February 11, 1963, view by helicopter of the Pioneer Sand & Gravel operations near Steilacoom. According to the 1962-63 Suburban Directory, Pioneer Sand & Gravel had its Pierce County offices at 5920 Grandview Dr. W. George D. Christensen was listed as its superintendent. The company specialized in sand, gravel, concrete and building materials. Photograph ordered by Pioneer Sand & Gravel, Seattle office. TPL-9239

Aerial photographs; Pioneer Sand & Gravel Co. (Steilacoom); Industrial facilities--Steilacoom; Sand--Steilacoom; Sandstone quarrying--Steilacoom;

This aerial photograph from February 1963 shows the Pioneer Sand and Gravel Company operation just northwest of Chambers Creek with Mt. Rainier looming in the background. Two gravel pits are separated by acres of trees and a private road. Steilacoom and Gravelly Lakes are center right. Western State is far right. Large aircraft appear minuscular in upper right center at McChord Field. The area south of Chambers Creek is now Lakewood; the area to the immediate north is University Place. A world-class 275-acre 27-hole Scottish links-style golf course has been proposed for part of the gravel pit land. (Photograph ordered by Pioneer Sand & Gravel Co.'s Seattle office.) TPL-8792

Aerial photographs; Pioneer Sand & Gravel Co. (Steilacoom); Sandstone quarrying--Steilacoom; Sand--Steilacoom;

Another view of Reichhold Chemicals plant, including ponds, storage tanks and outer buildings, taken by air on March 29, 1963. Reichhold's had purchased 51 acres of land in the Tideflats in 1956 so that the national producer of chemicals had plenty of room for expansion. They were originally located at 3320 Lincoln Avenue but by 1963 had apparently moved to 2340 Taylor Way. TPL-6579

Aerial photographs; Reichhold Chemicals, Inc. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1960-1970;

These mounds look like enormous scoops of sand but they are really piles of pulp- mill chips located at St. Regis Paper Co.'s Tacoma kraft mill. As seen by air on February 9, 1963, two barges full of chips are being unloaded for use by St. Regis. St. Regis had started to purchase in large quantities chips from waterside suppliers as far away as British Columbia in addition to purchasing locally. Thus, chips were now being received by water, truck and rail. Photograph also shows log booms saved for future use. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York.(1964 St. Regis Annual Report, p. 11)

Aerial photographs; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1960-1970; Paper industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Logs;

ca. 1963. Vista Manor with Stadium H.S. in background. Color 1963 aerial photograph of Tacoma's north end focusing on the 16-story Vista Manor Apartments and Central Lutheran Church on Tacoma Avenue North and Washington State Historical Building, Stadium Bowl and Stadium High School on bluff overlooking Commencement Bay. Tideflats in distance. One ship is docked below the school.

Aerial photographs; Stadium Bowl (Tacoma); Stadium High School (Tacoma); Washington State Historical Building (Tacoma); Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1960-1970; Central Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Vista Manor Apartments (Tacoma);

ca. 1963. Stadium High School on Stadium Way enjoyed elevated views of Commencement Bay. This 1963 aerial photograph shows the school's proximity to the Washington State Historical Society Building juxtaposed with massive Stadium Bowl, site of football and civic endeavors. Stadium High School had been planned as a grand Tacoma hotel but it was gutted by fire before completion. It opened as a high school in 1906 and changed its name to Stadium in 1913. The school will be undergoing extensive remodeling starting in 2004 and its students transferred to the old Mount Tacoma High School.

Aerial photographs; Stadium High School (Tacoma); Washington State Historical Building (Tacoma); Washington State Historical Society (Tacoma); Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1960-1970;

ca. 1963. Closer look at the Milton water tank and surrounding homes and farms via air in 1963.

Aerial photographs; Water tanks--Milton;

Closer aerial view of the Bon Marche department store under construction on December 9, 1963. After many years of trying, approval was finally given for the construction of a new shopping center in the city's south end. The Bon Marche would be the first store built with construction starting in 1963; the store would open with great fanfare, more than a year before the rest of the mall. An estimated 150,000 people would visit the Bon on its first day of business, August 3, 1964, to view the four-story, 256,000 square foot department store. The rest of the mall would be completed in 1965, with 55 stores and 900,000 square feet of selling space.

