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WO 157802-A

ca. 1860s. Undated photograph, possibly taken in the 1860s, of an 19th century family posed in front of their home. The photograph is taken at a wide angle so that the family's possessions, including planted crops, horses grazing, wagon and carriage, hitched span of horses, barn and extended home are prominent. The home appears to have been added on; the original sod house has a framed addition. The people themselves are not shown in close-up. The location of the property is not identified. Photograph believed to have been ordered by Mrs. G.R. Utterback on January 24, 1970.


Sod buildings; Horses; Families;

Map of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Part of Montana, 1860

Philadelphia : S. A. Mitchell, Jr.
1 map : hand col. ; 27 x 34 cm. Relief shown by hachures. Shows counties, cities, railroads, routes of wagon trails, and rivers. Scale ca. 1:4,435,000. Lower right: 50. Decorative border. Dated 1860 in bottom margin, but some question whether that might be the date of the original copyright of the base map.

Johnson's Washington and Oregon, 1863

New York: Johnson and Ward
1 map : hand col. ; 32 x 40 cm. Relief shown by hachures. Shows counties, cities, locations of native American tribal groups, and proposed railroad. Scale ca. 1:3,500,000 On verso: portion of "Historical and Statistical View of the United States, 1860", tables for Vermont, Virginia and Washington. In lower right margin: 57. Decorative border. Oregon counties Jackson and Josephine have been interchanged.

View of the City of Tacoma, W.T., Puget Sound, County Seat of Pierce Cty., Pacific Terminus of the NPRR, 1884

Madison, Wis. : J. J. Stoner; Ithica, N.Y. : Historic Urban Plans
1 map; 31 x 83 cm. Bird's-eye view. Perspective map not drawn to scale. Oriented with North to lower right. Includes key to points of interest. "Reproduced ... from an engraving in the Library of Congress." Includes inset of "Mount Tacoma, 14,444 ft. high." "Beck & Pauli, Litho., Milwaukee, Wis."

Map Showing Land Grant of the Northern Pacific Railroad Co. in Western Washington and Northern Oregon, 1887

Buffalo, N.Y. : Matthews, Northrup & Co., 1887.
1 map; 78 x 80 cm. Damaged and taped, mounted on linen backing. Shows drainage, railroads, county boundaries, townships, sections and quarter sections, railroad lands sold and unsold, government lands, school sections, etc. Inset: map showing "Northern Pacific Railroad, Oregon R. W. & navigation and Oregon & California Co. S. Systems". Relief shown by hachures and spot heights. "Scale 6 miles to one inch" (1:380,160)

TPL-5106

ca. 1889. These are the members of the first Washington State House of Representatives who were elected in 1889. Their small oval portraits are placed within a shield and under the words "First General Assembly of House of Representatives, Olympia Washington" and the date "1889." Original photo copied by Richards Studio.


Politicians; Legislative bodies--Washington;

TPL-1034

ca. 1890. Built in a modified Queen Anne style, the Annie Wright Seminary took its name from the daughter of Northern Pacific Railway president Charles B. Wright who came to Tacoma in the 1880's. The school was designed by Boone & Meeker, architects, and built by F.W. Lewis in 1883. It opened in September, 1884, with 94 girls as students. Annie Wright Seminary moved to new quarters at 827 Tacoma Avenue No. in 1924; the stately old school with its sharp gables and turrets was then demolished. Only the gymnasium and a remaining building remained to be leased to the Tacoma Drama League in 1925. G10.1-091


Private schools--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1880-1890;

TPL-2924

ca. 1890. This house was built in 1889 for Henry Hewitt Jr., one of the founders of the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. Designed by Andrew J. Smith, it was considered to be one of the finest houses in Tacoma. The three story "castle" was occupied by several Hewitts, as well as Edgar T. Short and E. E. Rhodes. It was demolished in 1957 to make way for a parking lot for the Central Lutheran Church.


Hewitt, Henry J.--Homes & haunts;

TPL-4108

ca. 1890. In 1890 Tacoma Fire Dept. Station # 3 was at 1212 North "G", near the corner of "G" and McCarver Streets. According to the 2nd Annual Report of the Tacoma Paid Fire Department, for the fiscal year ending May 31, 1891, Amil Krantz was listed as Captain in charge of at least five men. Krantz, age 36, was originally from Germany and was a former sailor. The station had a Silsby patent, fourth class rotary engine weighing in at 7,000 pounds which was drawn by two horses. In addition, there was an American Fire Apparatus hose wagon with two horses, which weighed 4,000 pounds and could carry 1000 feet of cotton hose. In this photograph from ca. 1890, the engines are decorated with flapping flags and garlands; it may have been taken on a holiday, perhaps the 4th of July or Memorial Day. Known as the Oldtown Station, Station # 3 occupied this building from 1885-1908. (2nd Annual Report, Tacoma Paid Fire Department, p. 24-25; 100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 30 )


Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1890-1900; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1890-1900; Horses--Tacoma;

TPL-4117

ca. 1890. Fire Station #2, Tacoma Fire Department. View of firemen posed in the act of responding to an alarm, taken in the fire station's bedroom. Fire fighters had to be prepared to respond at all hours of the day and night and speed was of the essence. The actual date of this sepia photograph is not known; it may have been roughly in the 1890's. A similar picture is TPL 4118 which portrays the men of Station No. 5 in the same situation. Engine Co. #2 was first established in 1889 at 1735 South "E" (Fawcett). According to the 2nd Annual Tacoma Paid Fire Department Annual Report, fiscal year ending May 31, 1891, the company roster consisted of six men, including Captain P.W. Chapman, age 22, a former salesman. He appears to have been the 4th captain in less than a year at this station. In 1907, a new Station No. 2 was built at 2701 Tacoma Avenue So.; subsequent remodeling was done in 1935. The station is on both the City and National Registry. (2nd Annual Report Tacoma Paid Fire Department, p. 22; 100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 17, 42)


Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1890-1900; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1890-1900;

TPL-2858

ca. 1890. Horse-and-buggy in front of Fidelity Trust Company Building, 11th and C, Tacoma, Washington, circa 1890. Driver is unidentified. Sidewalk appears to be of concrete but the street is made of boards. The Fidelity Building was new in 1890 and originally built as a six-story brick structure. It later added six more stories in 1909. It was demolished in 1949 to make way for the F.W. Woolworth Co. building. S7.1, G66.1-124


Fidelity Building (Tacoma); Office buildings--Tacoma--1890-1900; Carriages & coaches--Tacoma--1890-1900; Horses--Tacoma--1890-1900;

TPL-395

ca. 1890. It seems to be a slow business day at the Charles Berger Carriage Manufacturing & Supply Company at 15th and Commerce in Tacoma around 1890. Employees, some in leather aprons, pose outside of the blacksmith and wagon making company. The company also does carriage painting and trimming. Board sidewalks run down the hill beside the building and the Waverley Hotel can be seen in the right background. (Copy of original)


Charles Berger Carriage Manufacturing & Supply Co. (Tacoma); Waverley Hotel (Tacoma); Forge shops--Tacoma--1890-1900;

TPL-395B

ca. 1890. It seems to be a slow business day at the Charles Berger Carriage Manufacturing & Supply Company at 15th and Commerce in Tacoma around 1890. Employees, some in leather aprons, pose outside of the blacksmith and wagon making company. The company also does carriage painting and trimming. Board sidewalks run down the hill beside the building and the Waverley Hotel can be seen in the right background. (Copy of original)


Charles Berger Carriage Manufacturing & Supply Co. (Tacoma); Waverley Hotel (Tacoma); Forge shops--Tacoma--1890-1900;

TPL-4118

ca. 1890. In this photograph from 1890 the crew of Fire Station No. 5 of the Tacoma Fire Department, 1215-17 So. I Street, demonstrate how they could quickly dress when awakened by a "midnight alarm". The unidentified fireman at the far right has his baggy pants draped around his boots to speed his response. Engine Co. No. 5 was placed in service October 13, 1890, with a third class Ahrens Piston steam fire engine weighing 5,800 pounds and California Fire Apparatus four wheeled hose wagon with 4,485 pounds weight carrying 1000 feet of hose. Jess Poyns was the Captain, age 25 in 1890; he later became Department Chief. This fire station was a very busy one in 1890, answering 45 alarms and performing duty at 15 fires. In 1935 the company moved to new quarters at 1453 So. 12th; the old quarters were subsequently demolished. (2nd Annual Report, Tacoma Paid Fire Department, p. 28-29; 100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma Washington, p. 21, p. 72)


Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1890-1900; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1890-1900;

TPL-4132

ca. 1890. Station # 3, Tacoma Fire Department. Location of Engine Co. No. 3 was listed at the corner of No. "G" and McCarver in 1889 with Captain Amil Krantz in charge of at least five men. A few weeks after a disastrous Seattle business district fire which saw Tacoma volunteers leap in to assist their Seattle brethren, the Tacoma City Council put its volunteers on salary. Considerable new equipment was purchased from the International Fire Engine Company of Seneca Falls, New York, and Tacoma had the first paid fire department. The 2nd Annual Report of the Tacoma Paid Fire Department, for the fiscal year ending May 31, 1891, listed a complete inventory of both employees and equipment for each fire station. Besides the Silsby steam fire engine and American Fire Apparatus hose wagon, 2 sliding poles, 6 rubber coats, 4 horse blankets, 6 spittoons, and one crowbar were among those listed. Running expenses for the fiscal year totaled $7,341.36 including $336.10 for oats, $8.05 for carrots and the largest expenditure, $5887.76 for salaries. Rosters were also listed, including the men's ages, nationality and former occupations. (2nd Annual Report, Tacoma Paid Fire Department, p. 24-25; 100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 17-18)


Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1890-1900; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1890-1900; Horses--Tacoma;

SJO-088

On November 28, 1894 at 11:10 p.m., a landslide collapsed the Northern Pacific Railway Co.'s wharf, spilling the freight office, pump house and part of a warehouse into Commencement Bay. A few minutes later, at this site further north, a second slide occurred, carrying away part of the Ocean Dock. Observers near the Crescent Creamery, the white building on left located at approximately 100 Schuster Parkway, felt a jar followed by the crash of the warehouse as it broke up and fell into the water. The Crescent Creamery, constructed around 1890, was the first cold storage plant build on the Pacific Coast. (Hunt: "History of Tacoma Washington" vol. 2, pg. 170-171) G27.1-100


Landslides--Tacoma--1890-1900; Disasters--Tacoma--1890-1900; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma);

SJO-089

Late in the evening of November 28, 1894, a large landslide occurred in the waters of Commencement Bay carrying part of the Northern Pacific Railway Co.'s warehouse, its freight office, adjoining stockyards, the pump house and the home of H.H. Alger into the water. The night watchman and the Alger daughter lost their lives. In the daylight of the following day, observers came to see the previously inhabited land now covered with water. Although the Railway's freight office was found later floating near the southern tip of Maury Island, the company's safe, rumored to contain $10,000 in cash and $25,000 in securities, was never found. (Hunt: "History of Tacoma Washington" Vol. 2, pg. 170-171) G27.1-099, TPL-9550


Landslides--Tacoma--1890-1900; Disasters--Tacoma--1890-1900; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma);

SJO-069

At 11:10 p.m. on November 28, 1894, a strip of land 250-300 yards long and 20-60 feet wide slid into Commencement Bay, carrying with it the home of H.H. Alger, 45 feet of the Northern Pacific Railway Co's Puget Sound warehouse, the company's freight office and the adjoining stockyards. The lack of light made rescue work difficult. Night watchman John Hanson and Emma, the 15 year old daughter of Alger, lost their lives. A second slide followed in a few minutes and another the next night. When the land stopped sliding, it was estimated that the Bay now covered 20 acres of previously inhabited land. Where the warehouses had stood, there was now 60 feet of water. The slide was attributed to a washing out of quicksand beneath the filled-in earth. (Hunt: "History of Tacoma" vol. 2, pg. 170-171) G27.1-098


Landslides--Tacoma--1890-1900; Disasters--Tacoma--1890-1900; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma);

SJO-087

At 11:10 p.m. on November 28, 1894, a strip of land 250-300 yards long and 20-60 feet wide slid into Commencement Bay, carrying with it the home of H.H. Alger, 45 feet of the Northern Pacific Railway Co's Puget Sound warehouse, the company's freight office and the adjoining stockyards. The lack of light made rescue work difficult. Night watchman John Hanson and Emma, the 15 year old daughter of Alger, lost their lives. A second slide followed in a few minutes and another the next night. When the land stopped sliding, it was estimated that the Bay now covered 20 acres of previously inhabited land. Where the warehouses had stood, there was now 60 feet of water. The slide was attributed to a washing out of quicksand beneath the filled-in earth. (Hunt: "History of Tacoma" vol. 2, pg. 170-171) G27.1-097


Landslides--Tacoma--1890-1900; Disasters--Tacoma--1890-1900; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma);

TPL-5057

ca. 1895. Considered to be the most beautiful home in Tacoma, the Hewitt mansion was designed by architect Andrew J. Smith for Henry Hewitt Jr., one of the founders of the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. The interior of the three story "castle" was filled with ornately carved woodwork of cherry, maple, oak and birch. Much of the interior woodwork was brought west from Milwaukee, where the house was designed. Tacoma of 1889, the year that the house was built, did not have a local industry that could accommodate the elaborate plans for the Hewitt house. The home passed through a succession of owners. Although still in excellent shape, the mansion was demolished in 1957 to make room for the parking lot of the Central Lutheran Church.


