Tacoma's Alert Hose Co. No. 2 volunteer firefighting company, in uniform, were photographed on August 8, 1885 as they prepared to join the funeral parade to be held that day for former President Ulysses S. Grant. President Grant's portrait is framed in black and placed aboard the company hose wagon. He had died on July 23, 1885, and the Territorial Governor of Washington had declared that the day of his funeral would be an official day of mourning. The firehouse was located at So. 13th & A Street, which was later the location of the Tacoma Railroad & Power substation. Alert Hose Co. No. 2 was probably one of four hose companies organized between March and August, 1885. The company's hose apparatus may have been built by the volunteers themselves. Adelbert Uriah Mills, center in black beard holding bouquet, was the captain and would later become the Commissioner of Public Safety. A partial list of firefighters' names appears in a Tacoma Daily Ledger article on March 9, 1913. (Talbot: 100 Years of Fire fighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 15, TDL 3-9-1913, p. 45) KING-013, TPL 2896.

ca. 1889. Tacoma's Fire Station No. 4 was located at 407 E. 26th Street from 1889-1911. In this photograph, a 1889 Silsby 2nd size (700 gpm) rotary pump drawn by three horses and a W.T.Y Schneck hose wagon with two horses are on display in front of the station. The "Our Boys 1887" lettering below the bell tower acknowledged the "Our Boys" volunteer organization. In 1889, H. L. Knoell was listed as Captain in charge of the six-man company; this photograph may have been taken somewhat later as there are now nine firemen present. Engineers made roughly $90 a month with hosemen being paid $70 and drivers $75. The Fire Department Chief was paid approximately $125 monthly. Engine Co. No. 4 was to remain at the 407 E. 26th St. location until June, 1911, when it moved into a new two-story brick station a few blocks away at 224 E. 26th. (100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 18, 20, 52). TPL-393

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1880-1890; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Horses--Tacoma;

ca. 1890. Engine house # 9, Earl G. Jones pictured. Team of horses and other firemen included in this circa 1910 photograph. TPL-2759, TPL-8438 (Original print TPL-1082)

Jones, Earl G.; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1910-1920; Fire stations--Tacoma--1910-1920; Horses--Tacoma--1910-1920;

ca. 1890. Copy negative of a Tacoma Fire Department horse-drawn steam pumper, circa 1890.

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1890-1900;

On November 5, 1899, over 50,000 admirers lined the tracks of the Northern Pacific Railroad to welcome home the First Washington Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the "Fighting First," from their battle service in the Philippines. The crowd was so thick that it lined the track for miles, stretching upward to cover rooftops with a mass of humanity. The soldiers had been absent for 18 months, a year spent training and six months spent fighting Filipino insurgents in Manila and Luzon. Over 1,125 men left for the Philippines of which 129 never returned, felled by battle or disease. The Regiment was made up of 12 companies, mostly National Guard, from Seattle (2), Spokane (2), Walla Walla, Vancouver, Centralia, Dayton, Yakima, Waitsburg, Ellensburg and Tacoma. Picture of the crowd awaiting the arrival of the volunteers' train. On the left of the track were, front to back, 1701 Commerce (built 1892), a building at the corner of Jefferson and So. 17th St. and 1511-41 Pacific Ave. The street running along the left side of the track is Hood St.; the track is the Northern Pacific Portland branch.

First Washington Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Wash.); Philippine Insurrection, (1899-1902); Crowds; Homecomings;

ca. 1899. Engine Co. No. 6 opened on 9th & A Street in 1891. The station also housed Chemical Engine Co. No. 1. The headquarters station cost approximately $24,400. Captain William J. Chisholm led his company of five men; he may have been one of the men standing next to the horse-drawn engines in this sepia photograph. View of flower bedecked wagons and engines outside the two-story brick station; this is probably the 4th of July celebratory parade. (100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 22)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1890-1900; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1890-1900;

Harness gleaming and bedecked in garlands, the huge bays of Chemical Engine Co. No. 1 were ready to participate in the Tacoma Rose Carnival Parade on June 22,1905 . The parade was just one of the many activities in the three day festival which included band concerts, water pageants, a children's parade and a carnival ball. Chemical Co. No. 1, Engine Co. No. 1, and the hook and ladder Co. No. 1 from the Saint Helens station were chosen to represent the Tacoma Fire Department during the parade. Chief George McAlevy had wanted to furnish a larger display but reconsidered due to the city's need in case of fires. Chemical Engine Co. No. 1 was housed in the Fire Department headquarters at 9th & A Streets in downtown Tacoma. It would remain there until 1916 when it was put out of service. Photograph taken on June 22, 1905, by B. Waters. (Tacoma Daily News, 6-21-05, p. 3, Tacoma Daily News, 6-22-05, p. 1)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire fighters--Tacoma--1900-1910; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Horses--Tacoma; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1900-1910; Rose Carnival (Tacoma);

ca. 1906. Copy negative of an early Tacoma Fire Department fire truck, circa 1900.

Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1900-1910; Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma);

ca. 1907. Men and equipment of Fire Station No. 2, ca. 1907. The station was located at 2701 Tacoma Avenue So. and built in mid-1907. A 1889 Hayes 65' aerial was assigned to Truck Co. No. 2 along with a Continental 2nd size steam fire engine, 700 gpm, and a hose wagon No. 2, 1890 California apparatus. The fire station is still in use at the same location in 2004. It is on both the City and National Registries. Photograph from the collection of retired Tacoma Fire Department member, William Turner.

Tacoma Fire Department, Fire Station No. 2 (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma;

ca. 1907. Engine & Truck Co. No. 2. This sepia photograph is dated approximately 1907. The men of Engine & Truck Co. No. 2 stand proudly with their new Continental steam fire engine, 2nd size, 700 gpm. 1907 also saw Truck Co. No. 2 obtain the 1889 Hayes 65' aerial formerly belonging to Truck Co. No. 1, who had purchased a 75' Seagrave aerial. The firefighting apparatus was still pulled by sturdy horses. Engine Co. No. 2 and Truck Co. No. 2 were in new quarters that year with a station built at 2701 Tacoma Avenue South. (100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 42)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Horses--Tacoma;

ca. 1909. In 1909 Engine Co. No. 4 were still in their old quarters in the 400 block of E. 26th St. A new two-story brick building would be constructed at 220-24 E. 26th in 1911. Seven firemen are pictured in this sepia photograph; pump drivers at that time were M.E. Shaver and Dick Brown. In 1910 Engine Co. No. 4 would receive a 2nd class American LaFrance Metropolitan steam fire engine . The dog in the photograph is believed to be Jumbo, the station mascot. He was a combination Mastiff-Newfoundland and an integral part of the station. Jumbo dashed alongside the apparatus at the first tap of the alarm bell and used his powerful jaws to drag hose. Thick smoke and flames did not deter him; he worked side-by-side with his fellow firefighters. When he died at a ripe old age, taps was played at his funeral; two special honor taps were struck for him. Jumbo was buried in a secluded spot near the firehouse. (100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 20, 34-35)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Dogs--Tacoma;

ca. 1910. Horses played an important role in early Tacoma firefighting as this turn-of-the-20th Century photograph illustrates. The firefighting team is in front of Engine House No. 5 which was built in 1890 at 1215 So. I Street. The horses were fed well on oats, bran and carrots; their medical needs were taken care of by a veterinarian and medicines. By the turn of the century, the department had 33 horses working side-by-side with firefighters. This team of horses pictured here in a 1910 sepia photograph may be pulling a 1910 Metropolitan 2nd Size 550 gpm double pump. Tacoma Fire Department Collection. (100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 33)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1910-1920; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1910-1920; Horses--Tacoma;

ca. 1910. Sepia photograph of 1910 Seagrave Auto-chemical. This appears to be a combination hose and chemical wagon, possibly one of the 80 horsepower units. The wagon is elaborately decorated with painted designs. There is room for two men seated at front, one behind the wheel, and a running board for several others to climb aboard and hang on. This is believed to be a Tacoma Fire Department wagon; lettering on the side indicates " F T D Chemical Engine." No company number is listed.

Fire engines & equipment;

ca. 1911. In 1911, Truck Co. No. 1 received a Seagrave tractor for aerial; their old tractor was given to Truck Co. No. 2. View of Truck Co. No. 2 firefighters with No. I's truck, pulled by three horses, taken the same year. According to the Tacoma Times, this was Tacoma's first modern ladder truck. At the tiller is L.S. Finney with Harry White driving. Standing next to the driver's seat is Charles W. Nichols. Standing on the ground, left to right, are: S.F. Buck, William F. Bing, A.L. Hooten, Edward Evans. TPL-709. (Talbot: 100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 52; T. Times 6/18/1936, pg.1)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Horses--Tacoma;

ca. 1911. Sepia photograph of Engine Co. No. 4's new quarters in the 200 block of E. 26th St. near "C." This large two-story brick structure had three apparatus doors. Three men are standing outside the facility, seemingly dwarfed by the massive building. Engine Co. No. 4 had moved from 505-507 E. 26th to 224 E. 26th in 1911 and remained there until 1972. It is on both the City and National Registry.