Building construction--Tacoma--1960-1970; Bon Marche (Tacoma); Shopping centers--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Mall Shopping Center (Tacoma); Aerial photographs;

ca. 1963. Unidentified building under construction in 1963. Some of the foundation walls are up and a few inner partitions. A crane is in place next to mounds of dirt. Building appears to be located on a wide field with houses in the distance. This may be a commercial structure or center rather than a home.

Building construction; Hoisting machinery;

ca. 1963. The giant red neon Bank of California sign on top of the Washington Building could be seen from five miles away in April of 1963. It used more than half a mile of high-intensity 60 milli-amp hot tubing and a newly designed pressure pump. The sign was created by the Heath Sign Company which had been established in 1948. The Bank of California National Association was adjacent to the taller Washington Building on Pacific Avenue. The neon sign was scheduled to be formally lit up on Saturday, April 27, 1963. (TNT 4-24-63, A-22)

Electric signs--Tacoma--1960-1970; Washington Building (Tacoma); Bank of California National Association--Associated objects;

ca. 1963. Stadium District neighborhood ca. 1963. Elevated look toward Mt. Rainier, Stadium High School can be glimpsed on the left side of photograph along South Stadium Way. Street on right center, intersecting No. 1st, is Tacoma Avenue So. Large Mission-styled building on right side is Walker Chevrolet. Tall building on extreme right side is believed to be the Park Towers. Romanesque structure around the curve on Tacoma Avenue So. is the well-known First Presbyterian Church.

Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1960-1970; Rainier, Mount (Wash.); Stadium High School (Tacoma); Walker Chevrolet Co. (Tacoma); First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma);

Sixteen youngsters pose outside Annie Wright Seminary in March, 1963, for annual class pictures. These were members of the K-5 kindergarten group as eight little boys are included. Annie Wright accepted boys in this age group but girls only in later grades. L-R listed from the 1963 Annie Wright yearbook: First row: Nicholas Malden, William Rabe, Paul Rush, Caroline Wiborg, Rebecca Scott, Valerie Graves, Ann Rhea, Steven Crounse. Second row: Courtney Reid, Katherine Hokanson, George Buell, John Holl, Rodney Rosenthal, Jan Savini, Scott Dickman, Greta Simonson. (1963: The Shield, p. 29)

School children--Tacoma--1960-1970; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1960-1970; Private schools--Tacoma;

View of head table at banquet. Governor Albert Rosellini was one of the honored guests at the 1963 Washington State Sports Hall of Fame awards banquet on February 6, 1963. The Sports Hall of Fame had been established by the Tacoma Athletic Commission by one of its founders, Clay Huntington, in 1960. Each year a number of candidates are nominated to be voted upon by top sportswriters and sportscasters from throughout the state. Those elected are recognized for their outstanding sports accomplishments and honor they have brought to themselves and the State of Washington. At the head table above in this 1963 photograph are also local lumberman and philanthropist Ben Cheney (seated second to left) and All-star shortstop, Maury Wills (next to Gov. Rosellini). Five men were elected to the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame: Don Paul, George Wise, Frank Gillihan, Jack Walters and Jack Connor. Those honorees are believed to be standing in the above picture behind the head table; names not necessarily in order. (TNT 2-7-63, C-7) (www.washingtonsportshalloffame.com/index2.htm)

Tacoma Athletic Commission (Tacoma); Awards; Washington State Sports Hall of Fame (Tacoma); Rosellini, Albert D.; Wills, Maury; Cheney, Ben B., 1905-1971;

Progress photograph of Allied Chemical plant taken on February 7, 1963. The 1963 City Directory listed the General Chemical Division- Allied Chemical Corporation at 1410 Thorne Rd. in the Tacoma Tideflats. It was formerly called Allied Chemical & Dye Corp. Paul Bowen was the manager of this chemical manufacturing firm. This view of the plant shows a crane and large mountain of sand or dirt. Original plant was built in 1955. Photograph ordered by Klug and Smith, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Progress photographs; Allied Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Allied Chemical & Dye Corp. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Tacoma Giants owner Ben Cheney during a March, 1963, Arizona spring training visit to the Tacoma team's parent club, the San Francisco Giants. Mr. Cheney, second from the right, smiles broadly at the camera. The other man in Giants uniform is S.F. Giants manager Alvin Dark. Mr. Dark was the 1948 Rookie of the Year and would go on to skipper the Oakland A's, leading them to a World Series title in 1974. At the far left is W.D. "Rosy" Ryan, general manager of the Tacoma Giants and next to him, famous screwball pitcher and Hall-of-Famer Carl Hubbell, director of the farm system for the San Francisco Giants. At the start of the 1963 season, the San Francisco Giants were the defending National League champions. ALBUM 9. (Additional identification provided by a reader)

