ca. 1931. Tacoma Grain Co. and Pyramid Flour. Circa 1931 photograph taken from a boat on Puget Sound looking toward land.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Pyramid Flour (Tacoma);

ca. 1931. Tacoma Grain Company, Pyramid Flour plant in Tacoma photographed from a boat on Puget Sound.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain Industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Pyramid Flour (Tacoma)

ca. 1931. An employee at the Tacoma Grain Company apparently bagging grain for the Washington State Grain Inspectors.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940

ca. 1931. A male employee at the Tacoma Grain Company holds a large filter that is used in the nearby grain sifter. This photograph was taken circa 1931.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1931. Two men in the quality control lab at Tacoma Grain Company do chemical tests on the flour being produced. A bag of Centennial silk-sfted flour sits on the lab bench.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Laboratories--Tacoma--1930-1940

ca. 1931. An older male employee at the Tacoma Grain Company stands next to a large, belt-driven piece of machinery.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1931. A line of men employees work at the flour bagging machines at the Tacoma Grain Company. A supervisor in white shirt, vest and tie oversees their work. The machines are used to fill a number of different bags. Bags are marked "Centennial - Silk Sifted - Family Flour"; "Cross Spears - Wong Sui Yuen"; and "Seattle - 100% Entire Whole Wheat Flour".

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Bags

ca. 1931. Employees of the Tacoma Grain Company work at what appear to be belt driven grain grinders, to make flour from grain.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1931. Tacoma Grain Company, Pyramid Flour plant taken from a boat on Puget Sound.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Pyramid Flour (Tacoma)

ca. 1931. Testing bakery at the Tacoma Grain Company. A woman hold a fresh loaf of bread as she stands next to a testing oven. There is a line of seven loaves of bread on the shelf behind her. A bag of Centennial Silk-Sifted Flour is prominently displayed on the shelf next to the oven.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Bread--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Sperry Flour Co. Flour milling is one of the oldest industries in the Northwest. Sperry Flour Division in Tacoma was just one plant of the many throughout the West. The Tacoma plant did most of the international exporting. The company celebrated its 92nd anniversary this year. Exterior view of plant.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

Sperry Flour Co. Sperry Flour Co. was the largest milling organization in the West. The Tacoma plant produces 5,000 barrels per day of flour, which allows for large amounts to get sent throughout the world. Exterior view of plant.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

The fire that completely destroyed Centennial Mills began at the five story mill, then spread out of control to the eight story grain storage building and continued to spread toward the seven story export and storage building. The flour mill was located on the city's waterway. Aerial view of Centennial Flour Mill's fire, flames and smoke have taken over the entire building (T. Times, 1/30/47, p. 1).

Fires--Tacoma--1940-1950; Smoke--Tacoma; Disasters--Tacoma; Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma); Holroyd Co. (Tacoma);

General Mills produced over 12,900 barrels of flour per day, their output had doubled in just five years. They were one of the oldest flour mills in the Pacific Northwest. The Tacoma plant handled most of the international exporting. Interior view of storage building with thousands of sacks of Sperry 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);

Centennial Flour Mills was completely destroyed after a 2-11 alarm fire. Twelve fire companies and three fire boats responded to the fire which occurred early in the morning. This turned out to be one of the most spectacular fires in Tacoma's history, with damages totaling over $2,500,000. Aerial view of Centennial Flour Mills surrounded by smoke (T. Times, 1/30/47, p. 1).

Fires--Tacoma--1940-1950; Smoke--Tacoma; Disasters--Tacoma; Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma); Holroyd Co. (Tacoma);

At 7:57 a.m. on the morning of January 30, 1947 a malfunctioning switch at the Centennial Flour Mill ignited flour dust in the building setting the massive structure located on Bayside Drive (now Schuster Parkway) on fire. Fanned by stiff winds, the fire defied the combined efforts of all the Tacoma Fire department units, including the off-shift personnel who had been called in to fight the blaze. The mill was totally destroyed at a loss of $2,400,000. By using the Tacoma fireboat, the fire scow from the shipyard and the Coast Guard fire tug, the firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading to the Sperry Flour Mill, which was located just north of Centennial. The Centennial Flour Mills Company fire was the first fire in Tacoma history with property damage that exceeded $1,000,000. (T. Times, 01/30/1947, p. 1). TPL-9760

Fires--Tacoma--1940-1950; Smoke--Tacoma; Disasters--Tacoma; Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma); Holroyd 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);

The Centennial Flour Mill's fire was started after a transformer blew up on the first floor of the five floor mill building, this explosion ignited a gasoline line, then quickly spread throughout their three buildings. At this time, Centennial was deciding whether they wanted to rebuild in Tacoma. View of Centennial site about one week after the fire, photo ordered by Underwriter's Salvage Company of New York.

Salvage--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery; Laborers--Tacoma; Underwriter's Salvage Co. of New York; Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma); Fires--Tacoma--1940-1950; Disasters--Tacoma;

The Centennial Flour Mill fires completely destroyed the flour mill, export building and the eight floor storage building. Over one hundred Centennial employees working in these buildings were safely evacuated. View of Centennial site about one week after the fire, photo ordered by Underwriter's Salvage Company of New York.

