Wilkeson Products interior and exterior of mine. In 1888 Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. began producing the best grade of coke available in the West. Wilkeson Co. mine employed 200 employees, they lived with their families in Wilkeson, Washington, a small mining town in eastern Pierce County. View of filled coal cars at Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. TPL-6615

Coke industry--Wilkeson; Coal mining--Wilkeson; Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. (Wilkeson);

Wilkeson Products interior and exterior of mine. Interior view of Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. mine with three coal miners, identified as Gene West, John Streepy and Jim "Corkie" Kelly (from left), all wearing their mining gear. According to an article by Bill Kombol, "When Coal Was King," the Wilkeson Products mine failed to accomplish its goal of substantially helping the war effort as the mine produced less than 1% of Washington coal production during the World War ll years. The mine had opened with funding from the U.S. government's Defense Plant Corporation but would permanently close eight months after this March, 1944 photograph. TPL-6619

Coke industry--Wilkeson; Coal mining--Wilkeson; Coal miners--Wilkeson; Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. (Wilkeson); World War, 1939-1945, Economic & industrial aspects --Wilkeson; West, Gene; Streepy, John; Kelly, Jim;

Munday Y. Loss (at right) and an unidentified miner were photographed in March of 1944 hauling coal out of the Skookum Slope mine in Wilkeson, Washington. The Wilkeson Coal and Coke Company had re-opened the mine in March of 1942 to provide coal for the war effort. They had signed a contract with the U.S. Defense Plant Corporation to produce coal for conversion to coke, to be used in making steel. Over 75,000 tons of coal were shipped to Tacoma before the mine was once again closed on November 1944. (Identification of Mr. Loss provided by a reader)

Coke industry--Wilkeson; Coal miners--Wilkeson; Mine railroads--Wilkeson; Coal mining--Wilkeson; Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. (Wilkeson); Loss, Munday Y.;

Wilkeson Products interior and exterior of mine. The Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. mine brought prosperity to a small town. Jobs were readily available for those interested in coal mining. Exterior view of coke producing plant. TPL-7989

Coke industry --Wilkeson; Coal mining--Wilkeson; Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. (Wilkeson);

Wilkeson Products interior and exterior of mine. In 1888 Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. began producing the best grade of coke available in the West. Wilkeson Co. mine employed 200 employees, they lived with their families in Wilkeson, Washington, a small mining town in eastern Pierce County. View of buildings at Wilkeson. TPL-6393

Coke industry--Wilkeson; Coal mining--Wilkeson; Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. (Wilkeson);

Wilkeson Products interior of mine and coke plant. Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. had the largest coal and coke mine in the State of Washington. They were one of the only completely electrified mining plants in the world, and always had the most modern machinery available.

Coke industry--Wilkeson; Coal mining--Wilkeson; Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. (Wilkeson);

Wilkeson Products interior and exterior of mine and coke plant. Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. had the largest coal and coke mine in the State of Washington. They were one of the only completely electrified mining plants in the world, and always had the most modern machinery available. (previously numbered G75.1 image 142)

Coke industry--Wilkeson; Coal mining--Wilkeson; Wilkeson Coal & Coke Co. (Wilkeson);

Machinery at shipyards for Hooker Electro-chemical Company. Exterior of industrial building with sign: Material Conservation Dept. as pictured on February 18, 1946.

Industrial facilities;

Precision Machine Works is more than just a machine shop, it is a factory for designing and inventing automatic machinery. Precision Machine Works is a valuable plant helping the Northwest progress in the industrial markets. Edward Gazecki and Edwin Hofstead founded this plant in 1924. Exterior view of plant.

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Machine shops--Tacoma; Precision Machine Works (Tacoma);

Tacoma Boatbuilding Co. continued to work on their UNRRA contract. New fishing boats were being built and they were reconditioning fathometers and Northern Dragger winches on other fishing boats. The UNRRA program was intended to help China re-establish their fishing industry. Interior view of plant, laborers can be seen working.

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

Independent Insulation, exterior of plant. The factory was located near Fife and opened March 1946. The equipment used in the plant was developed by the staff over an experimental period covering the last two years. (TNT, 3/22/1946; 3/30/1947)

Factories--Fife--1940-1950; Independent Insulation, Inc. (Fife);

Independent Insulation, Inc., exterior of plant. Independent Insulation produced rock wool as insulation for factories and homes. Rock was poured in at one end of the production line and it came out as rock wool at the other end. Three kinds of rock; copper slag from the Tacoma smelter, quartz silica and basalt, with limestone added as a flux, were layered with coke, and heated to 2,600 degrees farenheit. The molten stream which flowed off was broken up by live steam under pressure. (TNT 3/22/1946; 3/30/1947)

