Panorama of 85th Annual Communication Most Worshipful Grand Lodge F.&A.M of Tacoma WA. Masonic group standing outside of lodge in uniform with group members occupying stairwell and balcony.

Tacoma Scottish Rite Class Spring Reunion featuring consistories Clarence D. Martin, R.E. Gallot, E.L. Tarnsworth and Albert Rasmussen.

Group of masonic members posing against a rock backdrop.

Ivy covered Fire Station #6 located at 823 A St. before being destroyed by a fire in 1974.

These solemn youngsters belong to the Daniel Boone schooner Boy Pioneers, a group made up of boys mostly from the Oakland Children's Industrial Home, 3000 So. Washington St. In January of 1926, they are posing at the Y.M.C.A. in Tacoma. The "Y" truck brings them every Saturday afternoon to participate in activities. Top row, left to right, Garnald Roney, Wesley Fellows, Floyd Wells, August Kross and Harold Rinker. Bottom row- Raymond McMann, Moriss Lawrence, Fred Martin, Edward Mitchell, Victor Cappa and Wally Streeter, Pioneer executive. The Boy Pioneers were organized by Dan Beard (1850-1941), American illustrator and naturalist, two years before the Boy Scouts started in England. The Children's Industrial Home was located in the former Harry M. Ball mansion at 3000 South Washington St. and housed children in distress, ages infant to 14. The original structure was damaged in a 1944 explosion and was replaced by a new ranch rambler in 1950. (Tacoma Sunday Ledger 1/24/1926, pg. B-3)

ca. 1925. Fire Chief Carl Emil Carlson looks on as two unidentified Tacoma firefighters help prepare toys for the Elks Club's annual holiday charity campaign. The Elks Stocking Fillers program supplied Christmas gifts for needy girls and boys - such as these hand assembled wooden boats. Carlson was chief of the fire department from 1916 to 1932.

A young boy poses by the chain link fence of the old Central School playgrounds where mess tents have been erected to feed the more than 500 members of the 2nd battalion of the 161st Infantry of the Washington National Guard called out to Tacoma to restore peace during the 1935 Lumber workers' strike. The Guard was stationed at the nearby Armory. The troops had been in training at Camp A.H. Hankins at Camp Murray for the past two weeks when they were deployed to Tacoma. (TNT 6/24/1935, pg. 1 & 2)

Chief of Police Harold Bird poses with an officer of the Washington National Guard, deployed to Tacoma by Governor Clarence Martin to restore the peace during the 1935 lumber workers' strike. In June of 1935, as some workers prepared to return to the reopened mills, their efforts were met with violence. Returning workers were threatened, beaten, their homes and vehicles bombed and vandalized. Local authorities were unable to stop the violence. The Guard was called in to protect the workers and the mills. The strikers and sympathizers were joined in their protests by those who resented the armed troops in their midst. (TNT 6/24/1935, pg. 1 & 2)

This undated photograph featuring the Corner Club Girls rolling down Broadway at 9th Street is most probably of the historical pageant parade presented Labor Day 1934. The costumed lovelies are from Pioneer Days and are festooned in ruffles, bonnets and parasols. The Tacoma Corner Club was formed by Mrs. Percy C. Smith who served as advisor and was fondly referred to as "Mother Smith." The women of the Tacoma Corner Club hosted dinners, dances, plays, took classes in bookkeeping, first aid, shorthand, the Bible, among others, and supported one another. They presented a flag to the State Historical Society in 1933. The original club was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1917. (Additional information provided by a reader)

Tacoma was overflowing with Elks for three days in June, 1926, as the Washington State Elks Association held its annual convention. Clemens "C.W" Van Rooy (l) and George Moore (r), exalted leaders of the Tacoma and Puyallup lodges respectively, were official hosts of the convention. 8000 Elks were expected from 22 lodges statewide. The convention was returning to Tacoma for the third time in 22 years, after an eight year absence. Delegates to the convention were greeted by Tacoma mayor, and fellow Elk, Melvin G. Tennent, and urged to enjoy themselves during their stay. (TNT 6-24-26, p. 1)

