ca. 1971. 1971 Richards color stock footage. Seals and sea otters attracted many to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in 1971. The head of one marine animal barely breaks the surface of the water much to the delight of the zoo's visitors. Other inhabitants of the pool may be beyond the photographer's sightlines as one visitor points outwardly.

Point Defiance Zoo (Tacoma); Aquariums--Tacoma;

ca. 1971. 1971 Richards color stock footage. It looks like it is summer and children are flocking to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium for a joyful day. Several youngsters wait by the entrance to the Aquarium while others look at outdoor exhibits.

Point Defiance Zoo (Tacoma); Aquariums--Tacoma;

ca. 1971. 1971 Richards color stock footage. A little girl gets a friendly greeting from Point Defiance Zoo's elephant in 1971, much to the delight of her accompanying family. The elephant's affable behavior may have been prompted by the suggestion of a bag full of peanuts carried by the small child. The Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium was founded in 1905. It is located on 29 acres inside the 700-acre Point Defiance Park. (www.pdza.org)

Point Defiance Zoo (Tacoma); Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Elephants; Zoo animals;

ca. 1971. 1971 Richards color stock footage. Some sunbathers apparently found it more comfortable lying on picnic tables and pavement at Point Defiance's Owen Beach than the somewhat rocky shoreline. Other beach visitors used the picnic tables in a more traditional manner. Not many seemed inclined to dip their toes into the frigid waters of Puget Sound.

Beaches--Tacoma; Owen Beach (Tacoma); Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Sunbathing--Tacoma;

Swimming area at lake resort divided into shallow water and deep water. A double slide and diving platform accommodate swimmers. People are gathered around watching the activities.

Facilities - Parks - Pierce County - Swimming PlatformsRecreation Sports - Water Sports - Swimming

Tyrone Power and Sonja Henie had plenty of extra time on their hands between takes during the filming of "Thin Ice" in April of 1937. On location in Paradise Valley on Mount Rainier, intermittent snow squalls and gray skies made things difficult for the visiting stars from Hollywood. The 20th Century-Fox crew was on the mountain for three days before they were able to shoot a single foot of usable film.

Mount Rainier National Park (Wash.); Actresses--Tacoma; Henie, Sonja, 1912-1969; Skaters; Actors--Tacoma; Power, Tyrone; Motion picture industry--Tacoma;

Actors Sonja Henie (left) and Tyrone Power pose on skis at Paradise Lodge, Mount Rainier National Park, during filming of the motion picture "Thin Ice". Shot on location at Mount Rainier in 1937, the film was Scandinavian skating star Henie's second movie. Heavy snow fall made production difficult. Tacoma skier Gretchen Kunigk Fraser served as Henie's double. (T.Times, 4/6/1937, with Power cropped out)

Mount Rainier National Park (Wash.); Actresses--Tacoma; Henie, Sonja, 1912-1969; Skaters; Actors--Tacoma; Power, Tyrone; Motion picture industry--Tacoma;

Sonja Henie and Tyrone Power on skis at Paradise Lodge, Mount Rainier National Park, during filming of "Thin Ice". (T.Times, 4/6/1937).

Mount Rainier National Park (Wash.); Actresses--Tacoma; Henie, Sonja, 1912-1969; Skaters; Actors--Tacoma; Power, Tyrone; Motion picture industry--Tacoma;

Members of the production crew for "Thin Ice" with camera at Paradise, Mount Rainier National Park. Two men are playing cards while others stand beside the motion picture camera. (T.Times).

Mount Rainier National Park (Wash.); Motion picture industry--Tacoma;

Point Defiance Park Zoo. Mr. Cook, animal keeper, and an unidentified man, possibly George Jones, with tortoise. (T.Times).

Parks--Tacoma; Point Defiance Zoo (Tacoma); Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Turtles; Zoo keepers--Tacoma;

ca. 1933. Cars are parked everywhere on the grass as their owners enjoy the rides at Funland, circa 1933. Funland was an amusement park located at Point Defiance Park and operated by the Point Defiance Amusement Co. The carnival rides can be seen in the background, as well as several low buildings.

Funland (Tacoma); Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Amusement parks--Tacoma--1930-1940; Amusement rides--Tacoma--1930-1940; Automobiles--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1933. View of parked cars at Funland, located at Point Defiance Park, circa 1933. The carnival type rides that have drawn the crowds can be seen in the background.

