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;

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;

Industrial building with laborer in hardhat working in the foreground.

Four tall smokestacks on an industrial building.

Waste heat boiler at the Tacoma smelter (ASARCO) installed by Puget Sound Machinery Depot, August 24, 1939.

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

Aluminum panels nearly cover the entire roof of a new steel hangar at McChord Field on November 18, 1954. Two workers are in the process of marking and drilling nails into the panels. Aluminum and other steel products were seen as an alternative to wood design. Hangars were used to house and repair jet aircraft; McChord was finding it necessary to construct more of them because of the growing number of military aircraft stationed there. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corporation.

Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle); Building construction; Progress photographs; Steel; Hangars;

Workers appear to be trudging uphill on top of a new hangar in a November 18, 1954, photograph. They had been working for months on constructing new steel hangars for the military on McChord Field. These hangars would be used to house and repair jets. The two men shown here are carrying sections of aluminum to be used to cover the roof of the new hangar. The Seattle District Corps. of Engineers, U.S. Army, designed the hangar and supervised its construction. All steel for the framework was fabricated by the Seattle plant of Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel and the framework itself had been erected by the company's steelworkers. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corporation. (TNT 12-26-54, C-11)

Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle); Building construction; Progress photographs; Steel; Hangars;

Workmen balance high atop the roof of a new hangar at McChord Field on September 24, 1954. They are in the process of inserting steel sections. One of the building's sides is already in place. The hangars were used to house and repair aircraft and were apparently made basically out of steel components rather than wood. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corporation.

Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle); Building construction; Progress photographs; Steel; Hangars;

Steel pieces of a new hangar are being hoisted into place by a Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corporation crane on September 24, 1954. More space was becoming necessary at McChord Field to house and repair aircraft. Once completed, this new main hangar will encompass 22,000 square feet. The Seattle District Corps. of Engineers, U.S. Army, designed the hangar and supervised construction. All steel for the framework was fabricated by Bethlehem Steel 's Seattle plant and the framework itself erected by the company's steel workers. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corporation. (TNT 12-26-54, C-11)

Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle); Building construction; Progress photographs; Steel; Hangars;

Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. A variety of bars and structural shapes are rolled on the 12 inch and 8 inch finishing mills. The hot steel is looped by hand from one set of rolls to the next, until it is rolled to finished size and shape. Three finishing mills at the Seattle plant turn out bars and structural shapes in hundreds of different sizes and shapes. Hot steel billets are fed directly into these mills were grooved rolls transform them into angles, channels, I-beams, rounds, squares, flats, strip, reinforcing bars and special sections. ("Bethlehem Coast Steel, in the Northwest" - brochure)

Factories; Steel industry; Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle); ;

Aerial of Bethlehem Steel, Seattle. Located on a tract of 45 acres along West Spokane Stree, just west of Duwamish Waterway, the Seattle plant is a compact and highly efficient steelmaking unit. When operating at full capacity, the plant has a work force of about 1450. They represent a broad spectrum of skills and trades needed in the manufacture of steel.

Steel industry; Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle); Aerial photographs; Factories--Seattle;

Aerial view of American Smelting & Refining Co's (ASARCO) smokestack, smelter plant and surrounding area. The plant occupied a large area near Point Defiance with its own docks for shipping. The smokestack at 562 feet dominated the skyline for miles around. Thousands lined up in 1993 to say goodbye to this landmark when it was imploded.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1950-1960; Copper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Aerial view of American Smelting & Refining Co.'s (ASARCO) smokestack, smelter plant and surrounding area. ASARCO occupied a large area near Point Defiance and contributed greatly to Tacoma's economy in the fifties. As we know now, the by products of the smelting process were highly toxic, and qualified this area as a Superfund clean up area. TPL-9290

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1950-1960; Copper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

This aerial view of Tacoma shows the American Smelting & Refining Company's (ASARCO) smoke stack, plant and the surrounding area as it looked in July of 1953. The ASARCO smoke stack was a dominant feature in the Tacoma skyline from its construction in 1917 to its implosion in 1993. The plant stood near Point Defiance. Here large vessels can be seen pulled up to the dock to be loaded with metals to be shipped throughout the world. To the left can be seen part of the marina of the Tacoma Yacht Club and to the lower right, the city of Ruston. TPL-8483

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1950-1960; Copper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel, steel in railroad boxcars being loaded onto Foss tugs. The current service extends to Ward Cove, 8 miles north of Ketchikan, and site of the $47,000,000 construction project by Ketchikan Pulp & Paper Co. The eight 53 ft. cars, containing steel primarily, will be emptied at Ward Cove and returned to Tacoma. The Foss 250 can carry twenty 40 foot cars on her four sets of tracks and bulk tanks have been built in the barge hull to carry 1,000 tons of caustic soda north for paper plant production. The one way trip to Ward Cove takes 3 1/2 - 4 days. (TNT 7/5/1953, pg. B-3)

Steel industry; Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle); Foss Launch & Tug Co. (Tacoma); Tugboats--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel, steel in railroad boxcars being loaded onto Foss tugs for shipment to Alaska. This is the first shipment in a service announced jointly by Alaska Governor B. Frank Heintzleman and Henry Foss, president of Foss tugs. Foss will load railroad cars aboard the Foss 250, a car barge with transportation service to Alaska, at the Milwaukee Railroad's dock on the Milwaukee waterway. This marks the first time that railroad cars will come out of Alaska after discharging their cargo. The car barge will be towed by the tug Justine Foss. In the future, the car barges will leave every 8-10 days. (TNT 7/5/1953, pg. B-3)

Steel industry; Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle); Foss Launch & Tug Co. (Tacoma); Tugboats--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Close-up view on August 23, 1938, of Star Iron & Steel Company bridge constructed in five short days for damaged Whidbey Island-Mukilteo ferry landing. The 30,000 pound, 64-foot long steel structure balances on a special Becholdt-made trailer. (T. Times, 8/23/38, p.3).

