A large crowd of girls fills the auditorium and the balcony at the Elks Temple for the annual Father and Daughter Valentine's party. TPL-8451

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Tacoma Lodge No. 174 (Tacoma); Children's parties; Crowds--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A crowd has gathered at Buck & Sons for an open house and demonstration of the new tractors and other farm equipment available for 1952.

Buck & Sons Tractor & Implement Co. (Tacoma); Tractors--Tacoma; Showrooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Slides;

Mobilgas Station, automobile by gas pumps, Coke Machine. For West Marquis Inc., Dexter Horton Inc., Seattle Account of General Petroleum.

Business Enterprises - Automobile Service Stations - Mobil Oil Dealers - Tacoma

This view shows the shaft built for the escalator being installed inside Fisher's department store. Steel beams have been added to suppport the structure and plywood has been used to cover the exterior of the shaft.

Department stores--Tacoma; Fisher's Department Store (Tacoma); Escalators--Tacoma;

The exterior of the Georgia Pacific Plywood Company building in Olympia, Washington. The two-story building with a flat roof reflects 1950's styling and architecture. A smoke stack with the letters "GP" on it can be seen on the left.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Georgia Pacific Plywood Co. (Olympia);

A stark office in the Georgia Pacific Plywood Company building in Olympia provides desks and equipment for fourteen people. Each desk has been provided with a calculator in the middle of the desk with a waste can to catch the tape as it runs from the machine. Telephones are seen on a few of the desks and most of them also have a typewriter on a pull-out shelf on the left. Florescent lighting provides a bright overhead light. Companies were attempting to apply assembly-line techniques to office work.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Georgia Pacific Plywood Co. (Olympia); Offices--Olympia;

This model home in Mountbrook Manor in Lakewood has been decorated with the most recent styles. A second fireplace has been added in the family room where a mixture of patterns was chosen for the upholstery, draperies and wallpaper. The lamp shades here are patterned and in a shape that narrows at the base. A modern television set stands in the corner. Prices for the homes in this housing development located adjacent to Nyanza Park Drive ranged from $12,000 to $14,900. (TNT, 2/17/1952, p.C-13)

Houses--Lakewood--1950-1960; Mountbrook Manor (Lakewood); Recreation rooms--Lakewood--1950-1960; Televisions--1950-1960; Lamps; Tietz Construction Inc. (Lakewood);

School children are enjoying using the library at Jennie Reed School. The new school was opened in 1951 and an addition was completed in 1952.

Jennie Reed Elementary School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960; Libraries--Tacoma;

An unidentified Flett Dairy delivery driver climbs into the cab of a brand new Ford ice cream truck, with the name "Alec" painted on the door, in this photograph from February 1952. Founded in 1903 by George Chapman, the Flett Dairy grew to be one of the largest dairies in Washington state. The dairy was named after George Chapman's wife, Annie Flett. Annie had a cow and knew how to milk it, George didn't. The name stuck even after the dairy was taken over by Gottfried and Mary Fuchs. The Flett Dairy closed in 1994, and 106 acres of the dairy's land was dedicated as the Natural Resources Laboratory and Research Park. Ordered by Mallon Motors. TPL-8674

Mallon Motors, Inc. (Tacoma); Ford trucks; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Flett Dairy (Tacoma); Dairy products industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A view of Mountain View Sanatorium under construction. Scaffolding is seen against the front of the building. It was located next to the Pierce County Hospital.

Mountain View Sanatorium (Tacoma); Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tuberculosis--Tacoma--1950-1960; Progress photographs; Scaffolding--Tacoma;

Outdoor teller windows at the National Bank of Washington annex provided an early form of drive-up banking. A neon sign announces, "Parking Reserved for Exterior Window Banking". A man is seen at one of the windows completing an transaction.

National Bank of Washington (Tacoma); Banks--Tacoma; Banking--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Portable classrooms were in use at Franklin School. Seventeen students are working at their desks while the teacher and six more children are in a circle at the front of the room. One of the boys near the center of the photogrpah is wearing a cub scout uniform. An addition was built at Franklin School in 1953.

Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960; Franklin School (Tacoma); Baby boom generation--Tacoma; School overcrowding--Tacoma;

Smyth Moving and Storage facilities in the Henry Warehouse with three of their trucks parked along the side. The company specialized in household moving service, local and long distance moving, packing, crating and storage. They also handled export services.

Smyth Moving & Storage Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Warehouses--Tacoma; Moving & storage trade--Tacoma; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960;

South Side Motors had a large used car lot at 72nd and South Tacoma Way. The used automobiles are parked facing the commercial street and three members of the staff are seen standing by the automobiles. TPL-8400

South Side Motors (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1950-1960; Automobiles--Tacoma--1950-1960;

An aerial view of the new multiwall bag plant at St. Regis. The plant was completely equipped to produce a full range of multiwall bags. Equipment included six production lines, three printing presses, a complete art and engraving department and auxiliary equipment. This plant replaced a leased plant in Seattle. (TNT, 10/19/1952)

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Aerial photographs; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

An aerial view on February 16, 1952, showing the new multiwall bag plant at St. Regis. St. Regis also had other bag plants on the Pacific Coast at Los Angeles and San Leandro, California. The company also maintained complete engineering and service facilities for automatic bag filling equipment, including a machine shop at Los Angeles, and packer sales and engineering offices at San Francisco and Seattle. The company was self-contained on the west coast. (TNT, 10/19/1952)

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Aerial photographs; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

An aerial view of the new multiwall bag plant at St. Regis. The expansion of the bag plant facilities by St. Regis reflected the continuing trend of industry and agriculture to use the multiwall shipping sack. It was estimated that approximately 2 1/2 billion multiwall bags were used in 1951 for all types of products, compared with less than half a billion in 1938. The multiwall bag came into general use as an industrial container in the mid 1920's and was used for packaging cement and other rock products. Shortly thereafter is was adopted by the sugar industry. (TNT, 10/19/1952)

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Aerial photographs; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A Packard-Bell delivery truck from California is unloading at the Parkard-Bell Factory Service Radio and Television store. Television sales had increased substantially since 1951. There were six listing for stores selling and servicing televisions in the 1951 Tacoma City Directory, there were twenty-one listings in 1953.

Televisions; Appliance stores; Trucks--1950-1960;

School children stand in line during a snow storm waiting to enter the school buses at the curb.

Whitman Elementary School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960; School children--Tacoma--1950-1960; School buses--Tacoma; Snow--Tacoma;

Woolworth's filled an entire display window with sewing notions during national sew and save week: thread in all colors from J.P. Coats (a big spool cost 29 cents), Simplicity patterns, buttons at 25 cents per card, scissors, rick-rack, seam binding, zippers, buckles, skirt markers and dress shields. They even had room to remind shoppers to buy an extra bond for defense. TPL-4764

Window displays; Variety stores--Tacoma; F.W. Woolworth Co. (Tacoma); Sewing equipment & supplies;

Phoenix Auxiliary, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.

Women--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Auxiliary (Tacoma);

A young woman wearing a white dress is holding flowers and a roll of paper secured with a ribbon. Baskets of flowers stand on either side of her. Ordered by Mrs. Lois Leuis.

Women--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Mayor John Anderson is the first civic official in the city's history to be named an honorary airline hostess. Maxine Gordon, a stewardess with Western Airlines, has pinned a pair of Western Airlines' wings to Mayor Anderson's lapel and she is also modeling the airline's new uniform. (TNT, 3/22/1952, p.17)

Anderson, John H.; Mayors--Tacoma--1950-1960; Offices--Tacoma--1950-1960; Airline industry; Western Airline (Tacoma); Flight attendants--Tacoma--1950-1960; Gordon, Maxine;