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1910-1920;

ca. 1911. June, 1911, saw Engine Co. No. 4 in new quarters at 224 E. 26th St., just a few blocks distant from their old location. They were now housed in a two-story brick building that was equipped with three bays. Sepia photograph shows the men and equipment of Station No. 4. In 1910 they received a 2nd class American LaFrance Metropolitan steam fire engine, possibly shown above. This brick building designed by Frederic Shaw is still standing and is on the city and national registry of historic buildings. (100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 49, 52)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1910-1920; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Horses--Tacoma;

ca. 1911. Engine House No. 5 at 1215-17 South I Street. Engine House No. 5 received an 80-horsepower Seagrave combination hose and chemical wagon in 1911. The station was in service from 1890 to 1935. (Talbot & Decker, 100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny, Tacoma, Washington, p. 52, p. 18)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Tacoma Fire Department, Fire Station No. 5 (Tacoma);

ca. 1913. This photograph from July, 1913 shows the Engine Company No. 1 fire station at 209-211 Saint Helens Avenue. The bunting and other decorations on the station appear to be for the Montamara Festo which was held in Tacoma over the 4th of July holiday every year from 1912 to 1922. The highlight of the festival was a series of automobile races held at a race track close to the present Clover Park Vocational Center. The two fire trucks framed by the open station doors are a Seagrave combination hose and chemical wagon on the left, and a 1907 Seagrave, 75 foot aerial truck, Tacoma's first motorized fire truck, on the right. Above the doors can be seen a model Fiat racing car being driven by "Tige", the mascot of the Tacoma Tigers. "Tige" was created by cartoonist Edward "Tige" Reynolds when he worked as an editorial cartoonist for the Tacoma Daily Ledger.

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1910-1920; Murals--Tacoma;

ca. 1915. Signage decorate the motorized fleet of the Tacoma Fire Department parked outside Station No. 6. Residents are warned not to issue false alarms and to turn off electrical equipment when not used. Another helpful hint provided by the Fire Department was to clean the moss off roofs before dry weather. Regarding the hazards of smoking: thousands of dollars of damage was caused by a lighted cigarette thrown in a pile of oily rags. The vehicles may have been prepped for use in a parade as several flags are mounted on both front and rear fenders.

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1910-1920; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Signs (Notices);

ca. 1917. Although many stations still used horses, this American LaFrance 1000 gpm pumper was motorized. It was parked, driver on board, at Station No. 2. The age of the horse was nearly over for the Tacoma Fire Department; by 1919, the department was completely motorized. (100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washingtonp. 56-57, 59)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma;

This is Truck Co. No. 2 with their 1913 Seagrave 75-foot aerial in front of Engine House No. 2. The driver was Harry Ketler and tillerman Jim Turner. Others were not identified. The hose tower is in view. Note the planked roadway that is Tacoma Avenue South. St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church is next door to the fire station. (Talbot & Decker: 100 Years of Firefighting, Tacoma, Washington, p. 53)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1910-1920; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1910-1920; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1910-1920; St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church (Tacoma);

In October of 1920, Al McCoy, one of the last farriers working in Tacoma posed beside "Big John," the veteran fire horse of the Tacoma Fire Department and one of McCoy's steady customers for 20 years. Mr. McCoy worked at the John A. Andrews Blacksmith Shop, located at 1330-32 Commerce St. "Big John" waited patiently for Mr. McCoy to fit his new shoes. He was no longer needed to pull Tacoma's fire wagons and Mrs. W.R. Rust and the Tacoma Humane Society had narrowly saved him from being sent to a glue factory. (TDL 10/3/1920 p.B-4) G66.1-119

Blacksmiths--Tacoma; McCoy, Al; John A. Andrews Blacksmith Shop (Tacoma); Forge shops--Tacoma; Horses--Tacoma--1920-1930;

ca. 1923. Three members of the Tacoma Fire Department are pictured in this early 1920's photograph with a Tacoma built engine. It is possible that this is the 1910 Seagrave Combination Hose and Chemical wagon attached to the Engine Co. No. 6. The hose wagon was rebuilt in 1922. (Talbot: 100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 62)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma;