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Cooney Transfer & Storage Co. (Tacoma); Bridges--Whidbey Island; Trailers; Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Star Iron & Steel Company bridge fabricated in five days for Whidbey Island-Mukilteo ferry landing. On August 23, 1938, the Cooney Transfer & Storage Company transported the 30,000 pound, 64 foot-long steel bridge on a Becholdt trailer. The original wooden ferry landing structure was ripped out by the ferry a week ago. Within five days, the plans were drawn for the steel replacement, the steel was fabricated and two coats of paint were applied. (T. Times, 8/23/1938, p.3).

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Cooney Transfer & Storage Co. (Tacoma); Bridges--Whidbey Island; Trailers; Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Star Iron & Steel Company bridge fabricated in five days for Whidbey Island-Mukilteo ferry landing. Becholdt trailer pulled by Cooney Transfer & Storage Company truck on August 23, 1938, transports the 30,000 pound, 64-foot long steel bridge. (T. Times, 8/23/1938, p.3).

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Cooney Transfer & Storage Co. (Tacoma); Bridges--Whidbey Island; Trailers; Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940;

When the wooden Whidbey Island - Mukilteo ferry landing was damaged by a ferry in August of 1938, the Puget Sound Navigation Company contacted the Star Iron & Steel Company in Tacoma. Within five days, plans were drawn and a steel replacement was built and ready for installation. The Cooney Transfer & Storage Company transported the finished 30,000 pound, 64 foot-long structure on an extra long Becholdt trailer. (T. Times, 8/23/1938, p. 3).

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Cooney Transfer & Storage Co. (Tacoma); Bridges--Whidbey Island; Trailers; Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940;

The American Smelting and Refining Co. had celebrated its 50th anniversary as a business in 1949. It was one of the largest employers in Tacoma with well over a thousand employees. As its name indicates, it was primarily involved in the smelting of ore and refining of copper. View of storage tanks at smelter, with truck parked alongside fence. Photograph ordered by David Somerville.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1950-1960; Copper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Industrial facilities; Storage tanks--Tacoma;

The Tacoma Smelter, American Smelter and Refining Company (ASARCO), held a dinner party for their "Old Timers" in April of 1952. View of six men and one woman at banquet table.

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Banquets--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel had several facilities in the Seattle area in the 1950's. Two workers coordinate their movements as they work in unison in the prefabrication plant in September, 1951. They appear to be working with a pulley. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp., San Francisco office.

Factories; Steel industry; Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle);

An employee of Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corporation's Seattle plant has his hands on the large valve of a machine in a photograph taken in September, 1951. Another employee in checkered jacket stands by finished steel products. Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel had several facilities in the Seattle area including a rolling mill, nut and bolt department, tank farm and mill depot. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp., San Francisco.

Factories; Steel industry; Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle);

Sparks fly as an employee of Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel apparently is drilling a piece of steel in September, 1951. He is wearing safety goggles, a cap to protect his hair, and protective coverings over his shoes. Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corporation had several facilities in Seattle, including a prefabrication plant, rolling mill, a mill depot, and bolt and nut department. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (San Francisco).

Factories; Steel industry; Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle);

Two employees of Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel's Seattle plant are shown at work on September 26, 1951. One man grips a piece of steel with his gloved hand while the other worker seems to be in the process of riveting. According to the 1951 Seattle City Directory, Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel had several facilities in the Seattle area including a Rolling Mill and office at 4001 28th Ave. S.W., a Bolt and Nut dept. at 3800 Iowa Ave., a Tank Farm at 3301 26th Ave. S.W., and a Mill Depot at 3845 26th Ave S.W. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (San Francisco).

Factories; Steel industry; Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle);

Labor problems at American Smelter and Refining Company (ASARCO) led to a walkout by workers on November 3, 1950. The refinery workers felt overworked, underpaid, and unappreciated by management at the plant. Although the workers returned to work on Monday the 6th, there were new walkouts two days later and, on November 8th, management shut down the plant. The strike and lockout lasted until November 27th. The union voted 950 to 250 to accept a pay increase of 15 cents per hour and management began calling back workers. Ordered by the Tribune, Larry Shanklin. (TNT, 11/27/1950) TPL-7908

American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Demonstrations--Tacoma--1950-1960; Labor unrest--Tacoma--1950-1960; Strikes--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Some of the 185 members of the Tacoma Smelter's 25 Year Club attending the first meeting, a dinner at the Towers restaurant on 4/10/1950. The new organization included both active employees and retirees who had been with the firm for 25 years or more.

Tacoma Smelter (Tacoma);

Ten unidentified employees of ASARCO who attended the first meeting of the Tacoma Smelter's 25 Year Club held at the Towers, 6805 6th Ave. on April 10, 1950. The club originated with 185-207 members, all active or retired employees of the Smelter with 25 or more years of service with the company. The chairmanship was passed down at the first meeting from Earl Marble, the manager of the plant who was instrumental in setting up the group, to retired plant manager Eugene A. White..

Tacoma Smelter (Tacoma);

The first meeting of the Tacoma Smelter's 25 Year Club at the Towers. During the meeting, Chairman Earl Marble, Manager of the plant, who was instrumental in forming the club turned over its chairmanship to Eugene A. White, retired manager of the Smelter. All Club members had 25 plus years of service with the plant.

Tacoma Smelter (Tacoma);