ca. 1920. Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, Engine #10252. Copy of Asahel Curtis print #51601 requested by the Washington State Historical Society on April 1, 1977. The electric powered train may have been departing/arriving at the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Tacoma location. The Washington State Historical Society has 60,000 Curtis images in its collection.

Railroad locomotives; Railroads; Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Co.;

In March of 1952 an unidentified man was photographed tearing off an entry blank for the $20,000 "Room-for-Improvement" contest sponsored by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Contestants could win up to $4,000 by filling out an official entry form. Each contestant had to explain what remodeling project he wanted to complete and why plywood would be the best material to use. To win, the entry had to include both a written description of the project and before and after draws. The highest prize of $3,000, with a possible bonus of $1,000, was for the best plan to "Add-a-Room." Every contestant received an official entry form and a folder of home improvement ideas - all using plywood.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Contests--Tacoma;

ca. 1920. Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, Engine #10253. This is an Asahel Curtis print, #46216, which was requested copied by the Washington State Historical Society on April 1, 1977. Three men are standing next to the electric powered engine, spaced far apart, with the man in the foreground seemingly prepared to give the "go ahead" signal. Photographer Curtis documented industry in Washington State as well as historic events and geographic features. He was based in Seattle and worked there until his death in 1941. 60,000 of his images are held in trust by the Washington State Historical Society. (www.wshs.org/wshm/online-exhibits/curtis/exhibitb.htm)

Railroad locomotives; Railroad cars; Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Co.; Railroads;

ca. 1971. Boat under construction at Tacoma Boatbuilding in January of 1971. This view is of the exposed hull.

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1970-1980; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Boats--Tacoma;

Ship under construction at Tacoma Boatbuilding in late summer of 1968. Tacoma Boatbuilding had suffered a devastating fire on August 17, 1968, with more than $2,000,000 in damages. Two Navy gunboats and the primary ship assembly plant were destroyed in the three-alarm fire. The company vowed to rebound from the loss and work did continue on undamaged vessels by the end of August. (TNT 8-17-68, p. 1, TNT 8-18-68, p. 1) TPL-9132

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

ASARCO smelter (American Smelting & Refining Co.). A large crane mounted on tracks is unloading ore from the Norwegian motorship Bronnoy. The ship carried a $600,000 cargo of gold ore from Russian mines in the Urals. The mechanical crane could carry 5 tons on each dip into the ship's hold. The Bronnoy's 8,997 ton shipment will be refined at the rate of 900 tons a day. (T. Times 9/13/1935, pg. 3 & 1/19/1935, pg. 1)

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Copper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

This is the American Smelting & Refining Company smokestack in Ruston as pictured in September of 1935. At 571 feet, the ASARCO smokestack dominated the skyline near Point Defiance from its elevated position above the waterfront. At the time of its construction in 1917, it was the tallest smokestack in the world. It lost nine feet in height after repairs in 1937. The smelter stack was demolished on January 17, 1993.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Copper industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Smokestacks--Tacoma;

ca. 1925. Men unloading lumber from a ship at the Defiance Lumber Co. dock. The men are unloading cut lumber that appears to be almost two feet by two feet, showing why Tacoma was known as the "Lumber Capital of the World." A rolling crane emblazoned with the company's name can be seen in the background. The crane, of a type first built by Star Iron & Steel Co., was capable of lifting 5 tons from the dock to the ship. The Defiance Lumber Co. and mill was built in 1905 and closed in December of 1951, citing a lack of usable wood. (TNT 6/3/1926, pg. 9- different picture, article on cranes) GTPL-013, TPL-9541

Defiance Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Cargo ships--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Two men in suits and hats observe a laborer move lumber along a series of rollers outside.

Laborers fastening large wooden planks together on the waterfront. A sailing boat and Vashon Island can be seen in the distance.

Laborers fastening large wooden planks together on the shoreline. Workers appear to be in front of a pallet with different gauges of plywood.

Laborers watch on partially covered boardwalk as cranes drop a pallet of lumber. A "No Smoking" and conveyer belt can be seen at the work stations.

Worker smiles in front of large planning machine inside. In the distance, a man in a bowler hat and vest looks outside.

African American laborer seen in front of what appears to be a large, sealable container for treating lumber with arsenic to prevent rot.

Side view of the Henry Mill & Timber Co. building with smoke pluming in the background. A more rustic wooden structure, crane and frame under construction are in the foreground.

Laborers shaping and planning lumber outdoors with both electric and nonelectric tools.

Attic space with a large saw. A man in a hat can be seen crouching on the right hand side.

Worker testing lumber with a series of drillings. Various chalk markings can be identified in the wood as well as notes with lined data.

