Men in a field operating an antiquated thresher.

Back of Photo:
Farmers with tools vegetable, etc. Colonial Gardens, Fife. Was close to the Poodle Dog Rest. This was an Italian operation owned by Italians. Before 1918.

Doris Lee and Bobby Seeber may not be riding a bicycle built for two, but she appears comfortable sitting in the front basket of the boy's bicycle. The pair enjoy ice cream cones at an area farmers' picnic in Sumner. A day off was declared by Pierce County farmers in August of 1936 as they and their families and friends attended the 9th annual picnic sponsored by area agricultural organizations and the County Agent's office. (T. Times 8/22/1936 p. 1) Series D1721, Image 6 has been enlarged and cropped to make the figures more prominent in this version.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Lee, Doris; Seeber, Bobby; Picnics--Sumner--1930-1940; Children riding bicycles & tricycles--Sumner--1930-1940; Ice cream & ices; Children eating & drinking--1930-1940;

George Lawler bulb farm at Gardenville. Four men working inside a dark bulb shed. They are pouring bulbs onto a bulb sorting machine constructed of wood with four metal rollers. The machine is possibly a grading machine, that divides the bulbs by size.

Farms--Fife--1930-1940; Lawler Bulbs (Fife); Crops; Lawler, George--Homes & haunts; Agricultural laborers--Fife--1930-1940;

George Lawler bulb farm at Gardenville, near Fife. Several women sorting bulbs on a conveyor inside a bulb shed. These women are cleaning the bulbs by hand. Old husks are removed and daughter bulbs are separated. Diseased and cut bulbs will be discarded before grading. This image is similar to A7411-1.

Farms--Fife--1930-1940; Lawler Bulbs (Fife); Crops; Lawler, George--Homes & haunts; Agricultural laborers--Fife--1930-1940;

Students working as farm laborers in Puyallup. Three young women take time out for lunch. They are sitting on the tail gate of a canvas covered truck parked among the crops, with open metal lunch pails on their laps.

Agricultural laborers; World War, 1939-1945--Students--Tacoma; Croplands--Puyallup Valley;

General Mills plant. This exterior view includes the grain elevators and the retail outlet building. Sperry Flour Company, a division of General Mills, may be forced to suspend flouring operations because of wheat shortages. Other plants of General Mills and six other companies will be closing. The government is able to pay 30 cents more per bushel than the mills which are subject to ceiling prices. Before this happened Tacoma was the biggest four milling center west of Minneapolis and Kansas City. (T.Times, 5/15/1946) TPL-6517

Agricultural industries--Tacoma; World War, 1939-1945--Economic & industrial aspects--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Farm Service Division (Tacoma);

Mr. Schaeffer. Washington co-op. Exposure of farm supply warehouse at Milwaukee Street taken on June 10, 1947. Supplies of DDT, garden tools, tires, paint, etc.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Merchandise display--Tacoma--1940-1950;

As the United States moved into a peacetime economy after WWII, Tacoma's industries began manufacturing new products for the growing domestic market. In December of 1947, the Marine Iron Works, 1120 East D Street, was building "Mighty Man" garden tractors. Designed by B.A. Winter, a top aviation engineer, the "Mighty Man" was aimed at home owners and small suburban farmers. It could operate as a two wheeled, walk behind tiller, or be easily converted to a four wheeled riding machine. (Photo ordered by Condon Advertising Company) TPL-9139

Agricultural machinery & implements--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tractors--Tacoma; Machinery; Equipment; Marine Iron Works, Inc. (Tacoma); Condon Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

Exterior Washington Co-op Farmers Association buildings. Located close to the modern feed mill appears to be the Washington Cooperative Farmers Association garage. The Co-op owned several delivery trucks that would transport bulk feeds and petroleum to its customers. They could be stored and maintained at this facility, which included three gas pumps. Photograph ordered by Washington Cooperative Farmers Association.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Garages--Tacoma--1950-1960; Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Kitchen of the home built during the "Farm in a Day" project at Moses Lake, Wa. For Hal Hughes & Assoc. During a 22 hour period on May 29, 1952, 300 volunteers built a complete $75,000 farm- including seven room house, barns, livestock areas and planted fields- and gifted it to deserving WWII vet and farmer Donald Dunn. The house was designed by a group of five architects headed up by Paul Kirk of Seattle. It included such innovations as a fireplace in the dining room where the farmer could relax without having to clean up. It had two bathrooms, one near the back door so the farmer could cleanup without having to cross the house in muddy boots. It had less hallway space and was built on a concrete slab. The kitchen had a maximum of natural lighting, provided by the "butterfly" roof. The farm wife could see the fireplace, fields and playground through picture windows. The home came to the Dunns complete, even down to groceries stocked on the shelves. (Popular Mechanics "They Built Him a Farm in a Day" Dec. 1952, pg 118-22+)