Firefighters W.C. Harbin (driver) and S.J. Pollard are aboard Engine Company # 6 engine in February of 1924. They staffed the headquarters for the Tacoma Fire Department, located at South 9th & A Streets in downtown Tacoma. Company # 6's pump motor had been built in city shops. In 1924 Tacoma had twelve fire stations and the Fire Department had a staff of 145 employees. (print has been torn) (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 2-17-24, G-1)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire stations--Tacoma--1920-1930; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1920-1930; Pollard, S.J.; Harbin, W.C.;

On May 12, 1924, seven Clement Avenue District women received instructions, behind the United Presbyterian Church at So. 66th and Clement Avenue, in handling an emergency fire hose cart.. The South Tacoma women were expected to handle any fires which might occur during the day while the men of the district were at work. The women in the fire brigade were identified in the Tacoma Daily Ledger as: (l to r) Mrs. C.W. Stromberg, Mrs. M. L. Gilbertson, Mrs. George Bates, Miss J. Alstead, Mrs. Frank Mazzini, Mrs. M. Nelson and Mrs. Douglas Price. (TDL 5-13-24, p. 2) TPL-710

Fire fighters--Tacoma; Hoses;

This display of fireworks at the 1924 4th of July celebration held in Tacoma's Stadium Bowl fully expressed what the people of Tacoma thought the correct name should be for our mountain. Tacomans waged an ultimately fruitless battle against the name "Mount Rainier" for Pierce County's majestic mountain. Residents insisted that the original Native American name, "Tacoma," be reinstated and references in local newspapers always referred to "Mt. Tacoma." TPL-308; G20.1-032

Fireworks--Tacoma--1920-1930; Celebrations--Tacoma--1920-1930;

The newly formed Browns Point volunteer fire department tried out their new equipment on one of the Point cottages on March 15, 1925. Their equipment included two portable hose reels, 1,000 feet of 2 1/2 inch double-jacketed hose, two portable chemical tanks and a motor driven siren. Water was available through six hydrants placed at convenient locations in the city. The volunteer fire department included Chief Oscar Brown, Allie Hoska, Fred Schenck, Ed McClure, Jerry Meeker, Will Burrows, Vic Bjorklund, Rolla Gilman, Clint Hull, Bill Wharton, Fred Allstrum, Bob Gleason Jr., Andy Wingard and Bob Gleason Sr. (TNT 3/17/1925, pg. 22) Boland-A7134, TPL-705

Fire fighters--Browns Point; Firefighting equipment--Browns Point;

This group of Tacoma firemen may have gathered in support of the Near East relief in December of 1927. Americans were asked to donate one Sunday's meal expenses toward this charitable endeavor. Tacoma had been awarded the title "Golden Rule City of America" in 1926 by virtue of its generous donations. G25.1-094

Fire fighters--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Eating & drinking--Tacoma--1920-1930;

ca. 1927. Seventeen children sit or stand on a fire truck in front of a fire station believed to be Fire Station #1 located at 425 Tacoma Ave. So. in this circa 1927 photograph. The station was built in 1919. In the background are the Leroy Apartments, 415 Fawcett Ave. (Additional information provided by a reader)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1920-1930; Fire stations--Tacoma--1920-1930; Children--Tacoma--1920-1930; Leroy Apartments (Tacoma);

In October of 1928, Tacoma Fire Station No. 15 at 3510 East 11th was nearing completion. The station was designed by M. J. Nicholson, architect, of brick, tile and stucco. It was one of three new stations built with funds provided by the passage of a March 1928 bond issue. Station #15 was located at East 11th and Taylor Way, on the east side of the Tideflats. The other two new stations were in Fernhill at South 74th and Park and in North Tacoma at North 41st and Gore. Construction costs of the stations totalled around $27,000 and 30 new fire fighters were added to the rolls to man the stations. Station #15 worked 5 men to a shift, including officers, and was under the command of Capt. Charley Mustoe and Lt. William R. Sherman.The three stations opened at the end of January and the beginning of February, 1929. Station #15 is on the City Registry of Historic Buildings and was added to the National Register on 5/2/1986.

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire Station No. 15 (Tacoma);