Contract bridge expert Ely Culbertson visited the Tacoma Bridge Club on May 1, 1936, at the Winthrop Hotel. Mr. Culbertson is standing directly in front of the hanging framed picture. He was nearly 45 at the time and had been a key figure in the international popularization of contract bridge in the 1920s and 1930s. Photographer Chapin Bowen was present during this visit; he is standing far left. TPL-6687

Rowing at Camp Seymour on Glen Cove. This August 5, 1931 photograph depicts a small flotilla of rowboats on calm waters at the YMCA summer camp for boys. Many of these youngsters had probably never rowed before or attended an outdoor camp. Camp Seymour was named in honor of benefactor William W. Seymour who had graciously donated 150 acres of land for the purpose of allowing boys to enjoy camping.

ca. 1909. Delegates to the first annual convention of the Washington State Humane Society posed for a group portrait in 1909. The eleven women and twenty-two men were photographed outside the Lou Johnson Co. store, 940-42 South C (now Broadway), in downtown Tacoma.

Kay-Long wedding reception at the Woman's Club.

Panorama of 39th Convention of Washington State Federation of Women's Clubs.

Panorama of the Sons and Daughters of Norway Convention, Trip to Mt. Tacoma (Rainier)

Undated photograph of the Matrons Club. The woman seated front left is Helen Beck Stafford, one of the founders of the group. Dr. Stafford moved to Tacoma in 1926 to marry Wendell P. Stafford on New Years Eve. Even though she had taught for a few years in Kansas schools, Tacoma school personnel directors refused to hire a black teacher. She stayed at home and cared for her husband and daughter. She and several other women who stayed home to rear their children would get together for a social outlet. In 1927, they formally organized the Matrons Club. The women who attended the meetings often brought their children along and the children would play together. (TNT 2/22/1982- NWR clipping file) (photograph by Liberal Engraving Co., 907 1/2 Commerce)

ca. 1925. An unidentified Afifi Temple member stands besides a metal trunk painted with a design of Mount Tacoma (Rainier) and his temple's name. On the trunk rests a large drum. The Shriner is holding onto a pair of drumsticks. This Chapin Bowen photograph was taken circa 1925.

Mess tents pitched on the old Central School playgrounds across from the Armory as cooks prepare to feed the men of the second battalion of the Washington National Guard 161st Infantry called out to control the violence associated with the 1935 Lumber workers' strike. In June of 1935, the mills in Tacoma and surrounded areas attempted to reopen with workers willing to return to work. Violence erupted between the returning workers and the strikers. Governor Clarence Martin ordered the Guard in on June 23rd, 1935 after reports that local authorities were unable to handle the situation. It was the second time the Guard was ordered out since the World War, the other two times being in 1919 and 1933. (TNT 6/24/1935, pg. 1 & 2)

Soldiers from the 161st Infantry of the Washington National Guard patrol the Tideflats during the Lumber worker's strike of 1935. In June of 1935, the mills of Tacoma and surrounding areas were attempting to reopen after petitions circulated stating that over 60 % of the work force was willing to return. Governor Clarence Martin promised protection to the mills and workers and called in the Guard to patrol the Tideflats and guard the entrances into the industrial area. They also accompanied returning workers on the main thoroughfares into the area. The troops totalled over 500 by June 25th and came from Yakima, Prosser, Pullman and Walla Walla. (TNT 6/24/1935, pg. 1 & 2)

Members of the 2nd battalion of the Washington National Guard 161st Infantry lounge on the ground, or stand in line with their mess kits, preparing to eat at the temporary mess tents set up on the old Central School playground. The Guard was called into Tacoma by Governor Clarence Martin on June 23rd, 1935 to control the violence associated with the lumber workers' strike. The soldiers were stationed at the Armory and their mess tents set up in this nearby playground. The lumber and sawmill workers' strike started on May 6th and was settled August 2nd, 1935. (TNT 6/24/1935, pg. 1 & 2)

