ca. 1937. St. Regis Kraft Co.; filtering plant circa 1937. (WSHS)

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Mills--Tacoma--1930-1940; Paper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1937. St. Regis Kraft Co.; filtering plant circa 1937. (WSHS)

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Mills--Tacoma--1930-1940; Paper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;

St. Regis Paper Company dominated the Tacoma Tideflats with their ever expanding facilities at the terminus of the Puyallup Waterway. Taken from the top of the water tank. Ordered by St. Regis Paper Co., Mr. J.H. McCarthy.

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Paper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

St. Regis paper plant in Tacoma is the focal point of the company's expanding pulp, paper and multiwall bag operations in the West Coast. The paper mill was recently completed and is one of the largest and most modern plants in the United States. The new paper producing mill is now able to mass produce paper and offer their customers their quality product in higher volumes and lower prices. Workmen are using an "Ederer" crane to move an enormous roll of paper.

Paper--Tacoma; Paper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Laborers--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Ederer Engineering Co. (Seattle);

St. Regis consistently worked on intensive product development and sales promotion activities, not only to improve the penetration into existing markets, but to open up entirely new fields. Tacoma's St.Regis plant would have their own research laboratory within the industrial site. Interior view of plant, paper roll is being moved by a large "Ederer" crane.

Paper--Tacoma; Paper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Laborers--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Ederer Engineering Co. (Seattle);

St. Regis had started producing kraft paper in January 1949, the tacoma plant had been remodeled over a long period of time and was operating at full capacity. View of St. Regis Paper Company Kraft Pulp Division; new mill on left, new laboratory is currently under construction; building contractor is Howard S. Wright and Company (T. Times, 3/13/49, p. 19).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Remodeling--Tacoma; Paper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building construction--Tacoma; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1940-1950;

St. Regis had been expanding their facilities for many years, the company had added new buildings and had recently begun the mass production of paper in Tacoma. St. Regis began producing paper in January 1949; the paper mill was converting the liquid pulp into heavy multiwall Kraft paper, using the most modern equipment available. Interior view of plant and new roll grinding machine.

Paper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Mechanical systems--Tacoma; Machinery; Machinery industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1940-1950;

One of the employees at St. Regis Paper Company records information from a printout at one of the machines in the plant. Ordered by McGraw Hill Publishing Co., Inc., New York, NY.

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--People; Paper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

A view of the interior of the kraft paper mill at St. Regis Paper Company. The new high speed kraft paper machine was designed to operate at 2000 feet per minute and produce paper nearly fourteen feet wide (166 inches). It started operation January 5, 1949. The Poodle Dog Restaurant in Fife, Washington, had a large display of local points of interest on one of their walls. Copy of customer's negative for Poodle Dog enlargement. (St. Regis Paper Company Annual Report for 1949)

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Poodle Dog (Fife); Mills--Tacoma--1940-1950; Paper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

An employee at St. Regis watches to be sure all goes well in the wet pulp to paper process in the new kraft paper plant. Ordered by McGraw Hill Publishing Co., Inc., New York, NY.

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Paper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Chip feeder at St. Regis plant, Link Belt Company, Mr. R.W. Johnson. Bark was first removed from logs and moved to the woodroom. From the woodroom chunks of wood were moved to wood chippers where they were broken into fine chips. These went into a hopper in the top of a digester where the chips were broken down by chemicals and the resulting pulp was washed and bleached. This large, funnel-shaped machine handled the fine chipping and delivery to the digester.

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Paper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery;

Dexter's Machine at St. Regis Paper Company. During 1950 the pulp mill at Tacoma was expanded. St. Regis made kraft paper at six mills with a combined capacity of approximately 360,000 tons a year. Ordered by Bird Machine Company, South Walpole, Massachusetts, Mr. V. Fahlgren.

Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Machinery; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

Progress photograph of steelwork at St. Regis Paper Company. The new multiwall bag plant, adjoining the paper mill, was to replace a leased plant at Seattle. The plant was expected to be in operation before April 1, 1952. It would employ approximately 400 people, including a large percentage of women. (St. Regis Annual Report 1951)

Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Progress photographs; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Stand-by crane at St. Regis. This crane, manufactured by Ederer Engineering in Seattle, is able to move loads up and down nearly two stories inside this tall building along a horizontal trolly near the roof line of the building.

Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hoisting machinery; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

Aerial view shows progress being made on new construction for the St. Regis Paper Company in September, 1950. Established as a company in 1899, St. Regis was open for business in Tacoma in 1928. Rebuilt and modernized in 1936, St. Regis bought additional acreage from the St. Paul Tacoma Lumber Company in 1947 to add a paper mill and multi wall bag plant. According to the St. Regis 1950 annual report, Tacoma's expansion of their pulp mill would enlarge the pulp capacity from 115,000 to 135,000 tons a year. The new capacity will be in production in 1951.

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Factories--Tacoma--1950-1960; Progress photographs--1950-1960; Aerial photographs;

Conveyor link belt at St. Regis Paper Company. Link Belt Company. Long conveyor containing wood chips.

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Conveying systems--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Construction continues on new buildings at the St. Regis Paper Company on Portland Avenue. Still in its early stages in August, 1951, the new buildings have been mapped out with low walls but as the mounds of dirt indicate, no flooring is in place. St. Regis was nearing completion of its eight year expansion plan; this structure is probably the multiwall bag plant which was completed in 1952. Anticipated to add an additional 400 workers to the St. Regis payroll, the new plant, constructed of steel and concrete, would be used for the production of industrial-use bags for cement, fertilizer, and other heavy-duty items. Hooker Electrochemical's tank cars can be seen in the background close to the St. Regis water tower.