Agriculture--Moses Lake--1950-1960; Reclamation of land--Moses Lake--1950-1960; Irrigation--Moses Lake--1950-1960; Houses--Moses Lake--1950-1960; Kitchens--Moses Lake--1950-1960; Farms--Moses Lake--1950-1960;

The area surrounding Wenatchee Washington. Wenatchee is a city on the Columbia River, at the mouth of the Wenatchee River, in southeast Chelan County. It is primarily an agricultural area and is close to being the geographic center of the state. Here hay has been cut & stacked and waits to be baled. A barn and farm house sit on the rolling hills. This area was revitalized with the availability of irrigation after the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam.

Farms--Wenatchee; Farmhouses--Wenatchee; Barns--Wenatchee; Hay; Haystacks;

Close up of A64472-4 cuts off right front of Washington Cooperative Building.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Grain elevators--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Men are weighing a truck filled with bulk feed at the Washington Cooperative Farmers Association's grain elevator, feed mill and warehouses on the Hylebos Waterway. The truck in the foreground and two more in the background have been painted with the Washington Co-op name.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Grain elevators--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; International trucks;

Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A silo built against a barn in rural Pierce County. A conveyor belt type loader stands next to the silo as well as the farmer and his dog.

Farmers--Puyallup; Silos--Puyallup; Dogs--Puyallup; Conveying systems--Puyallup; Plywood; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Exposure of Washington Cooperative Farmers Association's grain elevator, feed mill and warehouses at 1801 Taylor Way, on the Hylebos Waterway. Trucks and railroad cars pull up directly to the warehouses for loading.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Grain elevators--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Grange, Redmond. The one-story building appears to be located on a field of gravel in Redmond. It is part of the National Grange, the nation's oldest national agricultural organization formed in the years following the Civil War. This is possibly Happy Valley #322, organized in 1909 by E.M. Smith, incorporated in 1930. Photograph ordered by the R.G. Williams Co.

Farmers' groups--Redmond;

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association's Feed Mill. The Co-op spent a million dollars in the late 1940's to construct the modern feed mill pictured above. The feed mill would utilize the most modern techniques to blend and weigh its grains. In addition, a bulk feed unit was constructed where the feed could be funneled directly into waiting delivery trucks or rail cars. The Washington Co-op had been serving the Tacoma area since 1920. Its feed mill manufactured much of the formula feeds used by Western Washington members. As the Co-op continued to grow, new additions were made to improve efficiency including eight huge tanks added to the bulk feed loading-out line to increase storage by 50%. A completely new overhead conveying system was added to speed the handling from the mill to the truck. It made it possible to convey two different products simultaneously and increased the loading capacity from 40 to 100 tons per hour. (TNT 9-1-58, C-2)

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Food storage buildings--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Quality control testing in the bulk grain storage, photograph ordered by the Washington Co-op. The uniformed man is selecting samples of the grain in the compartments of a long pole. The length of the pole is perhaps due to the need to test samples from the core of the pile of grain.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Grain elevators--Tacoma; Mills--Tacoma; Food storage buildings--Tacoma; Product inspection; Food adulteration & inspection; Testing;

Representatives of the 4-H Clubs of Washington meet with a Washington Co-op Farmers Association official on April 26, 1957, outside the association's headquarters on Taylor Way. Two of the 4-H'ers are standing on the running board of the Co-op's bulk feeds delivery truck. Photograph ordered by the Washington Cooperative Farmers Association.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; 4-H Club (Tacoma);

Douglas Fir Plywood Association. This interior view of a silo shows that the walls are built of sheets of plywood. This view also provides a closer view of the conveyor belt system for moving silage. An electric motor seen in the opening of the silo rotates two wheels that pull a chain the length of the wooden trough. The chains in turn, pull the belt with the silage material on it. Prefabricated silos built with treated plywood were built by a number of companies in Washington state during the 1940s including Modular Structures Incorporated of Tacoma.

Farmers--Puyallup; Silos--Puyallup; Conveying systems--Puyallup; Plywood; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Buck & Sons manufactured farm machinery, sold Ford and Ferguson Tractors, repaired tractors and sold tractor tires. Exterior view of their building, Ferguson System tractor sign above entrance, shop windows, garage on left side.

Agricultural machinery & implements--Tacoma; Machinery; Tractors--Tacoma; Storefronts--Tacoma; Buck & Sons Tractor & Implement Co. (Tacoma);

Buck & Sons manufactured farm machinery, sold Ford and Ferguson Tractors, repaired tractors and sold tractor tires. Exterior view of their building, Ferguson System tractor sign above entrance, also visible are Puget Sound Paint and Hardware store and Signal gas station.