Hewitt, Henry J.--Homes & haunts;

Topographic Sheet, Washington, Tacoma Quadrangle, 1898

Washington : Geological Survey
1 map : col. ; 45 x 31 cm. on sheet 56 x 47 cm. "Surveyed in 1894-95." Scale: 1:125,000 Contour interval 50 feet. Relief indicated by contours and spot heights. Datum is mean sea level. "Edition of Nov. 1898" Engraved April 1897 by U.S.G.S. Henry Gannett, Chief Topographer. R. U. Goode, Geographer in charge. Control by W.T. Griswold and U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Topography by G.E. Hyde and R.H. McKee. Diagram depicts which topographers were responsible for which areas of the map.

G15.1-006

ca. 1900. Around 1900, a young woman was photographed riding her bicycle across Tacoma's bicycle bridge, also known as the Galliher Gulch bridge. The bridge was constructed in 1896 by the Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club at the height of the national bicycling craze. It was near Holy Rosary Church, connecting Delin Street with the path leading to the Hood Street reservoir. For more than 25 years, it was the "longest, highest and only exclusive" bicycle bridge in the world. The narrow wooden bridge was perched on steel poles high above the gulch and provided a way for bicyclists to cross the ravine. The bridge measured in at 440 feet long, 127 feet high and 12 feet wide and was built with funds accrued from the sale of bicycle licenses. (TNT 9/5/1922- in clipping file; TNT 4-7-1953, E-4-alt photo of bridge) TPL-4459


Bicycles & tricycles--1890-1900; Cyclists--1890-1900; Cycling--Tacoma; Bridges--Tacoma--1900-1910; Bicycle Bridge (Tacoma);

Map of Washington, 1904

George F. Cram and Company
1 map; 34 x 51 cm. From page 292-293 of Cram's unrivaled atlas of the world. Relief shown by hachures. Shows counties, cities and railroads. Scale ca. 1:1,300,000 On verso: portion of "City of Portland, Oregon." In lower margin: 292, 293. Index on verso.

TPL-7645

ca. 1904. The old Tacoma Tourist Hotel being rebuilt into Stadium High School, Tacoma, circa 1904. It opened as Tacoma High School in September of 1906 with 878 students and 38 teachers.


Stadium High School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1900-1910; Tourist Hotel (Tacoma); Hotels-- Tacoma--1900-1910; Streets--Tacoma--1900-1910; Building construction--Tacoma--1900-1910;

WO 155538-F

ca. 1907. Copy of customer print. Composite picture where President Teddy Roosevelt has been inserted to stand next to Northwest pioneer Ezra Meeker before the old State Department's "War and Navy" building in Washington D.C., upon the conclusion of Meeker's reenactment of his 1852 journey via covered wagon on the Oregon Trial. Signs decorating the old prairie schooner indicate that Meeker had left Puyallup on January 29, 1906, and arrived in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 5, 1907, a distance of 2,610 miles. Accompanied by his faithful dog "Jim," Edward Songer and Mr. and Mrs. Herman Goble, the 76-year-old Meeker and his yoke of oxen and wagon were a throwback to the days of westward expansion. Mr. and Mrs. Goble are believed to be included in the above photograph. Meeker sought preservation of the Oregon Trail route as an important part of our nation's history. He stopped at many towns along the way to raise money for memorials to the Trail and even received a special permit to drive his team down New York City's famous Broadway. Meeker did meet up with President Roosevelt after he decided to continue his journey to Washington D.C., arriving there on November 29, 1907. The president was interested in preserving the Trail and eventually Congress would appropriate $50,000 to mark the trail. Photograph ordered by the Washington State Historical Society. (en.wikipedia.org, NWR clipping file, TDL 1-31-06, p. 12)


Meeker, Ezra, 1830-1928; Covered wagons--Washington D.C.; Cattle--Washington D.C.; Pioneers; Westward movement; Roosevelt, Theodore; Presidents; Dogs;

TPL-4122

A large crowd gathered to witness firefighters attempting to put out the flames that engulfed the top floor of the Davis Smith & Co. building at 1754 Pacific Avenue on February 24, 1908. The early morning fire caused $47,000 damage to the building and its contents. The fire was apparently caused by the accidental crossing of electric wires on the five-story brick building's top floor. Lt. George Hill, Engine Co. No. 4, was killed falling from a ladder from the fifth floor. In addition, five other firefighters were injured and six employees suffered burns. Engine Co. No. 5's hose wagon overturned on the way to the fire; injured firefighters righted the wagon and continued to the fire to render assistance. (100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 44-45)


Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Fire fighting--Tacoma;

TPL-5916

The Ladies Aid group of the Fern Hill Methodist Church met at a private residence near South 78th Street and Pacific Avenue in 1908. The women planned ice cream socials, bazaars and other church activities. Some of the women in this portrait were later identified as: Mrs. A. Hartley, Ms. Cooper, Mrs. Gibson, Mrs. Brill, Mrs. Chenowith, Mrs. Wilhelmi and Dorothy, Mrs. Clarkson and little Mildred.

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