On May 15, 1947, employees of the Carstens Packing Company gathered around their new Kartridg-Pack machine. Some of the women were working on the sausage packing line, while other employees were admiring the end product. The new machinery packed the wieners side-by-side, bound together by paper loops instead of the usual method of stringing them tail-to-tail. The Kartridge-Pack had the ability to pack 3,200 pounds of wieners per 8 hour shift. (T.Times, 5/21/1947, p.7)
O'Connell-Ragan, Carstens fleet of trucks at plant, Corey Wilbur. Carstens added refrigerated trucks to their fleet. Glenn Gray, supervisor of Carstens sausage sales, packs a delivery basket with sausages, ham, and other wrapped items from the air conditioned compartments to fill an order. The entire truck interior was lined with separate compartments. The temperature was maintained at 34 - 38 degrees. (T.Times, 6/18/1947, p.7)
The Tacoma Post-war Jubilee Celebration had many parades, gatherings, contests and many other festivities during the ten day period. View of Carstens Packing Co. parade wagon, horses, and staff returning after the parade was wrapped up.
New Ford truck at Carstens' garage, Titus Motor Company, Henry Zachow. Titus Motor Company was the authorized Ford Truck distributor in the Tacoma area. Carstens had a large fleet of trucks not all of which were Fords. They had at least two refrigerated trucks built on Chevrolet chassis.
Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Ford trucks;
Carsten- Hygrade employees pose in the yard at the meat packing facility at 1623 East "J" St. According to Richards Studio notes, the picture is of 300-400 people. The locally owned Carstens Meat Packing got its start in Tacoma in 1903. In 1954, it was sold to the Hygrade Food Products Corporation. In 1990, the company made the decision to close its Tacoma plant.
Carstens Packing Co. crane with unidentified worker photographed in late August of 1926. The large meat packing firm was located in the Tideflats at 1623 East "J" St. TPL-5821; TPL-7935; G49.1-188; G34.1-165
Carstens Packing Co. building as viewed on October 13, 1932; two KMO antennae in sight. Completed in 1931, this $150,000 building housed the executive offices of the company. Despite the nation's economic woes, Carstens continued to do annual business of about 15 million dollars. TPL-5919; G34.1-166 (TDL 2-9-32, C-7-article & alternate photograph)
Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Radio antennas--Tacoma;
3 images. Carstens Packing Co. -partial plans at TPL SEE ALSO: TPL Catalog/Clipping File TDL 8/15/1903 p.7 New $100,000 packing plant TDN 1/16/1905 p.21 (il) TDN 6/29/1905 (il) TDL 2/19/1913 (il) TDL 4/6/1913 p.20 New quarters for Carstens employees TDL 11/9/1913 p.19 (il of employees) TDL 10/11/1914 p.28 Temporary home (after fire) is nearing completion (il) TNL 4/1/1917 p.23 How Carstens Packing Co. is rebuilding (after fire) (il) TNL 6/24/1917 p.21 Carstens building new killing shed TDL 11/13/1921 p.B7 Carstens to start $300,000 building (the first of four new concrete bldgs. by P.V. Cornils, arch.) TDL 11/28/1921 p.6 (il of employees at plant) TDL 7/16/1922 p.B4 Carstens starts building program TDL 3/15/1925 p.B5 Packing Co. will start new factory (new unit by P.V. Cornils, arch.) TDL 3/27/1926 p.10 Carstens will build new unit (Walesby Construction Co., contr.) TDL 7/27/1930 p.D6 (new smoke house planned) TDL 11/16/1930 p.D8 (il of improvements under construction) TDL 8/2/1931 p.A7-A9 Now in $150,000 modern office building (il) TDL 2/9/1932 p.C7 New executive offices of Carstens Co. (il) TDL 6/27/1933 p.B4 Carstens in march of progress (il) TDL 7/21/1935 p.A6 New Internationals to Carstens (il) T.Times 8/19/1938 p.18 Carstens celebrating 41st anniversary (aerial il) TNT 8/28/1939 p.2 Carstens Co. will build (slaughter house by C.F. Davidson, contr.) TNT 5/15/1947 p.1 Tacoma "rodeo"; Carstens' herd on rampage (il) TNT 5/16/1947 p.1 Ten steers still are at large TNT 6/21/1953 p.B6 Carstens firm building huge fertilizer plant (Otto Stolz, arch.) TNT 9/4/1953 p.C12 Big industry 49 years old (aerial il) 917.97 W52W 1905 p.35 (il) ----- Hi-Grade Packing Co. / Hygrade Food Products Corp. TNT 1/16/1954 p.1 Carstens Packing Co. sold to eastern firm TNT 2/14/1954 p.A11 Carstens Co. in new hands TNT 3/10/1955 p.B4 Hygrade executives here (interior il) TNT 9/5/1955 p.C4 (ad,aerial il) TNT 9/3/1956 p.C5 (aerial il) TNT 5/25/1960 p.A21 (il of employees) TNT 8/15/1960 p.2 Meat plant fire halted TNT 9/1/1961 p.B9 Hygrade plans shows growth in 6 years here TNT 8/31/1962 p.B11 Hygrade plant NW supplier of meats (interior il) TNT 12/4/1965 p.1 Tacomas police spend 2 hours shooting bull TNT 5/22/1967 p.21 Smokehouse fire ruins $5,000 worth of meat TNT 1/12/1969 p.B19 Hygrade ranks high as Tacoma employer (interior il) TNT 10/4/1985 Hygrade to close; 400 to lose jobs Seattle Times 7/12/1990 p.E6 Hygrade to close plant in Tacoma TNT 10/24/1996 p.B6 Mopping up the fire (il)
