The hands of a craftsman, possibly Panther Woodworking owner George Panther, carefully screw on a small piece of wood to a long rod in a May 3, 1957, photograph. The rod is being held steady between the fingers of one hand while the other hand is simultaneously using the screwdriver. Other screws and rubber rings are close by on the table. Photograph ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Panther Woodworking (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma--1950-1960; Screws;

Kaiser Aluminum manufactured chemical products as well as aluminum and steel. In this November 18, 1955, photograph, a fashion model is shown raking Calcined Alumina with a long metal apparatus. Kaiser used models for their safety programs, possibly to ensure that employees would be paying attention to the warnings and instructions. This model, although wearing a regulation hard hat and sturdy boots, is dressed simply in a colorful two-piece swimsuit. Photograph ordered by Kaiser Aluminum. TPL-9097

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Fashion models--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A swimsuit model may be demonstrating proper lifting techniques for Kaiser Aluminum's December, 1955, safety programs. She is in a squatting position attempting to pick up a hundred pound bag of Kaiser chemicals bagged in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Although she is not wearing much clothing, she does protect her hands and eyes with the proper safety equipment. Photograph ordered by Kaiser Aluminum.

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fashion models--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Interior of veneer plant. One man is all that is apparently needed to monitor operations at this stage of manufacturing at the Anacortes Veneer, Inc., plywood plant in December, 1955. Anacortes Veneer was one of the first co-ops in the industry as it first commenced operations in 1939. Charles Carlson was elected president on April 8, 1939. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Machinery; Plywood; Lumber industry--Anacortes; Anacortes Veneer, Inc. (Anacortes); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Exterior views of some Washington Co-op Farmers Association buildings were taken on February 1, 1956. The brick Farm Service Store was open Mondays-Fridays from 8 am to 4pm for the convenience of its members. A truck and passenger car are parked at the store's loading dock. A Great Northern boxcar is located close to the truck. Photograph ordered by Washington Cooperative Farmers Association.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Railroad freight cars--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association; plywood being used in the construction of a commercial "chicken house." These curved beams will support the plywood roof. The metal "lids" lying on the ground are possibly part of the incubators, or brooders. This mammoth house will hold many chickens, a far cry from a Mom and Pop operation. This is possibly the operation belonging to the Guy Conine family of Fife. Located on West Side Dairy Road south of Fife, the family raised 31,000 chickens in 3 fryer houses. The 3 year old operation was one of the largest in Western Washington. The newest poultry house was 250 x 50 feet and built for $6,000. Its laminated beams eliminated the need for posts and natural sawdust covered the ground floor. It had 16 gas warmed brooders. (TNT 10/28/1956, pg. B-6)

Plywood; Construction; Poultry houses; Poultry industry;

Ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association; plywood being used in the construction of a commercial "chicken house." The huge curved roof structure is followed by another just like it, indicating the size of this poultry company. This is possibly the Fife farm of the Guy Conine family. They had three chicken houses, one of the conventional type and two of the quonset hut variety. The first quonset was 180 x 50 feet. The most recently built one was 250 ft x 50 ft. Mrs. Conine went into the poultry business when her growing family required her to go to work. At her husband's suggestion, rather than working in an office or store, she decided to stay home and raise chickens. The 3 year old operation is now one of the largest in Western Washington. (TNT 10/28/1956, pg B-6)

Plywood; Construction; Poultry houses; Poultry industry;

Mr. and Mrs. Carl Wilson, ordered by the Washington Coop. He holds pruning shears and she holds what appears to be a Washington state business license. They are perhaps starting their own orchard or berry business.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Wilson, Carl; Pruning; Scissors & shears;

ca. 1955. Tacoma Boat Building Co. on the Sitcum Waterway. The photograph is labelled 9-1-1955, but has a series number that belongs in 1956. The two buildings with the curved roofs are the dry docks for Tacoma Boat Building. Several large vessels being worked on rest in the water beside the boat company. Large log booms float there also. To the left lies the Henry D. Gee Co. grain storage building, with the C. M. ST. P. & P. terminals below. Below Tacoma Boats is the Milwaukee Boom Co. What appear to be railroad tracks run between Tacoma Boat and Henry Gee.