Funland (Tacoma); Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Amusement parks--Tacoma--1930-1940; Amusement rides--Tacoma--1930-1940; Automobiles--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1933. Funland at Point Defiance Park, circa 1933. People wait in line to ride the miniature train ride. The small locomotive is followed a long train of cars filled with people. A shed-type building with curved roof can be seen with a sign reading "Dodgem." This is most likely the location of the Bumper Car ride. This was one of the most popular weekend destinations for Tacomans, as can be seen from the crowds.

Funland (Tacoma); Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Amusement parks--Tacoma--1930-1940; Amusement rides--Tacoma--1930-1940; Bumper cars; Crowds;

In 1933 work began in earnest to create Jefferson Park on Tacoma's "West End," originally bordered by North 7th and North 9th Streets, Mason Avenue and Monroe Street. Men are pictured grading on site with the help of shovels and a bulldozer. The land for the park had originally been purchased in increments in the early 1920s and "Jefferson" selected as the park's name in 1924. The finished park was finally dedicated in November, 1937, as a center for recreation for the growing neighborhood. (filed with Argentum)

Jefferson Park (Tacoma); Parks--Tacoma--1930-1940; Bulldozers;

On July 13, 1937, volunteers Howard Bjorklund and "Happy" Logue, with high-powered rifles, tracked a missing grizzly bear through ferns and underbrush in the woods by Point Defiance Park. The two-year-old, 600 pound bear arrived in Tacoma from Yellowstone National Park on July 5th. It had apparently escaped from its cage at the zoo early Tuesday morning, July 13th. The gate to the cage was padlocked and there were no signs of tampering with the cage or gate. Park officials, fearing panic among nearby residents, did not immediately announce the bear's disappearance. Bear tracks were found about one mile from the park's entrance but the bear was never found. (T. Times 7/14/1937, p. 8-article only).

Point Defiance Zoo (Tacoma); Zoos--Tacoma--1930-1940; Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Grizzly bears; Bjorklund, Howard; Rifles; Hunting--Tacoma;

ca. 1937. Zoo keeper George R. Jones poses with Jocko, a spider monkey from the wilds of South America, at the Point Defiance Zoo. Jocko is an excellent mimic and is sure to delight guests this summer at the zoo. (T. Times 4/13/1937, pg. 1)

Point Defiance Zoo (Tacoma); Zoos--Tacoma--1930-1940; Zoo animals; Monkeys; Jones, George R.; Zoo keepers--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1937. Zoo Keeper George Jones feeding Point Defiance Zoo's new attraction, "Jocko" the spider monkey. (T. Times 4/13/1937, pg. 1)

Point Defiance Zoo (Tacoma); Zoos--Tacoma--1930-1940; Zoo animals; Monkeys; Jones, George R.; Zoo keepers--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Gilbert McLean, tree surgeon, and Doris Cook, a nurse at Tacoma General Hospital, examining a wind damaged tree in Wright Park. The tree has been sealed and braced with iron rods. McLean, one of the few skilled practitioners of arboriculture in Tacoma, is employed by the Metropolitan Parks District to take care of its ailing trees. He was hired shortly after the disastrous windstorm of October 21, 1934 which destroyed 34 trees in Wright Park alone. McLean has now nursed 12 of them back to health. He is also responsible, along with Superintendent Sherman Ingels, for scientifically labelling the 1200 trees in the Wright Park Arboretum. In his spare time, he also prunes, sprays and trims the trees. (T. Times 11/6/1935, pg. 8)

Wright Park (Tacoma); Parks--Tacoma--1930-1940; Trees--Tacoma; McLean, Gilbert; Cook, Doris;

In November of 1935, Gilbert McLean, tree surgeon, and Doris Cook, a nurse at Tacoma General Hospital, compare surgical methods while examining a wind damaged tree in Wright Park. McLean, an arboriculturist with the Metropolitan Park District, worked from 1928- 1932 with the Davey Tree Expert Co. He has treated the damaged tree's cavities with the "Davey System." First, he carefully cleaned the wood around the wound. Then he packed the hole with cement to keep the water out and coated the filling with emulsified asphalt as a preservative. Miss Cook stated that thankfully cement and asphalt were never used in the operating room at TG. (T. Times 11/6/1935, pg. 8)

Wright Park (Tacoma); Parks--Tacoma--1930-1940; Trees--Tacoma; McLean, Gilbert; Cook, Doris;

Entrance gate at Home of Peace Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery located at 5421 Steilacoom Blvd. SW. The cemetary began in 1890 when the First Hebrew Benevolent Society was formed and the land for the cemetary was purchased. Photograph ordered by Western Iron & Wire Works. (WSHS)

Home of Peace Cemetary (Lakewood); Cemeteries--Lakewood;