On May 23, 1942, eighteen boys from Pierce and Kitsap Counties, members of the Future Farmers of America, were presented by Sears, Roebuck and Co. with young wiggling, squealing pure bred female pigs. The pigs came from the Carstens Packing Co. and the boys are photographed in front of the Carsten's general office. Three male pigs were also donated to the F.F.A. to be used in a "chain-litter" program. The pigs were to be bred and from each new litter, the boys were to donate 1 or 2 of the female piglets to fellow F.F.A. members. (T.Times 5/25/1942 p.12)
Banquet at Carstens for retiring employee, O'Connell-Fagan, Denton. Emil T. Mortensen was retiring from Carstens Packing Company after 39 years. He started with Carstens in 1908 and served as floorman in the killing floor department. The entire department attended a steak dinner at the plant restaurant where Mr. Mortensen was presented a gold watch. Emil Mortensen is wearing the three-piece suit in the front row. His wife, Anna W., is next to him. Karl J. Maxwell, general manager of Carstens, is also in the front row with suit and bow tie. (T.Times, 8/25/1947, p.2)
Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Retirements--Tacoma--1940-1950; Employees--Tacoma--1940-1950; Mortensen, Emil T.; Mortensen, Anna W.; Maxwell, Karl J.;
A delegation of 22 business leaders from Honolulu visited the Pacific Northwest in August of 1947 to help foster trade - and support for statehood for their territory. The Tacoma Chamber of Commerce arranged a full schedule of activities for the visiting business men including a trip to the Carstens Packing Company on the tideflats where they were given a ride in Carstens' horse-drawn meat wagon. Some of the staff stood on the roof of the loading dock to get a look at the festivities. The delegation went on from Tacoma to visit Mount Rainier and Olympia. (T.Times, 8/9/1947, p.1) TPL-9602
A group of Hawaiians visiting Carstens' plant, O'Connell Ragan Company, Chuck Denton. This display shows the whole animals hung and in various popular cuts of meat. Ribbons connect a specific cut of meat with the part of the animal it comes from. (T.Times, 8/9/1947, p.1)
A group of Hawaiians visiting Carstens' plant, O'Connell Ragan Company, Chuck Denton. Carstens Packing Company put on an informational display and discussion of many cuts of meat. Their display included pork, beef and lamb. Carstens was one of four firms visited during the Hawaiian business people's visit to Tacoma. They also visited Pacific Match, Western Boat Company and The Puyallup plant of Washington Packers. (T.Times, 8/9/1947, p.1)
A group of Hawaiians visiting Carstens' plant, O'Connell Ragan Company, Chuck Denton. A close-up view of the lamb display Carstens presented to business people from Hawaii visiting Tacoma and other Northwest location on a good will tour to learn about trade opportunities with local companies. (T.Times, 8/9/1947, p.1)
A group of Hawaiians visiting Carstens' plant, O'Connell Ragan Company, Chuck Denton. Twenty-two Hawaiian business people were on a good will tour of the Northwest. They were hosted by representatives of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce. While visiting in Tacoma they discussed sound business policies such as the necessity for direct air service between the Northwest and Hawaii, statehood for Hawaii and a desire to know trade possibilities with the Northwest. (T.Times, 8/9/1947, p.1)
Dressed sides of beef hanging from hooks in a cold storage locker at Carstens Packing Co. Photograph taken in conjunction with Carsten's Open House, celebrating their 50th anniversary in the meat packing business. In 1903, Seattle butcher and German immigrant Thomas Carstens bought 12 deserted acres on the Tideflats, the former home of the old Pacific Meat Company's plant, and began setting up what would become the largest meat packing plant on the Pacific Coast. The company eventually branched out into three processing plants: Tacoma, Seattle & Spokane. It was a huge operation that raised its own livestock, slaughtered and processed it and sold it in their own retail outlets. The company founder died in 1931 and his sons, Thomas and Philip, took over the business until they sold it in 1954 to Hy-Grade Food Products Corp. of Detroit. Hy-Grade closed the plant in 1990, citing it as out dated and not complying with EPA standards. TPL-8123
3 images. Pacific Meat Co. Richley, arch. -address approximate TDL 2/16/1895 p.7 To build the packing house TDL 5/4/1895 p.3 Packing house takes form TDL 5/5/1895 p.5 (mention) TDL 6/1/1895 p.5 Two hundred men at work TDL 7/14/1895 p.12 Biggest in all the West (sketch) TDL 7/3/1898 (il) TDL 4/20/1903 p.1 Big packing house destroyed by fire (il)