When the attempts in June of 1935 of workers to return to the striking mills erupted in violence, Governor Clarence Martin ordered in the Washington National Guard late Sunday night, June 23, 1935. The guards were whisked from Camp Murray to Tacoma in 16 trucks. Their job was to protect the returning workers and the mills. (TNT 6/24/1935, pg. 1 & 2)

An unidentified model takes five and poses on some of the logs being used to restore the historic Fort Nisqually. The restoration of the fort was a project funded and propelled by the Young Mens Business Club of Tacoma. The Fort was moved from its original location near DuPont, rebuilt log by log on a bluff overlooking the sound in Point Defiance Park and opened to the public as a tourist attraction.

These two young women aren't dressed for heavy labor, but they are posing on the site of the ongoing restoration of Fort Nisqually. The young lady on the right of the log is Frankie Cowan and the one on the left is unidentified. They appear to be trying to split the log without great success. Their sunsuits and heels seem better suited to modelling than splitting. In 1934, the Young Mens Business Club of Tacoma succeeded in a goal that they had for many years. They were able to move Fort Nisqually from its original site near DuPont to Point Defiance in Tacoma, restore it and open it as a tourist attraction. The grand dedication for the Fort was September 3, 1934. TPL-8018

The womens' auxiliary of the Young Men's Business Club poses with a poster advertising the sale of "Fort Nisqually stamps." The woman seated at the desk in the center also holds up a sheet of the stamps. The proceeds from the sale of the stamps were for the ongoing restoration work at Fort Nisqually. In 1934, just in time for the Fort's 101st birthday, the YMBC achieved a goal it had for many years. They succeeded in moving the Fort from its original location at DuPont to Point Defiance. Restoration proceeded and the Fort had its dedication on Labor Day, Sept. 3, 1934. It was intended, as the poster states, to "help bring the tourist to Tacoma."

Back of Photo:
Seattle Mayor-elect Norm Rice, foreground left, and Tacoma Mayor-elect Karen Vialle, foreground right, answer questions and thank the black collective for the support the group has given both Rice and Vialle. The two Mayor-elects met with the Black Collective Saturday morning at 2316 S. Yakima. (12-2-89 photo by David Brandt)
Pierce & S. King County

Three men holding a beer stein in the meeting room of an unidentified fraternal organization while a seated man looks at the camera. Three of the four men are wearing lapel pins.

Mill workers, accompanied by Washington National Guardsmen, stand at the side of the road preparing to cross the Eleventh Street Bridge into the Tideflats to report to work. A second group of men appears to be standing just ahead, possibly strikers gathering to heckle the workers. In June of 1935, workers attempting to return to work at the reopening mills were subjected to extreme violence and threats. Governor Clarence Martin ordered the second battalion of the Washington National Guard 161st Infantry to Tacoma on June 23, 1935 to protect the returning workers and the mills. The guardsmen were armed with smoke, tear and nausea gas bombs, rifles, bayonets and ammunition. (TNT 6/24/1935, pg. 1 & 2)

Members of the Washington National Guard are loaded up in trucks and preparing to return to downtown Tacoma from the industrial Tideflats across the Eleventh Street Bridge. The second battalion of the Guards' 161st Infantry was mobilized to Tacoma by Governor Clarence Martin when workers attempting to return to work during the Lumber workers' strike met with violence. Their job was to protect the workers and the mills. They were stationed at the Armory and patrolled the Tideflats and all bridges and roads into the area. The Eleventh Street bridge has roadblocks on all but one lane, so that vehicles could be searched. (TNT 6/24/1935, pg. 1 & 2)

This is one way to open a tourist attraction, with bathing beauties catching some rays on the rooftop. In 1934, the Young Mens Business Club of Tacoma succeeded in reaching a goal they had for many years. They moved Fort Nisqually from DuPont, restored it at a new location at Point Defiance and opened it as a tourist attraction. The dedication for the restored historical fort was September 3, 1934. Here Frankie Cowan, on the ladder, and another unidentified young lady pose on the roof on one of the structures at the Fort.