Factories--Fife--1940-1950; Independent Insulation, Inc. (Fife);

Independent Insulation Inc. of Fife produced rock wool to be used for insulation in factories and homes. Three kinds of rock - copper slag from the Tacoma smelter, quartz silica, ands basalt - were layered with coke and limestone, as a flux, and heated to 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit. Once molten the rock was combined under pressure with live steam; it shot out of a man-made volcano and into a long blowing chamber. The rock emerges from the furnace in molten globulets and the speed at which it is cooled creates its thread-like texture. (TNT 3/22/1946; 3/30/1947)

Factories--Fife--1940-1950; Independent Insulation, Inc. (Fife);

Aerial view of Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company. The Tacoma plant covers nearly 40 acres of tideflats on the Hylebos waterway. This location was chosen in 1929 because of favorable electric power rates, availability and quality of water, access to water, rail and motor transportation and its central location for its principal customers, the pulp and paper mills. The name of the corporation was changed to Pennwalt Corp. prior to the merger of Pennsalt and Wallace & Tierman, Inc. (TNT, 11/29/1968)

Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Factories--Tacoma--1940-1950; Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hylebos Waterway (Tacoma); Waterfronts--Tacoma--1940-1950;

This aerial view of the "head of the bay" (the south end of the Foss Waterway) shows the Tacoma Boat Building Company and the Reliance Lumber company (to the right) as they appeared in March of 1947. The Northern Pacific Railroad roundhouse can be seen at 2211 East D Street, just above Tacoma Boat. Tacoma Boat were the exclusive designers and manufacturers of "Northern Dragger" winches, "North" purse seine winches, "Northern" anchor winches and "Northern" purse seine and dandelion blocks. They built wood and steel trollers, purse seiners and tuna clippers. (T. Times, 2/26/47, p. 9-B).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Railroad roundhouses--Tacoma; Aerial photographs;

Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company. A view of a large ventilating or cooling system on the exterior of one of the buildings at the plant yards. Several series of narrow tubes stand vertically with dials visible at the front. One series of four tubes run from underground to a square metal box near the middle of the apparatus.

Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Factories--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Washington Steel and Welding for Industry Page, Times. A.E. MacIntosh, secretary and treasurer of Washington Steel & Welding Company, checks plans of the new Fabwood glue machine constructed in the company shops. With him, pointing out blueprint detail, is Don Porter of Porter Engineering Company who designed the machine. Bob Muehlenbruch, draftsman, directs a workman who is adding finishing touches to the machie which was ordered by the Grays Harbor Chair Company of Aberdeen, Washington. The machine uses scrap lumber which, after processing in the Fabwood machine, emerges as plywood suitable for chair bottoms and table tops. (T.Times, 6/11/1947, p.7)

Washington Steel & Welding Co. (Tacoma); Steel industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fabwood Glue Machine; MacIntosh, A.E.; Porter, Don; Muehlenbruch, Bob; Machinery; Blueprints;

Fiberboard Machine, Mutual Fruit. Interior view at the Union Pacific Terminal. A young man feeds materials into the machine which makes cartons for the current grapefruit packaging. Wesley F. Crawford was president of Mutual Fruit Company.

Fibreboard Products, Inc. (Tacoma); Fruit industry--Tacoma; Packaging; Machinery; Mutual Fruit Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

Formal coverage of opening plant in Portland, Oregon, Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company, Fred Shanaman. An ariel view of the new facilities in Portland, Oregon. The Portland plant was established in 1940 and manufactured chlorine, caustic soda, sodium chlorate and DDT. A log boom can be seen on the Columbia River. (T.N.T., 5/16/1955)

Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. (Portland, Or.); Chemical industry--Oregon--Portland--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Oregon--Portland;

Formal coverage of opening plant in Portland, Oregon, Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company, Fred Shanaman. An ariel view of the new facilities. President Fred C. Shanaman reported that with the addition of the new facilities for manufacture of chlorine, caustic soda and technical DDT, production at the Portland plant increased substantially in 1947.

Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. (Portland, Or.); Chemical industry--Oregon--Portland--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Oregon--Portland;

Aerial view of Cascade Pole Company and the Tacoma tideflats. Log booms float on both sides of the facility. Birchfield Boiler is located across the road from Cascade Pole at the end of the waterway. Cascade Pole Company occupied 10 acres on the tideflats adjacent to the Port of Tacoma and was served by rail and trucking facilities in addition to the waterways. The company was under the direction of Victor Monahan. (T.Times, 7/2/1947, p.5)

Cascade Pole Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Logs; Birchfield Boiler, Inc. (Tacoma);