Northwest Detention Center, U.S. Bureau of Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), Dept. of Homeland Security (before 2003 the dept. was known as the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service) GEO Group / Correctional Services Corp. (Sarasota, Florida), builder & operator -original162,000 sq. ft., 500 inmate capacity, expandable to 760 inmates -expanded to 1,500 in 2008 -opened 4/7/2004 TNT 12/3/1999 p.A1 Tideflats sites eyed for INS holding jail T.Reporter 4/6/2000 p.7 Just another jail in paradise TNT 12/17/2000 p.B1 Work on INS jail may start soon TNT 7/31/2002 p.B2 Florida company will build INS detention facility on Tideflats T.Weekly 9/27/2002 p.A6 Opinions: INS detention center will drag Tacoma down TNT 3/9/2004 p.A1 Federal jail anything but a dungeon (interior il) TNT 3/14/2004 p.B6 Prosecutor warns feds not to dump alien convicts here (il) T.Weekly 4/1/2004 p.A1 New detention center in Tacoma raising concerns (il) TNT 4/8/2004 p.B1 Detention center discord TNT 7/4/2008 p.A1 Detainee facility to expand TNT 1/9/2009 p.D1 Detention Center cleanup due again TNT 9/9/2012 p.A1 Center of detention (first of a special five-part News Tribune report) (aerial il) TNT 3/10/2014 p.A3 330 immigration center detainees on hunger strike TNT 10/8/2015 p.A3 Must we have 10 more years of privately run immigrant detention on Tideflats? (interior il) TNT 2/10/2017 p.A1 Under Trump, detention centers expected to be a growth industry (aerial) TNT 2/26/2017 p.A1 In Trump era, could ICE center expand? (aerial il) TNT 3/9/2017 p.A1 Interim rule blocks detention site growth T.Weekly 3/31/2017 p.A1 Northwest Detention Center: Inside the fence (interior il) TNT 3/25/2018 p.B1 ICE detention site sues city over efforts to limit its size TNT 6/28/2018 p.A1 Ten arrested outside migrant detention center, police say (aerial il) TNT 9/26/2018 p.A1 Tacoma gets win in effort to stop immigration detention center growth (il) TNT 7/14/2019 p.A1 Police shoot, kill attacker at center for ICE detainees (il) TNT 7/15/2019 p.A1 Morning after attack, bullet holes and a search for answers (il) TNT 7/17/2019 p.A1 Officials urge unity following ICE center attack TNT 7/20/2019 p.A1 Officers in fatal shooting at detention center identified TNT 7/21/2019 p.A5 Man killed outside detention center felt angry toward ICE TNT 8/17/2019 p.A3 Video reveals explosion, gunfire during immigrant center attack ----- Northwest ICE Processing Center TNT 9/11/2019 p.A1 ICE allows media in detention center 2 months after attack (interior il) TNT 12/14/2020 p.2A Advocates seek court order on detention facility (il)
Exterior view of large Carstens Packing Co. plant taken in mid-August of 1926. The meat packing firm was located at 1623 East "J" St. in the Tideflats, now the site of the Northwest Detention Center. Carstens relocated to Tacoma in 1903 and would later be known as the largest meat packing company on the West Coast with plants in Tacoma, Spokane and Seattle. In 1926 Carstens put forth plans to build a new four-story unit to hold the sausage factory, sausage coolers, lard refinery and smoke houses, beef coolers and beef sales coolers. The company sought to replace annually older, outdated buildings with permanent reinforced concrete construction. The gradual replacement meant that no sections of the plant would be out of commission before their replacements were erected. Fires in 1914, 1916 and shortly after caused the company to incur $750,000 in losses. The replacement of wooden buildings by concrete structures would make the plant more modernized as well as fireproof. (TDL 3-27-26, p. 10-article; TNT 3-31-27, p.6-article)
A group of Hawaiians visiting Carstens' plant on August 8, 1947, for O'Connell Ragan Company, Chuck Denton. A luxurious display of beef was presented by Carstens for the visiting business people from Hawaii. Four beef animals are hung and large cuts of meat are included in the display. One carcass has been sectioned and ribbons connect the cut of meat with the section of the animal it comes from. (T.Times, 8/9/1947, p1)
Group of kids at meat judging contest at Carstens, O'Connel, Ragan, Carstens Account, Bev Bolster. Many students stand around a table with samples of different cuts of meat on display. Several of the students are rating the meat on forms. Older men are seen in the background and a few younger children are seen in the group.
Group of kids at meat judging contest at Carstens, O'Connel, Ragan, Carstens Account, Bev Bolster. Nine men stand in one of the meat coolers in front of several sides of hung meat. The man second from the left is wearing a ribbon and the designation of "Judge". TPL-8116
Carstens Packing Company offered the highest quality products including: "Kimberly Beef", "T.C. Bacon", pork, lamb, "T.C. Sausage", veal, canned meats and "Sweet-N-Tender Ham". View of Carstens employees enjoying their company's Christmas party, which is being held at the main office in Tacoma, staff members are getting ready to sing Christmas carols, photo ordered by O'Connell-Ragan advertising agency.
