South Tacoma business leaders appealed to the Tacoma Tansit Company to save the cross-town bus line. It was announced January 21, 1948, that a cross-town bus service would begin a 60-day trial. This run had been tested twice before and failed. The service would connect the College of Puget Sound at North 21st and Alder to South Tacoma Way along Alder, Cedar and Union, past Bellarmine, to South 56th. It was reported on March 29th that the service would be discontinued due to poor patronage. The average passenger per mile usage was 2.02, short of the 3.0 passenger/mile needed to cover the costs of the service. A last minute appeal was made by the South Tacoma Business Men's Club and the 6th Avenue Commercial Club. They were unsuccessful in their attempt. Bus fares were 10 cents at this time. An American flag is attached to the front of the bus. (T.Times, 1/21/1948; TNT, 3/1/1948 & 3/29/1948)

Tacoma Transit Co. (Tacoma); Buses--Tacoma--1940-1950; Bus stops--Tacoma; Mass transit--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; Publicity; City & town life--Tacoma--1940-1950;

ca. 1920. The Rich Reconstruction Clinic opened in Tacoma in 1919, shortly after the Great War. For five years, Dr. Edward A. Rich and his many partners treated bone and joint disorders at the clinic. In 1925, the building became known as the Edgecliffe Apartments when it was converted entirely into 30 apartment suites.

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;

War workers came in all ages, shapes and sizes, their only common trait being that they were not qualified for active military duty. For example, Frank Mason, Seattle-Tacoma Shipyard's Chief Marine Engineer in 1943, was 70 years old. He had been a Chief for 50 years, 21 of them with Luckenbach Steamship Lines. He first steamed around Cape Horn in 1892 and had been through the Panama Canal so many times that it seemed commonplace. Patriotism kept him at his job in wartime, when he might have retired in peacetime. (Sea-Tac Keel, Vol. II, No. II, pg. 8; July 24, 1943 issue)

Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma)--People; Mason, Frank;

This cluttered staircase was featured in an article about fire prevention in the July 24, 1943 issue of the Seattle-Tacoma Shipyard newspaper, the Keel. The pictures were of things workers should NOT do in the interest of fire prevention. The paper warned of flash fires, if clutter like this were ignited and warned workers to dispose of all trash. TPL-3522 (Sea-Tac Keel, Vol.II No.II, Pg 3 July 24, 1943 issue)

Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma); Fire prevention;

Lt. Richard Wood, youngest son of Lord Halifax, British Ambassador to the United States, and others aboard escort carrier under construction at Sea-Tac Shipyards. Soldier to the far right is Sgt. Hall, orderly to Lt. Wood, and also a veteran of the North African campaign. Lt. Wood lost both legs at the battle of El Alamein in Egypt, where his older brother was killed. An unexploded bomb from Stuka dive bombers destroyed his legs; however, Lt. Wood (later Baron Holderness of Bishop Wilton) took pleasure in pointing out his survival was due to the mis-assembly of the bomb by anti-Nazi Czech munition workers. He later wrote a biography of his mother and spent 29 years as Tory Member of Parliament for Bridlington. Richard Frederick Wood, politician, businessman and disablement activist, died on August 11, 2002, at the age of 81. (The Guardian, 8-17-02). ALBUM 3.

Visits of state--Tacoma; Halifax, Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st earl of; Wood, Richard Frederick; Nobility--England; Signs (Notices); Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma);

Dorothy, Lady Halifax, wife of the British Ambassador to the United States, receives a corsage from women workers at Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation. Joan Evangelist, shipfitter's helper originally from Michigan, had the honor of pinning the large orchid corsage on Lady Halifax. Standing by Joan Evangelist are Ann Tryggestad, burner's helper, and Alma Sayers, welder trainee. The woman in black in the background is believed to be Mrs. Harold Swan, wife of the British consul in Seattle. She was to receive a gardenia corsage pinned on her by Betty Jensen, pipefitter. Lord and Lady Halifax, along with their son and their entourage, visited the shipyard to inspect escort aircraft carriers under wartime construction. (TNT 7-22-43, p. 2, TNT 7-23-43, p. 1) ALBUM 3.

Visits of state--Tacoma; Halifax, Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st earl of--Family; Nobility--England; Evangelist, Joan; Tryggestad, Ann; Sayers, Alma; Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma);

Lord Halifax, British ambassador to the United States, appears engrossed in conversation with naval and Seattle-Tacoma shipyard officials during a tour of escort aircraft carriers currently under construction. The ambassador, his wife and son, and entourage were escorted to the shipyard by TPD motorcycle officers in vehicles driven by Tacoma police. After a one-hour tour of the facility, the ambassadorial party journeyed on to the College of Puget Sound where Lord Halifax received a honorary Doctorate of Laws degree. After luncheon on the campus and a visit to the British American War Relief Center, Lord Halifax received a police escort to the Boeing aircraft plant where he was able to view the construction of the Boeing Flying Fortresses. (TNT 7-23-43, p. 1) ALBUM 3.

