of chimneys at St. Regis Paper Co. were photographed on March 24, 1954. This may have been a new chimney constructed by the Boedecker Chimney Construction Co. It was not typically black, but seems to be lighter in color. Smoke is billowing out from the top. Photograph ordered by Boedecker Chimney Construction Co.

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Chimneys--Tacoma;

Three Army Q-boats were launched within minutes of each other on April 20, 1954. These 63' crafts were built by Tacoma Boat Building for the Army under Navy supervision. View of several women and small children in front of Q-630; these were members of the christening party. From left to right are: Barbara Rutledge (flower girl), Mrs. Vincent J. Genn, sponsor of Q-630, Shanna Roley (flower girl), Mrs. Wilbert N. Nelson, sponsor of Q-628, Mrs. Alf R. Dahl, sponsor of Q-629, and Linda Dahl (flower girl). (TNT 4-21-54, A-5)

Launchings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Government vessels--Tacoma; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

The American Smelting and Refining Co. had celebrated its 50th anniversary as a business in 1949. It was one of the largest employers in Tacoma with well over a thousand employees. As its name indicates, it was primarily involved in the smelting of ore and refining of copper. View of storage tanks at smelter, with truck parked alongside fence. Photograph ordered by David Somerville.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1950-1960; Copper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Industrial facilities; Storage tanks--Tacoma;

A small stage, decorated in red, white and blue bunting, was constructed to be used in the February, 1953, launching of the USS Energy, #436, built by the J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corporation. Martinac had landed the contract to build a series of 171-foot mindsweepers for the Navy; this is the second completed after the USS Endurance the previous year. Photograph ordered by J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding.(TNT 2-1-53, B-2, TNT 2-14-53, p. 1)

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

The Pacific Coast Association of Pulp & Paper Manufacturers met in Tacoma in March, 1953. They were attending the 7th Annual Joint Labor-Management Safety Conference. They joined union and employer representatives from twenty mills; sponsors included the International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill Workers and International Brotherhood of Paper Makers. View of association members awaiting luncheon at the Winthrop Hotel. (TNT 3-1-53, B-10)

Pacific Coast Association of Pulp & Paper Manufacturers (Tacoma); Group portraits; Meetings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);