The dirigible "Shenandoah," commissioned by the US Navy, paid a two day visit to Camp Lewis in October of 1924. A special 165 foot tall striped mooring mast was specially constructed for the visit. The giant dirigible, patterned after a German Zeppelin captured by the French in 1917, hovered silently in the air over gawking spectators and their automobiles. On September 3, 1925, a mere nine months later, the airship was caught in a thunderstorm and torn to pieces over Noble County, Ohio. Miraculously, 29 of its 43 crew members survived. The mast stood at Fort Lewis until 1936. (Richards copy negative)
Airships; Mooring masts; Camp Lewis (Wash.); Military camps--Tacoma--1920-1930;
ca. 1925. The wheels are falling off an old pickup truck. Another truck with built-up wooden sides is parked in front of the broken down truck; it has a rope dragging behind it and it appears to have been towing something. What is attached to the rope is blocked from view by the pole. (WSHS)
ca. 1925. Automobile circa 1925. Sign in the windshield reads "Now count the stars." This sign may refer to the Durant Star Cars, manufactured from 1922- 28 to compete with Ford's Model T. (WSHS- negative A656-0)
ca. 1926. Men gather along the side of the road to cheer on the 1926 Moon Jubilee 6-60 as it powers its way up the So. K St. hill. The Moon Jubilee was manufactured in 1926 to celebrate 20 years of car manufacturing by the Moon Motor Co. of St. Louis, Mo. The automobile, according to advertising at the time, featured European styling adapted to American driving needs and sold for under $1,000. The dealer for the automobile in Tacoma was the Bye Thompson Motor Co., R. Bye Thompson president, at 3320 So. G St. The So. K St. Hill climb started at Center St. and headed north. It was closed around 1960. (filed under Argentum)
ca. 1926. Young man at wheel of a touring car parked sideways across dirt road, three teenage boys sit on running board, three younger boys sit on ground. The dirt road in the background is believed to be So. K St. For years Tacoma drivers tested the stamina of their cars and the grit of the driver by motoring up the K St. hill, from Center St. due north, straight uphill. The road was closed in 1960. For Kohl Advertising Agency. (filed with Argentum)
ca. 1926. A new 1926 Moon Jubilee 6-60 grinds up the steep So. K Street hill, showing off the strength of the new automobile. The Moon Jubilee was created to celebrate 20 years of automobile manufacturing by the Moon Motor Co. (1905-1929) of St. Louis, Mo. The vehicle, which sold for under $1,000, had European styling with a Continental motor. The local agent for Moon cars was the Bye Thompson Motor Sales Co., 3320 So. G St. The So. K St. hill, heading north from Center St., was often used to test the prowess of new cars. This portion of the road closed around 1960. A residence and the spire of Holy Rosary church can be seen in the background. (filed under Argentum)
In June of 1927, Seattlite and frequent Tacoma visitor Esther Landstrom (in coat) was pictured with her new Willys-Knight 70-A coupe in front of the First Presbyterian Church at 20 Tacoma Avenue South. Her small dog stands on the running board. Her friend Dolly Wescott, a bookkeeper at Manley Motors, was at the wheel. Mrs. Landstrom had recently purchased her car from Manley Motor Company, 956-58 Fawcett Avenue, in Tacoma. Manley Motors were the authorized dealers of Overland, Willys-Knight, and Whippet automobiles. (TDL 6/19/1927, pg. G2) (WSHS)
Automobiles--Tacoma--1920-1930; Presbyterian churches--Tacoma; First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma); Landstrom, Esther; Wescott, Dolly; Willys-Knight automobile; Dogs--Tacoma--1920-1930;
Raudenbush Motor Co. Mrs. DesLys with Whippet. Raudenbush Motor Co. was an automobile dealer located at 314 Puyallup Ave. Mrs. Norah DesLys was the vice president of the Bon-Des-Lys Candy Makers, 2407 Pacific Ave. The Whippet automobile was manufactured from 1926-1931 by Willys Overland. On June 4, 1927, 25 year old actress and entertainer Norah Elizabeth Deslys married Tacoma candy manufacturer John T. Bond. She gave up the stage, after 18 years, to work with her husband in their recently incorporated Bon-Des-Lys (invented from the compound of both last names) candy company. Both Norah and her performance partner, her sister Essie, would maintain a home in Tacoma as well as Hollywood. (TNT 6/6/1927, pg.5) (WSHS)