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

St. Regis Paper Company was undergoing constant expansion at its Portland Avenue plant; in this August, 1951, photograph, new building forms are placed on brick stands. In recent years St. Regis had expanded their kraft paper operations and was to add a multiwall bag plant. They had installed a 6.5 million dollar paper mill and machine to increase their product offerings beyond pulp. The paper machine was the first entirely designed and engineered by the company; it was to eventually produce more than 80,000 tons of paper and paperboard a year.

Progress photographs; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

This view of an open electrical control panel was taken in August, 1951, at the St. Regis Paper Company. New construction was continuing at the Portland Avenue plant as the piles of dirt and trash indicates. A new multiwall bag plant was completed in 1952; it was equipped to produce a full range of bags with six production lines. The new plant also had its own printing presses and a complete art and engraving department.

Progress photographs; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Logs from the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company could be easily transported via railroad to the St. Regis Paper Company for pulp and paper operations. Both companies were rapidly expanding due to high demand for their products. View of construction materials placed near the St. Regis water tower and railroad tracks; for several years in the late 40's and early 50's, St. Regis underwent massive expansion with the construction of a multi-wall bag plant and kraft paper facilities. St. Regis operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week and total expenditures in 1951 would total nearly ten million dollars.

Progress photographs; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Exterior shot of new Recovery Building at St. Regis Paper Company. This new building housed the six story high combustion furnace and the Koppers electric precipitator. The precipitator collected odor bearing particles before they could escape the chimney into the open air. This was part of the company's program to reduce odor caused by the chemical processes of producing pulp. (TNT 2-17-1952, pg. C-14)

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

New Swenson evaporators and connecting tubes, stairways to different levels at St. Regis. "Black Liquor" was the substance that was left after the chemical "cooking" process that removed sap and pitch from the cellulose fiber. The evaporator evaporated the water content from the liquor to the point of 52% solids. The liquor was sent to furnaces where it burned like oil, and the chemicals not used in the "cooking process" were recovered. (TNT 2-17-1952, pg. C-14)

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

Two Swenson evaporators and pipes at St. Regis. The molten substance left after the "Black Liquor" burns through the furnace is called "Green Liquor." The green liquor is sent to the caustic department, where the insoluble matter settles out, also the calcium carbonate, and a clear white liquor is made. This liquor is the original one used in the "cooking process" to separate sap & pitch from cellulose fibers and the recovery and recycling is complete. (TNT 2-17-1952, pg. C-14)

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

Koppers Precipitator at St. Regis Paper Co. Interior of building with brick wall with several round tanks of various sizes on top with pipes and valves coming out - some marked "danger-high voltage." St. Regis completed an eight year expansion and improvement program in 1952. Included in that program was the construction of a new combustion engineering company furnace. The six story high furnace had a capacity of 225 tons and was built in conjunction with the Koppers electric precipitator. The precipitator collected odor bearing particles before they escaped the chimney into the air thus reducing pollution and odor. (TNT 2-17-1952, pg. C-14)

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

Interior exposure of gauges for the new Swenson Evaporator Co. installations at St. Regis Paper Co. Tacoma. An 8 year expansion program for the company was to be completed in 1952. Part of this program was focused on recycling and reusing processing elements in an efficient manner. The Evaporator was used to recover chemicals used. (TNT 2-17-1952, pg. C-14)

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

Interiors at St. Regis Tacoma plant for 1952 Annual Report showing a recovery boiler. A major expansion program completed in 1952 increased the company's production capacity. St. Regis products made in Tacoma included sulphate pulp, kraft paper and board and multiwall bags. Products made in their other plants also included printing and publications papers and industrial and decorative plastics. A forerunner in conservation and recycling, Kaiser operated an efficient plant and originated the use of wood chips and ends in the paper process.

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

An engineer works on machinery, a paper "tensiometer," at the St. Regis Paper Co., Kraft pulp division. The equipment has been "locked out" with a key, so that it can not be started while the engineer is working. The two year old paper machine was approximately a block long. In 1952, St. Regis produced 400 tons of unbleached pulp per day. 160 of those tons were bleached and made into dried heavy sheets & placed together into 400 lb. bales, put into boxcars & shipped to other mills or the open market. The remaining 240 tons was used to make multiwalled bags in the company's bag plant or wrapping paper. Picture taken for General Electric Supply, Apparatus Department.

Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Mechanical systems--Tacoma; Machinery; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

The new bag multiwall plant at St. Regis. St. Regis was proud of being identified with the development of wood conservation methods in the Northwest. The Tacoma mill began experimenting with the utilization of chips cut from debarked wood slabs from sawmills and other wood using industries in their manufacture of kraft pulp. Wood chips were purchased on long-term contracts in the immediate vicinity which reduced the waste from sawmills, sash and door factories and plywood mills that had previously been burned. (TNT, 10/19/1952)

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

Construction of the new building for the Combustion Engineering Company furnace at St. Regis Paper Company. Six stories high, it was built in conjunction with a copper electric precipitator, had a capacity of 225 tons, and was to be completed by the middle of April. This was part of the continuing eight-year expansion program started by St. Regis in 1945. When St. Regis took over the Union Paper Company in 1936, the mill was producing 150 tons a day. In 1952 St. Regis produced 400 tons of brown sulphate pulp per day. (TNT, 2/17/1952, p.C-14)

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

An aerial view of the new multiwall bag plant at St. Regis. The plant was completely equipped to produce a full range of multiwall bags. Equipment included six production lines, three printing presses, a complete art and engraving department and auxiliary equipment. This plant replaced a leased plant in Seattle. (TNT, 10/19/1952)

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Aerial photographs; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;