Baseball players--Arizona --1960-1970; Cheney, Ben B., 1905-1971; San Francisco Giants (San Francisco); Dark, Alvin; Hubbell, Carl; Ryan, W.D.;

The Cheney Studs "Colts" baseball team posed proudly with their coach Bob Maguinez, a former player, at Heidelberg Field on July 15, 1963. The sixteen players, ages 15-16, are dressed in pinstripes with their uniforms and caps bearing the well-known Studs logo. The Studs were defeated by the 6th Ave. Rebels on July 23rd, 5-2, in Tacoma's Colt League championships. The Rebels, winner of a 4-team title playoff, would go on to compete in District play. (TNT 7-23-63, p. 18)

Baseball players--Tacoma--1960-1970; Uniforms; Maguinez, Bob;

ca. 1963. Studio display of bottled Hartz Western Style Pilsener beer. The six-pack was conveniently packaged in an open-end cardboard container. The customer would not have to bother with returning the used bottles as no deposit was taken at the time of purchase. Brewed by Tacoma's Silver Springs Brewing Co., each bottle contained 11 fluid ounces.

Beer--Tacoma;

Two men stroll toward a parked Ford truck with two Fairliner cruisers on board. The Dudley Co., Auburn, Washington, truck appears ready to leave the Fairliner plant in late April, 1963. It cautions motorists that it is bearing a wide load. Fairliner was a division of Western Boat Building Co. Its pleasure boats were especially adaptable to this area's choppy waters. Fairliner, as the advertising signs noted, also was expanding into the home and commercial buildings market with the use of pre-engineered products. Photograph ordered by Novaco Co.

Boats--Tacoma; Trucks--Tacoma--1960-1970; Signs (Notices); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma);

The Tawankas drill team from Mount Tahoma High School maintained a brave front as they battled the cold, wet weather that descended on Tacoma for the 1963 Daffodil Parade. Rain and temperatures in the mid 40s forced them to wear sheer, short raincoats over their uniforms. However, their school letters could still be clearly seen as they marched in formation down Pacific Avenue. Although Mount Tahoma High School had only been in existence since 1961, it already had an impressive drill team. The Tawankas performed at special events, provided entertainment at football games and strove to promote loyalty and school spirit. Mount Tahoma was also the school of newly crowned 1963 Daffodil Queen, 17-year-old Gail Belknap.

Drill teams; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1963 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1960-1970;

What could be better than fishing off a dock on a bright sunny day? These four children were receiving instruction on the art of fishing during the summer of 1963 from their grandfather, J.C. Morris. With luck, Sharon and Lynn Warner and Valorie and Wayne Morris hoped to catch the day's dinner. This photograph was taken as part of an display of outdoor living on Ketron Island and ran in the June 27, 1963, News Tribune. (TNT 6-27-63, C-4)

Fishing; Children--Ketron Island; Warner, Sharon; Warner, Lynn; Morris, Valorie; Morris, Wayne; Morris, J.C.; Grandparents;

Groundbreaking ceremonies of the new Veterans Memorial section of Mountain View Memorial Park occurred on May 23, 1963. Representatives of several veterans associations were present to lend a hand. Included in the photograph were John Caraway, Robert E. Gerard, Frank Servine, Maurie Hume, Warren A. Ferguson, Edward E. Faker, Ernie W. Roberts, Eric Sandstrom and Florence Gallatin. This is the fourth section to be reserved exclusively for members of the armed services and their families and would be located in the new Sylvan Garden Development. Erection of a Veterans Memorial was planned for the near future. Photograph ordered by Mountain View Memorial Park. (TNT 6-23-63, A-6)

Mountain View Memorial Park (Lakewood); Ground breaking ceremonies--Lakewood; Veterans' organizations;

About 300 Tacoma firemen, Pierce County Civil Defense workers and volunteers fought for hours to quell the massive fire that destroyed the four-story Music Box Theatre on April 30, 1963. Originally known as the Tacoma Theater, the building at the corner of South 9th & Broadway had been a city landmark since its grand opening in 1890. The audience of about 100, there to watch an early evening show of Hitchcock's "The Birds," exited the theater without panic after smoke was discovered. The cause of the fire was determined to be a burned out bearing in a ventilating fan. There were only three reported injuries, none to the movie patrons. The theater was demolished later in the summer. (TNT 5-1-63, A-1+)