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Henry D. Gee Co. (Tacoma);

The sea trials of the "Sea Babe" for Kazulin-Cole Shipbuilding Corp. Kazulin-Cole was located at 2002 Marine View Drive. The craft was designed and built by Mike Kazulin. A man in a captain's hat waves from the deck of the "Sea Babe." Built for Leroy Powell of South Bend, the boat was registered out of Raymond, WA. The "Sea Babe" was a sports fishing boat and could hold up to ten fishermen. It was outfitted with an auto pilot, depth indicator and ship to shore radio. (TNT 6/17/1956, pg. B-2)

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Kazulin-Cole Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma); Ship trials--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fishing boats--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Douglas Fir Plywood Association, 20th annual meeting. The Plywood and Veneer safety award is being presented to Williard Burrell of Weyerhauser by A.P. Stinchfield. Weyerhauser Timber's branch in Springfield Oregon was being presented the 1955 award for its low incidence of accidents. The trophy resembling a roller perched on a block of wood is the Carleton L. Smith Memorial Safety Award.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. (Springfield, Ore.); Burrell, Williard; Stinchfield, A.P.; Awards;

Pulp manufacturing machinery at R.W. Paper Co. in Longview, Wa. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie. A roller rolls through a vast vat of pulp on the lower level. Other vats are empty. Above, on the 2nd level, are located pipes and controls for filling the vats. When the pulp mixture arrives at the paper machine, its water content is very high. The water is removed and the resulting sheet moves on to the drying section of the machine.

R. W. Paper Co. (Longview); Paper industry--Longview--1950-1960;

Retail lumber dealers meeting; photographs ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A group of men in coats and ties stand or sit in front of a newly constructed home listening to another man speak. These are possibly lumber dealers discussing new home markets for their wares.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Built on eight and a half acres of the Hylebos waterway, the Washington Co-operative Farmers Association's new feed mill was one of the finest and most modern units in the country. Trucks were able to have feed directly loaded from the warehouses via metallic hoses. The Co-op also used at least four railroad lines to transport their product throughout the country. Kenworth trucks would be able to haul eggs long distance as well. View of Washington Co-operative Farmers Association feed mill, grain elevator and warehouses in this February, 1953, photograph. Photograph ordered by Dale Smith, Washington Co-operative Farmers Assn.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Grain elevators--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma--1950-1960; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington had its headquarters in Tacoma. Despite its name, Pennsalt did not produce table salt but instead was a basic manufacturer of chemicals from salt. It, along with Hooker Electrochemical, supplied caustic soda and chlorine to the Pacific Northwest's pulp and paper industry. View of some of the machinery used by Pennsalt in their Tideflats plant; these are believed to be rotary converters used to convert AC power to direct current. Photograph ordered by Edwin Cliffe, supt. of Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington. (Additional information provided by a reader)

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

Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington had long been established in Tacoma; it was to celebrate its 25th anniversary locally in 1954. It started with a 40 acre tract of land on the Hylebos Waterway and has steadily expanded, adding new buildings and machinery, to fill the needs of the pulp and paper industry. View of machinery in Pennsalt plant; this may be a large burner. Photograph ordered by Edwin Cliffe.

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

ca. 1953. General Mills-Sperry Division employees. For several years, the employees of General Mills, Inc.'s Sperry Division posed behind "C Day Parade" banners. Presumably, this was some sort of parade held annually; the "C" may have stood for "cereal." In 1953, 25 men were grouped behind the large banner apparently representing the Seattle-Tacoma District. Famous General Mills cereal brands were listed on the banner, including Cheerios, KIX, and Wheaties. All these brands are still in existence today.

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

A large group of spectators await the launching of the A.M.S. #96 on May 1, 1953. Television cameras capture the moment for posterity; it was the first launching televised in this area. Dignitaries on the platform, which would have included Mrs. Marvin H. Glunz, sponsor, and the attentive crowd listen to a naval speaker. This may have been Capt. Christian H. Duborg, who was listed as principal speaker of the event. The A.M.S. #96 was a 144-foot mindsweeper built by Tacoma Boat Building for the Navy. It was the fourth of five being constructed by the firm who had been awarded a Navy contract. (TNT 5-3-53, B-10)

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

ca. 1953. Exterior of St. Regis Paper Co. plant. A multi-colored smokestack is just one of many at the St. Regis Paper Co. plant in Jacksonville, Florida, in a 1953 photograph. St. Regis had plants in several states as well as in Canada and South America. The Jacksonville plant was one of the newest; it was a kraft paper and board mill, including pulp manufacturing facilities, constructed in 1952. It began production in January, 1953, and helped to increase national overall production of kraft paper and boards to 486,000 tons from the 1952 total of 351,000 tons. (1953 St. Regis Annual Report, p. 10)

St. Regis Paper Co. (Jacksonville, Fl.)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Jacksonville--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Jacksonville--1950-1960; Smokestacks--Jacksonville;

Overhead view of interior of St. Regis plant. Two St. Regis Paper Co. employees appear dwarfed by massive machinery in a July 29, 1953, photograph. One man is standing behind a metallic stand of gauges, handles, and knobs which apparently control the large rolls from the paper machine. There are other instrument panels positioned nearby; they may have been made by the General Electric Co. Photograph ordered by the General Electric Co.

General Electric Co.; St. Regis Paper Co.; Machinery;

ca. 1953. A shirtless worker pushes a button that will perhaps move the heavy rolls of kraft paper while a co-worker watches carefully. This 1953 photograph was probably taken in the Jacksonville, Florida, St. Regis Paper Co. plant. Each roll was apparently marked with the type of product, place of production, customer code, size, roll #, and tonnage. Roll #3 weighed 2168 pounds and was listed as "asphalting kraft."