1941 Ski Carnival at Mount Rainier. Queen, Virginia Davis, another young woman and two young men beside fireplace at Paradise Lodge. (T.Times)

National parks & reserves; Mount Rainier National Park (Wash.); Tacoma Winter Carnival (Tacoma); Fireplaces--Paradise; Davis, Virginia;

Three women, in dresses with long skirts, and a young girl are shown on the porch of "Nisqually House" at Fort Nisqually. They were part of a special ceremony held in February 1941at the reconstructed fort in Point Defiance Park. Representatives from the British Columbia headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Co. presented Fort Nisqually a replica of the flag that had flown over the entrance of the original fort. From left to right are Virginia Davis, Arminda Lou Davis, Arminda Buchanan, and Nellie Harris. They represent four generations of the same family. Arminda Buchanan was born in the Oregon Territory.( T. Times 2-26-1941 p.31)

Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Fort Nisqually (Tacoma); Historical reenactments--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Just the top of the lodge, with its extending waving flag and pole, can be seen above the Spring snow pack at Paradise, Mount Rainier National Park. The occasion of the photograph is "Bremerton Day" at Mount Rainier.

Mount Rainier National Park (Wash.); Snow;

Four women and one man salute the camera from their perch on a long toboggan at "Bremerton Day" at Paradise, Mount Rainier in March of 1939. They are enjoying the deep snow on this early spring day.

Mount Rainier National Park (Wash.); Winter sports; Snow; Sleds & sleighs; Toboggans;

This view of the Pond Garden in "The Bowl" at Point Defiance Park, taken in June of 1939, is from just southwest of the park entrance looking northeast. Vashon Island can be seen in the distance through the trees. Originally a U.S. military reservation, Tacoma was given permission to develop the land into a park in 1888. The south end of the park was first transformed into formal gardens under the direction of E. R. Roberts.

Parks--Tacoma; Point Defiance Park (Tacoma);

Reprint of flag raising at the original dedication of the reconstructed Fort Nisqually September 3, 1934. The original fort was located near DuPont, Wa. When the Hudson's Bay Co. moved out, it passed into the possession of the US government and the Fort deteriorated. When the land was purchased as the site of the Nisqually powder plant, the buildings were offered free to anyone who would move them. The Young Men's Business Club made it their project and eventually obtained a site on a bluff in Pt. Defiance and had the buildings moved. Ordered for Canadian paper by Al Gehri, one of the original architects.

Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Hudson's Bay Co. (Tacoma); Frontier & pioneer life--Tacoma; Fort Nisqually (Tacoma); Trading posts--Tacoma;

Reprint of the reconstructed Fort Nisqually as it looked for the September 3, 1934 dedication. Located left to right are Storehouse #2, the Granary and the company store, with the Bastion behind. On the right side of the picture is the Factor's house. The Granary and the Factor's house are original structures from the Fort. The other buildings were recreated, as much as possible, from the timbers of the original fort. Ordered for Canadian paper. Al Gehri.

Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Hudson's Bay Co. (Tacoma); Frontier & pioneer life--Tacoma; Fort Nisqually (Tacoma); Trading posts--Tacoma;

In July of 1937, Fort Nisqually's watch tower was photographed standing at the corner of the compound overlooking Puget Sound. The tower was one of two reconstructed bastions at Fort Nisqually, a Hudson's Bay Company fort built near DuPont and relocated in Point Defiance Park. Ordered for Canadian paper, Al Gehri. TPL-2370

Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Hudson's Bay Co. (Tacoma); Frontier & pioneer life--Tacoma; Fort Nisqually (Tacoma); Trading posts--Tacoma;

ca. 1936. Point Defiance Zoo aviary. Visitors gathered around aviary to view exotic birds.

Point Defiance Zoo (Tacoma); Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Aviaries--Tacoma;

A lone Grizzly bear imported from Yellowstone National Park lies resting on a bare wooden platform in a man-made, stone cave at Point Defiance Zoo. The young female cub was brought in to replace the bear that escaped from the zoo in July of 1937 and was never found. If she looks a little lonely, it is because her intended mate broke out two weeks ago, June 12 or 13th, and has not been found. He went over the wall of the pen leaving only some hide and hair on the prongs designed to keep him in. He was recovered July 3rd in the park. (T. Times 6/14/1938, pg. 1; 6/27/1938, pg. 3; 7/4/1938, pg. 1)

Point Defiance Zoo (Tacoma); Grizzly bears; Zoos--Tacoma--1930-1940; Zoo animals;