Agricultural machinery & implements--Tacoma; Tractors--Tacoma; Gasoline pumps--Tacoma; Storefronts--Tacoma; Buck & Sons Tractor & Implement Co. (Tacoma);

Buck and Sons was holding a tractor and farming equipment demonstration for the local farmers. They were showing their new merchandise and their new and modern facilities. Buck and Sons had modern equipment and supplies to meet a farmer's needs. Interior view of Buck and Sons.

Agricultural machinery & implements--Tacoma; Tractors--Tacoma; Meetings--Tacoma; Buck & Sons Tractor & Implement Co. (Tacoma);

In July of 1943, with both an army and a civilian population to feed, harvesting the crops became a patriotic duty. With most of Washington's able-bodied men, and many of its women, serving in the military and in the defense industries, farm labor jobs fell to students. Two unidentified students are pictured working as farm laborers in Puyallup Valley in July of 1943. A young boy helps an older teenage girl lift a crate of leafy spinach onto a stack of crates placed in an open field. Boxes are labeled Kelley, Farquhar & Co., a major vegetable and fruit packing company with plants in Salem, Oregon and Tacoma. In 1958, Clyde Farquhar became sole owner of the company. (P.C. Herald 8/9/1984 p.3)

Agricultural laborers; World War, 1939-1945--Students--Tacoma; Croplands--Puyallup Valley;

In July of 1943, with our country at war and an army to feed, bringing in the crops became a patriotic duty. Most men were either in the service or working in the defense industry; therefore, the job of harvesting fell to women and youth. Especially targeted as a work force were youth organizations and the schools. Here, women and students work side by side in a Puyallup Valley spinach field. Wooden crates are placed in the field and Richards Studio's wood paneled station wagon is parked in the distance. Adults were also urged to join the youths in the harvest of valley peas and berries whose peak was to be reached soon. 1,200 kids had already been enrolled in Pierce County's harvest army through the Tacoma Agricultural Manpower Committee of the Chamber of Commerce. 7,000-10,000 adult workers were needed the first two weeks in July. Bus transportation would be provided by the Chamber of Commerce. (T.Times 7-2-43, p. 16-article on harvesting)

Agricultural laborers; World War, 1939-1945--Students--Tacoma; Croplands--Puyallup Valley;

Marine Iron Works located at 1120 East D Street, was designing and building lightweight garden tractors, known as the "Mighty Man". These small tractors were intended for use on small farms and gardens, they could pull up to 8,000 pounds on a 2% grade. These tractors were becoming very popular with the urban farmers. View of "Mighty Man" garden tractor in action, photo ordered by Condon Advertising Company. TPL-9140

Agricultural machinery & implements--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tractors--Tacoma; Machinery; Equipment; Marine Iron Works, Inc. (Tacoma); Condon Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

In August of 1938, a work crew of women sorted and hand cleaned bulbs at the George Lawler bulb farm at Gardenville, near Fife. They removed husks and separated daughter bulbs. Diseased or cut bulbs were discarded before grading. In 1910, George Lawler built a house on 5 acres of muddy deserted land near Fife and planted over 2000 flower bulbs with which he launched Pierce County's first commercial bulb business. The area was renamed Gardenville in honor of his flowers. After his death in 1948, the company's signature daffodil stock was sold to United Bulb Co. of Woodland.

Farms--Fife--1930-1940; Lawler Bulbs (Fife); Crops; Lawler, George--Homes & haunts; Agricultural laborers--Fife--1930-1940;

George Lawler bulb farm at Gardenville. Five men working with winch and pulley in open-frame structure. Truck beside structure is loaded with wooden boxes. In 1910, George Lawler bought 5 acres of land in Gardenville, near Fife, where he built a house and planted 2200 bulbs. As the commercial bulb business took off, he purchased land in North Puyallup and Roy.

Farms--Fife--1930-1940; Lawler Bulbs (Fife); Crops; Lawler, George--Homes & haunts; Agricultural laborers--Fife--1930-1940; Trucks--1930-1940;

The 4-H Club ice cream stand was a popular stop on Friday August 21, 1936 at the 9th annual Washington Cooperative Association picnic held in Sumner. 2000-3000 farmers and grange members attended the all-day affair. Three county commissioners (l to r) A.A. Rankin, John Schlarb, and Harvey Scofield were all two-fisted cone eaters. They were served by (l to r) Marion McChesney, Elsa Wahlquist, and her sister Edna.

Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma); Picnics--Sumner--1930-1940; Ice cream & ices; 4-H Club, Pierce County Chapter; McChesney, Marion; Rankin, A.A.; Wahlquist, Elsa; Schlarb, John; Wahlquist, Edna; Scofield, Harvey;