St. Regis Paper Co. (Jacksonville, Fl.)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Jacksonville--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Jacksonville--1950-1960;

Employees at St. Regis Paper Co. nationwide had varied assignments. This man appears to be scrutinizing sheets of pulp or paper at one of the Florida locations, either Pensacola or Jacksonville in July, 1953. Photograph ordered by Beloit Iron Works, Beloit, Wisconsin.

St. Regis Paper Co.; Paper industry; Beloit Iron Works (Beloit, WI);

Exterior view of St. Regis Paper Co. plant. This is possibly the Tacoma St. Regis plant in a photograph taken in early July, 1953. The Tacoma mill continued to supply the ever-growing pulp market with its bleached kraft pulp which had a well-deserved reputation for quality and strength. In addition, it shipped a limited quantity of unbleached kraft pulp. Photograph ordered by Johns-Manville Sales Corporation. (1953 St. Regis Annual Report, p. 11)

St. Regis Paper Co.; Paper industry; Industrial facilities; Johns-Manville Sales Corp.;

Exterior view of Florida St. Regis plant. The above photograph was probably taken at either the Jacksonville, Florida, or Pensacola St. Regis Paper Co. plant in July, 1953. Long, covered connected tunnels were possibly conveyors of chips or pulp. They were situated high above the ground on rails supported by towers. Piles of logs are glimpsed in the background. Photograph ordered by Link-Belt Co.

St. Regis Paper Co.; Paper industry; Link-Belt Co.;

A St. Regis Paper Co. employee carefully monitors the gauges on a Beloit Iron Works machine in the summer of 1953. Kraft paper is apparently being manufactured. This photograph was probably taken in one of St. Regis' southern plants, either Jacksonville or Pensacola, Florida. Photograph ordered by the Beloit Iron Works Co., Beloit, Wisconsin.

St. Regis Paper Co.; Paper industry; Machinery; Beloit Iron Works (Beloit, WI);

A long hose connected to a large storage tank has its opposite end disappear into a NYC railroad car in a June, 1953, photograph. It was taken at a St. Regis Paper Co. plant, possibly the Tacoma location. Photograph ordered by the Fuller Co., Mr. R.A. Hawk.

St. Regis Paper Co.; Storage tanks; Hoses; Railroad cars;

ca. 1953. Launching of naval ship #445, named the U.S.S. Force, the fourth of a series of nine 171 ft. minesweepers to be built by J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding. Mrs. Thomas D. Wilson, wife of the Commander of the Bremerton Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet, was sponsor, assisted by Judith K. Ross as flower girl. M.S. Erdahl served as the master of ceremonies and Rear Admiral Charles D. Wheelock, inspector general for the Navy's bureau of ships, was the principal speaker. Other Naval dignitaries included Rear Admiral H.E. Haven, Commandant of the Puget Sound Naval shipyard, Capt. Linton Herndon, supervisor of shipbuilding Seattle, and Comdr. Lawrence MacKinlay, resident supervisor of shipbuilding Tacoma. The launching was followed by a reception and dinner at the Winthrop Hotel. (TNT 6/21/1953, pg. B-2, 6/27/1953, pg. 1)

Launchings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma); Ross, Judith K.;

A Diamond T truck with two storage tanks of Bulk Feed from Washington Co-op Farmers Association pulls up to Ken Bergman's Poultry Farm on May 13, 1953. The driver and customer, presumably Mr. Bergman, examine paperwork in preparation to fill large plywood bins full of chicken feed. The Washington Co-op Farmers Association had built a $1,000,000 feed mill at the Hylebos waterway in the late 1940's. Besides having convenient transport facilities to ship feed throughout the nation, the feed mill would also make delivery of bulk feed much easier to its local members. Photograph ordered by Tom Sias, Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Diamond T trucks; Chicken industry; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Aerial view of American Smelting & Refining Co's (ASARCO) smokestack, smelter plant and surrounding area. The plant occupied a large area near Point Defiance with its own docks for shipping. The smokestack at 562 feet dominated the skyline for miles around. Thousands lined up in 1993 to say goodbye to this landmark when it was imploded.

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

Columbia Breweries. Brew kettle being dismantled. The kettle was used for brewing beer. Ingredients were added on the upper level of the kettle- barley malt, hops and water. The brewery had two enormous copper kettles with a capacity of 330 barrels each and made an average of 6 brews each day. Two deep artesian wells on the property supplied the water, pumping 66,000 gallons per day. The company was known as Columbia Breweries from 1900-1949. It was purchased by Heidelberg Brewing Co. in 1949 but continued to do business as Columbia. On July 15, 1953, the brewery officially changed its name to Heidelberg Brewing Company. They sold in 1958 to Carling Brewing Co. of Canada and closed their doors in Tacoma in 1979, after 3/4 of a century of brewing.

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