Ship "Phoenix" in Tacoma. Large cargo vessel with small superstructure amidships, another with funnel at the stern. Wooden warehouses on pier, lumber mills and Tacoma skyline in background, pod of logs floating in foreground. (filed with Argentum)
A large cargo vessel being helped to pier by tugboat. Warehouses on pier, lumber mills and Tacoma skyline in background, pod of logs floating in water. (filed with Argentum)
Ship "Phoenix," a large cargo vessel with small superstructure amidships, another with funnel at the stern, being helped to pier by tugboat. Warehouses on pier, lumber mills and Tacoma skyline in background, pod of logs floating in water. (filed with Argentum)
ca. 1932. Front view of an automobile parked in front of the Edward B. Rhodes Post, American Legion Memorial Building, an art deco structure designed by Heath, Gove and Bell, Architects in 1929. Since 1991, this building has been home to the Karpeles Manuscript Library. (filed with Argentum)
Automobiles--1930-1940; American Legion Edward B. Rhodes Post No. 2 (Tacoma); Patriotic societies--Tacoma--1930-1940;
The Outcalt leaving for Red Bluff Camp, July 5, 1933. On the boat are some adult males, but mostly young men or boys, possibly Sea Scouts. (filed with Argentum)
On August 22, 1934, several men standing on the roof of the Jones Building (now known as the Pantages) craned their necks to watch the airship Macon fly over the downtown skyline. Thousands lined the streets and rooftops of buildings to watch the dirigible make a wide circle over the city around 8 a.m. Construction of the dirigible cost the US two and a half million dollars. Tacoma was also visited by airships Shenandoah in 1924 and Akron in 1932. The Macon was lost over the Pacific Ocean offshore of Point Sur Feb. 12, 1935. (T. Times 8/22/1934, pg. 1)
Airships--Tacoma; Jones Building (Tacoma); Historic buildings--Tacoma;
The ghostly USS Macon, a dirigible, flew over the Jones Building (now known as the Pantages) in downtown Tacoma on August 22, 1934. The eerie airship was almost disguised by the clouds. Thousands of spectators lined the streets and rooftops of buildings to watch the dirigible make a wide circle over the city around 8 a.m. The Daily Ledger called the airship "a great silver fish of the skies." The Macon was lost over the waters of the Pacific Ocean offshore from Point Sur on February 12, 1935. (T. Times 8/22/1934, pg. 1)
Airships--Tacoma; Jones Building (Tacoma); Historic buildings--Tacoma;
This view of Tacoma's fishing fleet, moored at the Port Commission Docks dates from November of 1934. At that time, about 45 fishing vessels called Tacoma their home port. A long row of fishing boats was photographed, their images reflected on the still water. Among the boats tied to the dock are: the "Chancellor", the "Blanco", the "Orbit" and the "Falcon." An editorial on page one of the November 20th Tacoma Times supported Initiative 77 banning fish traps. The newspaper championed building a larger marina in Tacoma that could support an expanded fleet of boats. A strip of land belonging to the Port of Tacoma, near the Port Piers, was proposed for the site of the new facility that could be the home of up to 300 boats. (T. Times 11/20/1934, pg. 1)
In November of 1934, part of the fishing fleet was pictured moored at the Port Commission Docks. Tacoma at this time was home to about 45 fishing vessels. Among the fleet were the "Sima", the "Argo", and the "Sapho". A motorboat, the "Hazel" was tied to the Port walkway. The November 20th Tacoma Times published an editorial advocating that Tacoma build a larger Marina for the fleet, one that could dock upwards to 300 boats. The area suggested was along the south strip of the Port of Tacoma, near the Port Piers. (T. Times 11/20/1934, pg. 1) (WSHS)
Harbor with boats tied up to pier. Three people in the lower left corner are walking by a boat. Photo series is of the Capital to Capital Yacht Race from Tacoma to Nanaimo, BC in July of 1935. The race was expected to draw close to 100 entries, almost a 1/2 million in pleasure craft investment, that would carry around 600 persons. Only amateurs were eligible, no professional Navy men. Out of the proposed entrants, 51 started the race, 24 from Tacoma, and 49 finished. (T.Times 7/25-27, 1935 & 7/29/1935, pg. 1)