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Several railroad cars loaded with logs are standing in the yard at the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. The waterway can be seen at the right. The St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company was founded by Col. Chauncey W. Griggs in 1889. He had been working in Minnesota with coal and railroad concerns when he came to the Northwest. He was interested in starting a lumber producing operation so he purchased 80,000 acres in 1887 and another 20 acres on the tideflats one year later.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Several railroad cars loaded with logs are standing in the yard at the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. The railroad tracks run from further inland directly to and through the plant.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Several railroad cars loaded with logs are standing in the yard at the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Large off-highway trucks, too large for state highways, brought logs down from forests to reload centers where logs were shipped to mills by railroad cars or on smaller trucks. This site of St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber was used as a large pulp mill.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

A workman at the Northwest Door Company kneels on the top of a huge section of an old growth douglas fir. He is using a long buck saw to slice off a section from the piece of wood. This 12ft 9 inch diameter slice of trunk will be on display at the door company. The tree was cut on the company's holdings west of Packwood.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Northwest Door Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Logs; Tree stumps--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Sharon Maras (now Gregg) stands on top of a section cut from a very large, old growth douglas fir. The section of tree is laying on the bed of a large logging truck. The number 14 has been written in chalk on the tree section. The number indicates the diameter of the section, later measured at 13 ft 4 inches, a record size. The truck delivered this large chunk of douglas fir to the Northwest Door Company in Tacoma where it was displayed. It was cut by the Davis & Maras Co. from the Northwest Door Co.'s timber holdings 7 miles west of the Cowlitz River at an elevation of 1,050 feet. Sharon Maras was the daughter of company owner Percy Maras (TNT 8/21/1946, pg. 1) (identification supplied by Anthony "Spike" Maras)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Logging trucks; Logs; Northwest Door Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Tree stumps--Tacoma--1940-1950; Maras, Sharon;

Industrial Avd. Sealer treatment machine. Treated doors are traveling out of the treatment machine and will be loaded on the carrier in the foreground. The doors are different sizes and different styles. A worker watches to be able to make sure all goes well.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Conveying systems--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery; Doors & doorways--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Industrial Avd. Sealer treatment machine. A worker loads doors into the sealer treatment machine. He loads them in at an angle and the machinery holds them vertically. A conveyor system moves the doors into the chamber where the sealer is sprayed onto the doors.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Conveying systems--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery; Doors & doorways--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Industrial Avd. Sealer treatment machine. A man works with a conveyor belt moving doors coming from the sealer machine, stacking them for delivery to another location in the plant.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Conveying systems--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery; Doors & doorways--Tacoma--1940-1950;

On July 30, 1946 seven children including Shirley Maras (now Walcott) (far left), Kenny Schumaker (third from left), Sharon Maras (now Gregg) (standing at top) and Marilyn Maras (now Cade)(far right) were photographed with a huge tree section that was cut from an old-growth Douglas fir that had been felled by loggers working for the Davis and Maras Company. The tree section which weighed 18,567 pounds and was over 13 feet in diameter was on its way to the Northwest Door Company in Tacoma owned by Herman E. Tenzler. Once there a gigantic slice was cut from it and put on display outside the Northwest Door entrance. Some years later the display slice of Douglas fir was moved to the Tenzler Library in Lakewood. (TNT 8/21/1946, pg. 1) (names supplied by Anthony "Spike" Maras) TPL-8386

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Children playing outdoors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Logs; Northwest Door Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Tree stumps--Tacoma--1940-1950; Schumaker, Kenny; Maras, Shirley; Maras, Marilyn; Maras, Sharon;

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Railroad cars have brought logs to the log pond in this August of 1946 photograph. The railroad cars have false bottoms that can be lifted by the crane allowing the logs to plunge into the log pond.

Logs; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Hoisting machinery;

Founded in 1888, the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company located on Tacoma's tideflats was one of the largest lumber companies in the Pacific Northwest. Railroad cars have brought logs to the log holding area, called a log dump, in August of 1946. The company's plant is seen in the background. To the right of the buildings is a long ramp that conveys the logs into the facility from the holding pond. Lumber was still king in the late '40s among Tacoma industries. About 100 plants were involved in the production of raw lumber or finished lumber products. Lumber was needed to build millions of homes and buildings. The plywood industry was progressing with more and more uses found for the product and pulp was used for heavy wrapping paper, explosives and rayon. The lumber industry provided employment for thousands including the 1,000 working for St. Paul & Tacoma. (T.Times 8-30-46, p. 12-article on lumber industry)

Logs; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1946. A section of Douglas Fir tree trunk almost 14 feet in diameter arrives at the Northwest Door Co. plywood plant. Marilyn Maras (now Cade,) daughter of Anthony "Spike" Maras, peeks from the top of the trunk, showing by comparison the huge size of the log. The log was cut by the Davis & Maras Co. from the Northwest Door Co.'s logging lands southwest of Mt. Rainier. A section of the log remained on display at Northwest Door from 1946 - 1965, when it was moved to the Lakewood branch of the Pierce County library.

Logs; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Northwest Door Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Tree stumps--Tacoma--1940-1950; Logging trucks--1940-1950; Maras, Marilyn;