This aerial photograph from June of 1947 shows the south end of the Wapato (now Blair) Waterway in Tacoma's tideflats industrial area. The large building at the end of the waterway is the Birchfield Boiler Company at 2503 East 11th Street, the first industry in Tacoma to lease land from the Tacoma Port Commission. The logs in the right bottom corner are part of the large Cascade Pole Company operation. Cascade Pole opened in 1943. Their creosote treated poles, ties, lumber and pilings were sent as far as Arabia. Much of the tideflats land south of 11th Street was still undeveloped in 1947. (T.Times, 7/2/1947, p.5)

Cascade Pole Co. (Tacoma); Utility poles--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Logs;

In November of 1947, Robert Breskovich (left), President of Pacific Boat Building Company, and Ray M. McCarty, General Manager of the company's Pleasure Boat Division were photographed while inspecting a section of the hull of a new "Holiday" aluminum cruiser. Pacific Boat intended to build about 1,000 of these boats in 1948. The two men were working hard to insure the boat would be the best of its type in both design and construction. The "Holiday" was expected to be a popular and affordable model, selling at only $2,500 (P.M.B., 1/48, p. 51).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Construction industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Motorboats--Tacoma; Product inspection--Tacoma; Pacific Boat Building Co. (Tacoma); Breskovich, Robert; McCarty, Ray M.;

Robert Breskovich, President of Pacific Boat Building Company, and Ray M. McCarty (foreground), General Manager of the Pleasure Boat Division are inspecting the new "Holiday" aluminum cruiser. "Holiday" aluminum cruisers are 23 feet, all welded mass produced aluminum, 65 horse power marine engine, will perform at 25 mph, 8 foot beam and 24 inch draft. The boat will have sleeping accommodations for 2, a small galley and bathroom (P.M.B., 1/48, p. 51).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Construction industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Motorboats--Tacoma; Product inspection--Tacoma; Pacific Boat Building Co. (Tacoma); Breskovich, Robert; McCarty, Ray M.;

New store building, Industrial Equipment Company, Harry Andrews. This photograph was used in a newspaper advertisement inviting people to attend a Rototiller demonstration held at the newly opened Tacoma Industrial Equipment Company on January 24, 1948. It was located one-half mile east of Fife on the Tacoma-Seattle Highway. Free coffee and chicken sandwiches were served and guests were invited to guess how many minutes the rototiller would run on one gallon of gas. First prize was $150 credit on the purchase of a rototiller. (T.Times, 1/23/1948, p.12)

Industrial Equipment Co. (Tacoma); Agricultural machinery & implements--Tacoma--1940-1950; Stores & shops--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lease & rental services--Tacoma--1940-1950;

The Bechtel Corporation from California was the company working on the General Mills Sperry Division flour mills expansion project. The project was approved in 1947 and was expected to be completed in 1948. Exterior view of Sperry plant, Bechtel sign advertising their services is on top of office building. The safety signs indicates building construction is in progress.

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Construction industry--Tacoma; Engineering--Tacoma; Remodeling--Tacoma; General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Bechtel Corp. (Tacoma);

Washington Steel and Welding Company's officers were, Albert E. McIntosh, President, James O. Hoy, Vice President, Robert B. VanDeMark, Secretary-Treasurer. The company was a leader in steel fabrication and welding industry in Tacoma. View of large "Oshkosh" truck with newly fabricated steel logging equipment at Washington Steel and Welding Company, they are likely ready to deliver the new equipment to a Tacoma lumber yard.

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Machinery; Steel industry--Tacoma; Metalworking--Tacoma; Welding--Tacoma; Washington Steel & Welding Co. (Tacoma);

Permanente Metals of Tacoma was setting up a new metallurgical research lab, it was expected to be in full operation this fall. The Tacoma plant was one of the newest and most modern aluminum reduction plants in the country. The research facilities would serve the Tacoma and Spokane plants and would focus on aluminum reduction questions and research. Exterior view of Permanente Metals Corporation industrial plant (T. Times, 8/23/48, p. 5).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Research facilities--Tacoma; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma);

Permanente Metals approaching the end of their first year of operations in Tacoma, which proved to be quite successful. Permanente's new research lab will be looking for ways to improve uses of this lightweight metal, increase aluminum production and the development of new products and product applications. Exterior view of Permanente Metals Corporation, laborer in foreground is hauling aluminum pigs using a forklift, workmen are walking by in background (T. Times, 8/23/48, p. 5)

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma; Research facilities--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery; Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma);

St. Regis was one of the largest industries in Tacoma and was located in Tacoma's Tide Flats industrial area. The company was undergoing a big expansion project in 1948. This building, currently under construction, would be used to manufacture pulp. Exterior view of St. Regis Paper Company--Kraft Pulp Division industrial plant (T. Times, 8/31/48, p. 22).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Aerial photographs; Waterfronts; Paper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1940-1950;