Music Box Theatre (Tacoma); Fires--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1960-1970; Theaters--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Phi Mu sorority members pose in an April, 1963, studio picture along with what appear to be glass balls in netting. Present are Mrs. Robert Mitchell, Mrs. Charles Horjes, Mrs. H.M. Wilson, Jr., and Mrs. Gerald Byrd. Phi Mu would be welcoming sorority sisters from all over the state on April 27, 1963. As the glass balls indicate, they will use a nautical theme for entertainment. Washington Phi Mu State Day was set for Saturday, April 27th. Awards to 50-year members of the sorority would be given out at the Top of the Ocean. (TNT 4-21-63, D-1)

Phi Mu (Tacoma); Fraternities & sororities--Tacoma--1960-1970;

All eyes are on the ball trickling towards the hole in this publicity photograph for the upcoming Tacoma Advertising Club golf tournament. The golfer is ably assisted by two young ladies in high heels who are displaying the first place trophy and carrying the hole flag. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Advertising Club.

Publicity photographs; Golf--Lakewood; Golfers--Lakewood; Awards;

Rain did not deter these youngsters from rushing to Float #28, a Dutch wonderland of daffodil fields, during the 30th annual Daffodil Festival on April 6, 1963. While the wet and chilly weather, unusual in the past few Daffodil parades, may have forced some spectators to huddle under canopies, other Tacomans stoically stood on the sidewalks to view the colorful spectacle of 27 floats, 34 marching bands, and 37 drill teams. Thousands would watch the parade in person, warmly dressed to ward off rain and cold, while thousands of others would view the procession in the comfort of their own homes via television. Approximately two million daffodils were used in the parade. (TNT 4-6-63, A-1)

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1963 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1960-1970; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1960-1970; Daffodils--Tacoma; Windmills--Tacoma;

Float #19 with its carousel and miniature ferris wheel slowly proceeded through the wet streets of downtown Tacoma on April 6, 1963. Entitled "Moments of Make Believe," it was the Fife Boosters Club's entry in the 30th annual Daffodil Parade. The three princesses, Jane Durr on throne, Diane Reck and Janie Yamada standing, bore umbrellas and wore sheer raincoats to protect them against the rain. The eight children on the carnival rides also appeared equipped with rain gear. Depicting great moments in the lives of children, the Fife community's entry won first prize in Division 3, incorporated communities over 1500 population. (TNT 4-7-63, B-8)

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1963 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1960-1970; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1960-1970; Merry-go-rounds--Tacoma; Ferris wheels--Tacoma;

Overhead view of deck arrangement on the PGM 61. The patrol boat, built by J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp., was undergoing trials on April 1, 1963. The "PGM" designation stood for Motor Gunboat. During WWII, PGMs were designed to operate with PT boats but were found to be more effective working with mine sweepers in blowing up mines cut loose by the sweepers.

Ship trials--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boats--Tacoma--1960-1970; Decks (Ships); J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma);

Broadside view of PGM 61 at full speed during trials on April 1, 1963. The patrol boat was built by the J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. for the Navy. Later it would be transferred to South Vietnam as the Nam Du.

Ship trials--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma);

Dressed in a beaded skating dress, this young woman posed in her white skates at the Tacoma Roller Bowl on June 24, 1963. She is wearing a stylish bouffant hairdo.

Skaters; Roller skating--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Architectural office of Star Iron & Steel Co. Men are shown working at desks with architectural plans spread out. One large table in the foreground has an architectural blueprint held down by a book of standards and notepad. Star Iron's new one-story office building was separated from the 100,000 square foot plant to reduce noice level. Star Iron had been in the Tacoma area for decades and was one of the oldest steel fabricating firms in the Pacific Northwest. They built cranes and specialized equipment to handle everything from salmon to missiles. Crane capacities ranged to more than 350 tons. Besides cranes, the company made radio, tv, and power transmission towers, steel for buildings and bridges, and equipment for the lumber industry including log barkers, hydraulic presses, power operated grapples and chip handling buckets. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel. (TNT 9-1-61, B-10, TNT 7-24-63, A-11)

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Steel industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Offices--Tacoma--1960-1970; Blueprints; Books;