Visits of state--Tacoma; Halifax, Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st earl of; Nobility--England; Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma);

Beginning in the late 1930's, as war contracts sped up the pace of industry in the Puget Sound, workers were drawn to the area, seeking the abundant jobs in the well-paying defense industry. The Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. employed over 33,000 workers in its Tacoma yard. Some, like Larry Miller, came for a visit and stayed to work throughout the war. Mr. Miller came around 1941 from Spokane to visit his sister and brother-in-law and stayed to work as a painter at the shipyard. He had previously been a bridge painter. By 1943, he was painter leadman on the second shift and had been awarded the "L" symbol on his helmet. (Sea-Tac Keel, Vol. II, No. III, pg. 8; August 7, 1943 issue)

Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma)--People; Miller, Larry;

One of the most difficult aspects of the defense industry was finding enough skilled workers to fill the large number of positions available when the wartime factories ran 24 hours a day. The Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. solved this problem by operating its own in house training center. In this center, W.W. Mallery, shipfitter instructor, illustrated a point on the blackboard in July of 1943 for the benefit of his class. (Sea-Tac Keel, Vol. II, No. III, pg. 4; August 7, 1943 issue)

Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma); Blackboards; Classrooms;

On August 11, 1943, the Treasury Department's mobile Victory House pulled into the Seattle-Tacoma Shipyard. It was accompanied by two charming hostesses, center. The purpose of the entertainment center was to acquaint workers with the national program of War Bond sales as it related to the war effort; however, the message was cloaked in a vaudeville program, made up from the best of Ft. Lewis talent. The Victory House trailer itself was pulled by a red, white and blue truck and was equipped with a stage, PA system, microphones, mixing panel and even a mammoth Hammond organ. (Sea-Tac Keel, Vol. II, NO. III, pg. 3; August 7, 1943 issue)

Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma); War bonds & funds; World War, 1939-1945--Economic & industrial aspects--Tacoma;

Along with daffodils and April showers, children and their pets have been a sure sign of spring in the Puget Sound area for generations. Photographer Chapin Bowen captured young Bobby David with his beloved dog, "Rags," seated in front of the Rialto Theater in 1931. Bob and Rags attended Tacoma's pet parade, held April 9, 1931.

Dogs--Tacoma--1930-1940; David, Bobby;

Career girl Olga Johnson gathers her coat close about her as she drops a donation in the kettle of Salvation Army member Nicholas Rody on December 18, 1929. With his pristine white Santa Claus beard, the aptly named Nicholas is bringing an extra festive air to the corner of 11th and Commerce where he has set up his kettle. Mr. Rody proudly wears the cap of the Salvation Army, to which he has belonged for four years. (TNT 12/18/1929, pg. 1) TPL-9634

Johnson, Olga; Rody, Nicholas; Salvation Army (Tacoma); Fund raising--Tacoma--1920-1930; Charitable organizations--Tacoma--1920-1930; Community service--Tacoma--1920-1930; Holidays--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Grace R. Moore

In November of 1926, the Stadium High School Tigers practice making a goal the hard way, as they try to push a brand new Nash Six Roadster with a football balanced on top. They found the Nash, with its brakes set, hard to budge. The first string Tigers are, left to right, Ned Simpson, "Red" Goble, Mel Black, Paul Anderson (at wheel), Glen Lawson, George Tibbets, Earm Hayden, Les Yansen, Jim DuPree, Bill Simpson, Alvin Shenckell and Joe Hansen. The Nash for the stunt was provided by the Tacoma Nash Sales Co. (TNT 11/7/1926, pg. 5-G) BGN-073 or 074

Football players--Tacoma--1920-1930; Stadium High School (Tacoma); Nash automobile;

Young girls at Cushman School - unknown

ca. 1971. This is an aerial view of the Stadium district as photographed circa 1971. Stadium Bowl is in the center with Stadium High School on the right and the Washington State Historical Society Museum on the left. Stadium Bowl, built in 1909, has been renovated circa 1980 and been subjected to several damaging mudslides in 1932, 1949, and 1981. It now has a modern capacity of 15,000, downsized from its original seating capacity of 23,486. Stadium Bowl was originally designed by Tacoma architect Frederick Heath. BU-11652

Aerial photographs; Aerial views; Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1970-1980; Stadium Bowl (Tacoma); Stadium High School (Tacoma); Washington State Historical Building (Tacoma);

Tacoma's Stadium Bowl under construction in December of 1909. The building of Stadium Bowl adjacent to Stadium High School (then called Tacoma High School) continued during the winter months of 1909. It would be dedicated the following June of 1910. Stadium Bowl would suffer from multiple mudslides over the years which forced closure more then once. BU-11586

Stadium Bowl (Tacoma); Construction--Tacoma--1900-1910; Progress photographs;

On a warm summer evening, July 14th, 1920, the residents of Trafton Street between 6th Ave and South 8th Street were treated to Tacoma's first Block Party. The party was hosted by the Community Service Club in an effort to end the isolation of city life and help neighbors get to know one another. The area was blocked off and lit by lights provided by the City Light Department. Bunting and flags were hung and oriental lanterns graced the bushes. The asphalt street was treated with cornmeal and boric acid till it shown like a dance floor. Residents and curious neighbors, totaling over 600, turned out for a community sing, street dancing and free popcorn, doughnuts and lemonade. The party was a great success and wound up near midnight as parents carried sleepy children home. The houses shown in the picture are 621, 625, 629 and 631 So. Trafton St. (TDL 7/14/1920, pg. 10; 7/15/20, pg. 1) Boland B3689, BU-12,823, TPL-1649;

Parties--Tacoma--1920-1930; Celebrations--Tacoma--1920-1930; Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1920-1930; Neighbors; City & town life--Tacoma--1920-1930;

In the Stadium.