Progress photograph taken in February of 1975 of Schuster Parkway construction. A large crane is in the process of moving part of the road bed. Once completed, Schuster Parkway (formerly known as Bayside Dr.) would be used heavily for traffic between I-705 and "Old Town." Cost of the project was about 5.7 million dollars. In the distance is the Continental Grain Terminal which was built in 1973. Color photograph ordered by Butler-Jarvis Construction.

Parkways; Road construction--Tacoma--1970-1980; Progress photographs; Hoisting machinery;

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);

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;

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);

Equipment installations, General Mills. A workman is ready to place another bag at the filling machine. One bag that has already been filled with Egg Mash and sewn shut is seen on the conveyor belt to the left of the sewing machine. Ordered by Mr. Meinecke.

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

Picture taken from the roof to show the newly remodeled Sperry Ocean dock at General Mills Inc., Sperry Division, flour mills at Waterfront St. near N. 6th. The General Mills plant was remodeled in 1947, followed by a $49,000 improvement on the dock finished in 1950. Two thirds of the 385 foot dock was pulled out and all fender piles, plus numerous others, were replaced. The entire dock was increased in width from 18 to 24 feet and four ramps were built from the warehouse to the lip of the dock. The increased width allowed more room for dock workers and the ramps more ease in the loading of ships. The plant was closed down in 1965 and the dock was the last portion to be demolished, in approximately 1989.

Piers & wharves--Tacoma--1950-1960; Waterfronts; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma;

The Centennial Flouring Mills Co. was one of the major companies along what is now Schuster Parkway from 1934 until January 30, 1947 when it was destroyed by fire. The empty shell of the building remained standing for almost four years. Finally, in December of 1950, the Lige Dickson Company was contracted to remove the concrete and steel framework. The road past the old plant was closed to through traffic for two months. Rubble from the building was later used to repair Ruston Way which had been severly damaged by the storm of January 13, 1950. A truck is seen pulling a bulldozer to the old plant. (TNT, 12/21/1950, p.1)

Lige Dickson Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bulldozers; Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma); Demolition--Tacoma--1950-1960;

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;

General Mills supervisors, Mr. Meinecke, Sperry Flour Division. Nineteen men from the company, all but one wearing overalls and hats for their work with two policemen. One of the men wears a suit and hat. Several of the white hats say, "GMI, Safety First" on them.

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

View of Bechtel Corporation employees reviewing the building plans for the General Mills Sperry flour plant expansion. The Bechtel Company was based out of California, they brought up their trucks and staff and would be here until the Tacoma project was completed.

Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Construction workers--Tacoma; Construction industry--Tacoma; Engineering--Tacoma; Remodeling--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Bechtel Corp. (Tacoma);

View of construction workers working on the General Mills Sperry Division expansion project. The men appear to be measuring, cutting, reviewing plans and getting the building materials ready for the flour mill. The expansion project was approved in 1947 and should be completed this year.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Grains--Tacoma; Grain industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grain elevators--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma; Remodeling--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

General Mills Sperry Flour Division had experienced an increase in business, because of the Centennial fire. The company had steadily expanded throughout the years, but experienced a boom last year. Sperry was able to corner the market in national sales and international exports. Interior view of Sperry Flour plant, modern equipment allows them to process more of their products to fill the higher demands.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Grains--Tacoma; Grain industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grain elevators--Tacoma; Remodeling--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);

Group shot of about 20 men at General Mills. The men are standing & kneeling behind a banner advertising General Mills cereals Cheerios, Kix and Wheaties.

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

Mechanization could relieve men from heavy labor in the loading dock at the Sperry Mill. One man moves bags of flour from a rotating delivery platform to a wooden pallet. A man with a fork-lift can transport the flour directly to the loading dock at the Sperry Ocean Dock. Ordered by General Mills.

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

Exterior of bulk feed truck, labelled Larro Feeds, at General Mills, on Schuster Parkway near 6th. The truck is a White truck 3000. General Mills, Sperry Division, grain elevators can be seen in the background. The White truck will be loaded with grain that will then be delivered to area farmers for feeding their livestock.

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); White trucks--Tacoma; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960; Grain elevators--Tacoma--1950-1960; Grain industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

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

A Consolidated truck, loaded with "fertilizer," is parked outside the old Sperry Mill on Bayside Drive in mid-February, 1969. The Sperry plant was owned by General Mills. Its flour mill had closed in July of 1965. Photograph ordered by Export Pacific, Inc.

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1960-1970;

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;

Installation of electrical work at Sperry Mill for Industrial Page, Hubman Manly Electrical Contracting, Mrs. Hubman. Hubman-Mann Electrical Contracting were installing a motor control panel at Sperry Division of General Mills during the expansion that was taking place at the Sperry Mill. The electrical contractors had already completed re-wiring the mill. L-R, George Hubman, partner with Joe Manley, contractors; Herman Miller, Hubman-Manley foreman; Willard Meiceke, assistant superintendent with Sperry Division; Geroge Gayle, Don Wintermute and Johnny Covelli, electricians. (T.Times, 4/19/1948, p.5)

General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Hubman Manly Electrical Contracting (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Hubman, George; Miller, Herman; Meiceke, Will; Gayle, George; Wintermute, Don; Covelli, John;

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);

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;

Interior view of newly expanded and remodeled Sperry Flour Mill, workman is measuring two grain slides, the grains go through processing machinery before they are made into flour and cereal. The expansion project should be completed later this year, General Mills should have their new facilities in full operation by the end of this year.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Grains--Tacoma; Grain industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grain elevators--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma; Remodeling--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

General Mills Sperry flour plant was one of the oldest businesses in Tacoma and had been in the flour and grains industry for over 96 years. The plant was conveniently located in Tacoma's waterfront area by Commencement Bay which gave the plant easy water and railroad access. Interior view of facility taken on May 31, 1948 with grain processing equipment on right side, workmen on left side.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Grains--Tacoma; Grain industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grain elevators--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma; Remodeling--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

In 1947 Centennial Flour Mills was completely destroyed by a fire, for some time, Centennial was unsure whether they would rebuild. General Mills was hoping to acquire the old Centennial Mills site and begin remodeling and expanding their facilities. Sperry and Centennial went through extended negotiations to determine whether Sperry Flour could lease the property. Interior view of Sperry Flour plant.

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Grains--Tacoma; Grain industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grain elevators--Tacoma; Remodeling--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

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);