Glowing bride Shirley Jean Asbjornsen (Mrs. Arnold Raymond Haugen) poses with flower girl Diana Joy Sturgis and ring bearer Ralph Haugen on her wedding day in June of 1952. The bride was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Asbjornsen of Puyallup. She attended high school in Puyallup and Washington State College. She was employed as a dental assistant. (T. Reporter, 7/11/1952, pg. 5)

Asbjornsen, Shirley Jean--Marriage; Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Boys--Tacoma--1950-1960; Girls--Tacoma--1950-1960; Sturgis, Diana Joy; Haugen, Ralph;

On March 13, 1952, Ted Hill (far left), representing the Citizen's Armed Forces Committee, accepted an armful of magazines and paperback books from George W. Cairns, chairman of the Moose's Lodge Boy Scout Committee. The scout master for Moose troop 435 and over twenty of the troop's members, most in uniform, watched from behind the third stack of magazines donated by the troop to the U.S. forces stationed in Korea. The servicemen were short of reading material, particularly men's magazines, comic books and paperbacks. Each fire station in Tacoma was accepting donations. (TNT, 3/23/1952, p.A-4)

Boy Scouts (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Loyal Order of Moose, Tacoma Lodge 435 (Tacoma); Fraternal organizations--Tacoma; Magazines; Hill, Ted; Cairns, George W.;

Kiwanis float in 1952 Daffodil Parade featuring the Soap Box Derby, sponsored by the Kiwanis & the Tacoma News Tribune.The Soap Box Derby was a coaster car race held in July, with prizes for the winning builders and racers. The Kappa Sigma float follows down the parade route turning from 9th onto Pacific Ave.

Celebrations--Tacoma; Festivals--Tacoma; Parades & Processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1952 : Tacoma); Floats (parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Kiwanis Club (Tacoma); Coaster cars--Tacoma;

Mrs. Reuben Golliet of Olympia was installed as the new queen of the Daughters of the Nile at Masonic Temple in March 1952. The ceremony took place in Fellowship Hall of the Masonic Temple. The new queen is wearing the traditional robe of the order. Two other women are seated at the base of the dais wearing evening gowns and holding bouquets of flowers. (TNT, 3/23/1952, p.D-7)

Daughters of the Nile Zora Temple No. 5 (Tacoma); Fraternal organizations--Tacoma--1950-1960; Evening gowns--Tacoma--1950-1960; Crowns; Rites & ceremonies--Tacoma--1950-1960; Golliet, Reuben--Family;

Five women wearing matching satin gowns and holding bouquets of carnations took part in the installation ceremonies of the new queen of the Daughters of the Nile at Masonic Temple. Event occurred in March, 1952. (TNT, 3/23/1952, p.D-7)

Daughters of the Nile Zora Temple No. 5 (Tacoma); Fraternal organizations--Tacoma--1950-1960; Evening gowns--Tacoma--1950-1960; Rites & ceremonies--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Fire Chief Lesley B. McGaw, Pierce County Fire District #3. Mr. McGaw was fire chief of the University Place Fire Department from 1941-1965. University Place, in the 1950's, was protected by volunteer firefighters who manned the trucks and answered fire calls. They attended weekly drills and furnished a man every night, seven nights a week, who slept at the fire station to answer emergency calls. In addition, the Fire District 3 commissioners were also volunteers. By 1960, University Place had a force of 30 volunteers, including one woman, and three full-time firemen. McGaw, a one-time truck driver and native of San Francisco, brought his frisky fox terrier, Patsy, with him to fires for many years. (TNT 4/10/1952, pg. 10, TNT 7-6-60, A-8)

Fire fighters--Pierce County---1950-1960; McGaw, Lesley B.;

Entry from the Tacoma Vocational Technical School in the 1952 Daffodil Festival parade. Women with daffodil-shaped bonnets and clothing resembling the leaves and stems of the golden blossoms ride on the float along with a man with a "scarf" of daffodils. The float is parked outside O'Farrell Distributors, wholesale liquor dealers.

Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1952 : Tacoma); Tacoma Vocational Technical School (Tacoma);