Power cruisers compete in the 8th annual power boat race, the"Capital to Capital yacht race," in July 1935. The 1935 race covered 150 nautical miles from Tacoma to Nanaimo, BC through the San Juan and British Columbia Islands. The boats would leave on Friday, 7/26, and reach BC late on 7/27. The Tacoma Yacht Club sponsored 24 entries, one of which the "Irvinetta," won second place overall. (T. Times 7/25-27, 1935; 7/29/1935, pg. 1)
Captain I.C. Rowland (right), skipper of the Tacoma Yacht Club entry "Irvinetta" in the annual international cruiser race, the "Capital to Capital," and Matt Manay, of Olympia, prepare a code flag in connection with the start of the race. The 8th annual cruiser race would start Friday, July 26, 1935 in Tacoma and end Saturday afternoon in Nanaimo, B.C., a distance of 150 nautical miles through the Puget Sound and San Juan and British Columbia Islands. Rowland and the Irvinetta finished 2nd overall by a fraction of percentage and first in their division, craft over 38 feet in length. (T. Times 7/25-27, 1935 and 7/29/1935, pg. 1)
On July 26, 1935 close to 100 of the finest power boats in the Pacific Northwest left Tacoma for Nanaimo, B.C. in the 8th annual international cruiser classic. Known as the "Capital to Capital" race, most of the previous competitions had been on courses charted from Olympia to Juneau or from Olympia to Victoria. The 1935 race started at the municipal dock in Tacoma, under the 11th Street Bridge, and threaded a course of 150 nautical miles through Puget Sound, and the San Juan and British Columbia Islands. Crews got very little sleep as the boats raced throughout the night and into the next day. Vessels could choose their own departure time, basing the time they calculated they would reach certain spots. Contestants did not stop at the control points along the course; they had to pass close enough to each point, however, to be identified. (T.Times 7/25-27, 1935 & 7/29/1935, pg. 1)
Pleasure craft stream out into the Puget Sound at the beginning of the "Capital to Capital" annual cruiser race. In 1935, the race course covered 150 nautical miles from Tacoma to Nanaimo, BC. 51 vessels started the annual race and 49 finished. A Tacoma vessel, the "Irvinetta," skippered by I.C. Rowlands finished 2nd overall. (T. Times 7/25-27, 1935; T.Times 7/29/1935, pg. 1)
In August of 1935, the west end of the Navy yard in Bremerton was known as the "Boneyard." Here unused or outdated ships rode at anchor, fastened together with intricate knots of cable. The white bow, visible in the interior of the group, was the USS Patoka. The Patoka, constructed in 1919, was outfitted with a distinctive stern mooring mast in 1924 for lighter-than-air craft. She was subsequently used as an operational and experimental base by three of the Navy's great dirigibles, USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) in 1924-1925, USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) in 1925-1932, and USS Akron (ZRS-4) in 1932. (Bremerton Sun 8/15/1935, pg. 1; www.history.navy.mil)
Boat graveyards--Bremerton; Government vessels--Bremerton; Warships--Bremerton--1930-1940;
Four large mothballed military vessels berthed in Bremerton were photographed for the Bremerton Sun in August of 1935. Locals referred to this area to the west of the Navy yard as the "Boneyard," the home to unused and sometimes outdated vessels. The vessel with the white bow, second from left, was the Patoka, one of the few vessels ever fitted with a dirigible mooring mast on the deck. The wide, tower-like mast can be seen on the left side of the photograph. Built in 1919, the vessel was stored due to the declining size of the peacetime Navy. Also mothballed at the Navy yard were the Aroostook, the USS Pyro (one of only 2 ammunition ships constructed by the US government,) and the oil burning Prometheus and Jason. (Bremerton Sun 8/15/1935, pg. 1)
Boat graveyards--Bremerton; Government vessels--Bremerton; Warships--Bremerton--1930-1940;
