General Mills plant. Exterior view of the hay, grain, feed and seed retail business outlet for General Mills. Trucks and an automobile are parked along side. TPL-6518

Agricultural industries--Tacoma; World War, 1939-1945--Economic & industrial aspects--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Farm Service Division (Tacoma);

General Mills plant. This exterior view includes the grain elevators and the retail outlet building. Sperry Flour Company, a division of General Mills, may be forced to suspend flouring operations because of wheat shortages. Other plants of General Mills and six other companies will be closing. The government is able to pay 30 cents more per bushel than the mills which are subject to ceiling prices. Before this happened Tacoma was the biggest four milling center west of Minneapolis and Kansas City. (T.Times, 5/15/1946) TPL-6517

Agricultural industries--Tacoma; World War, 1939-1945--Economic & industrial aspects--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Farm Service Division (Tacoma);

When photographed in May of 1935, Mr. William Watson, Jr. (at right) was said to have been on the operating end of the flour business longer than any other man in Washington. He and his brother John Watson helped their father William Watson Sr. start the Watson and Bradley flour mill in Tacoma in 1885, the first roller process flour mill on the Puget Sound. After the mill was sold and dismantled, William Watson, Jr. went to work as the miller at the Kenworthy Grain and Milling Company, 5440-48 South Washington Street. He had already worked at the Kenworthy mill for 27 years when this photograph was taken. Standing next to Mr. Watson is J. Fred Kenworthy, the president of the Kenworthy Grain and Milling Co. Photograph ordered by E.T. Short, T. Times columnist. (T. Times 5/14/1935, pg. 14)

Kenworthy Grain & Milling Co. (Tacoma); Kenworthy Grain & Milling Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Millers--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Watson, William; Kenworthy, J. Fred;

Mr. William Watson Jr., old time miller, at the Kenworthy Milling Company posing in his work overalls next to the machinery. Mr. Watson and his brother John helped start the Watson & Bradley flour mill with their father William Watson Sr., later Watson, Olds & Co., at 2310 East "D" Street. The Watson's plant was the first roller processed flour mill on the Puget Sound and their flour sold under the names "White Swan" & "Gold Dust." The plant sold in 1908, was dismantled & moved to Seattle. Mr. Watson went to work as miller for Kenworthy and has been there 27 years. He has been in the operating end of the flour business longer than any man in the Northwest. Photograph ordered by E.T. Short, columnist for the Tacoma Times. (T. Times 5/14/1935, pg. 14)

Kenworthy Grain & Milling Co. (Tacoma); Kenworthy Grain & Milling Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Millers--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Watson, William;

General Mills, South Tacoma, Farm service Division. A granary, feed mill, wholesale and retail feed and farm supply store buildings are shown. Cars are parked along the storage building.

General Mills, Inc., Farm Service Division (Tacoma); Agricultural facilities--Tacoma;

This photograph, taken in December 1943, shows the sales office and loading dock of the General Mills, Inc. Farm Services Division at 5440-48 So. Washington St. in South Tacoma. The old brick grain wherehouse was built before 1908 by W.H. Kenworthy to take advantage of the proximity of this area to the Northern Pacific Shops were Mr. Kenworthy had worked before opening the granary. Part of the Kenworthy complex is currently used by X-Cel Feed Inc. One of the other building recently opened at the Brickyard Bar &Grill. TPL-6516

General Mills, Inc., Farm Service Division (Tacoma); Agricultural facilities--Tacoma;