Laborers--Tacoma; Salvage--Tacoma; Fires--Tacoma--1940-1950; Underwriter's Salvage Co. of New York; Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma);

The Centennial fire caused more than $2,500,000 worth of damage, this included an estimated 300,000 bushels of wheat and other grains and thousands of sacks of flour ready for exporting or shipping. The clean-up would included the actual site and tons of water soaked grain and debris that spilled out over nearby roads and railroad tracks, railroad traffic had to be re-routed for many days. View of Centennial site one week after fire, photo ordered by Underwriter's Salvage Company of New York.

Salvage--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery; Laborers--Tacoma; Underwriter's Salvage Co. of New York; Railroad tracks--Tacoma; Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma); Fires--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Centennial's fire is expected to be one of Tacoma's costliest fires. The only thing left standing is a 210 foot stack, as a reminder of the flour mill that once stood here. Their company records have been salvaged from the fire proof office vault, just slightly before the vault roof caved in. View of Centennial fire site one week after fire, photo ordered by Underwriter's Salvage Company of New York.

Salvage--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery; Laborers--Tacoma; Railroad tracks--Tacoma; Underwriter's Salvage Co. of New York; Fires--Tacoma--1940-1950; Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma);

Centennial Flour Mills had a massive fire that completely destroyed the plant, damages were estimated at $2,500,000. Centennial was discussing new possible site locations. Holroyd Company sold and manufactured concrete building materials, they were working with Centennial on a new building materials contract. View of Centennial building after the fire, photo ordered by Holroyd.

Disasters--Tacoma; Fires--Tacoma--1940-1950; Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma); Holroyd Co. (Tacoma);

Centennial Mills was completely destroyed after a massive fire in January 1947. The fire started in the mill building then spread to the storage building and up to the export offices. The fire is one of the costliest in Tacoma history. View of Centennial Mills, concrete building two months after the fire, photo ordered by fire insurance company's adjustment bureau.

Fires--Tacoma--1940-1950; Disasters--Tacoma; Buildings distinguished by material; Ruins--Tacoma; Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma);

In this photograph from September of 1947, workers at the Sperry Flour Company use sewing machines to sew 100 pound bags of flour closed after filling. The unidentified worker in the foreground weighs a bag on a scale with the sewing machine head next to his left hand. The line of work stations continues into the background. The Sperry Flour Company was on the waterfront in Tacoma on what is now Schuster Parkway. The flour operations at the mill ceased in 1965, and the last of the mill buildings was demolished in the late 1980s. TPL-8721

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Mills--Tacoma; Machinery; Mechanical systems--Tacoma;

Sperry Flour Company. Sperry planned to expand its facilities at this time by leasing the former site of the Centennial Flouring Mills Company that was destroyed by fire in late January 1947. Negotiations were being conducted between General Mills (owners of Sperry Flour Company), the Centennial Flouring Mills Company and the Northern Railroad Company which holds title to the waterfront property. This expansion to the old Centennial site never took place. A worker from Sperry is filling a 50 pound bag of enriched flour (called "Drifted Snow") from an overhead chute.

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Mills--Tacoma; Machinery; Mechanical systems--Tacoma;

Special order for special edition, Studio, by Tacoma Times, George Beckingham. Two men are reviewing the quality of the ground material being loaded onto a railroad freight car at the General Mills-Sperry plant. The mill produced all white flours, whole wheat, pancake and cake flours, cereals and mixed feed.

Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma; Railroad companies--Tacoma--1940-1950; Southern Pacific Lines (Tacoma); General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

A group of workmen load 100 lb. bags of flour into a Southern Pacific railroad freight car at the Sperry Flour-General Mills plant on Tacoma's waterfront in February 1948. The company's facilities, on what is now Schuster Parkway, was ideally located between the railroad tracks and the "Ocean Dock". The company's products included all white flours, whole wheat, pancake and cake flours, cereals and mixed feed. Sperry's cereals were sent to Portland for packaging. The flour operations at the mill ceased in 1965, and the last of the mill buildings was demolished in the late 1980s. (Special order for special edition, Tacoma Times, George Beckingham)

Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma; Railroad companies--Tacoma--1940-1950; Southern Pacific Lines (Tacoma); General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

Port of Tacoma for Times Special Edition, studio stock, B of R. The interior of the Sperry Division mill of General Mills, Inc. The Sperry division had five flour mills, in Ogden, Utah; Spokane and Tacoma, Washington; and Vallejo and Los Angeles, California. As of 1963 General Mills, Inc. was the largest milling company with 17 flour mills in the United States. It was one of the chief producers of breakfast cereals, flour mixes and refrigerated doughs. Washington state was foremost in flour production among the Pacific and Mountain states as of 1963. Two workmen check the status of the processing.(Flour Milling in America, Herman Steen)

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

Great Northern Box Car being loaded by Sperry Flour Company at Ocean Dock, DFPA, Edith Leik. A view inside the box car. Bags of flour are being moved by a forklift to fill the upper spaces in the box car. The interior of the freight car is lined with plywood and paper to protect the flour and meal being shipped. TPL-10457

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Great Northern Railway Co. (Tacoma); General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Railroad tracks--Tacoma; Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery;

Great Northern Box Car being loaded by Sperry Flour Company at Ocean Dock, DFPA, Edith Leik. A man is moving several bags of flour inside a box car at the Sperry Flour Company Ocean Dock. Another man stands outside reviewing a list. Some of the Sperry Flour Company facilities are seen in the background. TPL-10456

Great Northern Railway Co. (Tacoma); General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Railroad tracks--Tacoma; Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hoisting machinery; Ocean Dock (Tacoma);