Two women peer cautiously through the bars of a shipping crate that was just delivered to the Point Defiance Zoo. The June 27, 1938 News Tribune announced the arrival in Tacoma of a two year old female grizzly bear. She had come from Yellowstone National Park, and was to join the zoo's male grizzly already…
A Page from the Extinction Collection: Phone Books
In June of 1941, Harriett Peterson, a Pacific Telephone and Telegraph employee, was photographed while perched on top of a stack of 2,000 copies of the new Tacoma telephone directory. Eighty five distributors began delivering the directories on June 26, 1941. The July, 1941 directory had more telephone listings, more pages in it, and more…
Bump the Axis
When President F.D. Roosevelt called for a nationwide scrap rubber collection campaign to take place June 15-30, 1942, Tacoma's fishing fleet responded by giving up their boat bumpers to "Bump" the Axis. Rubber recycling was necessary because 92% of the U.S.'s normal supply of crude rubber had been cut off by the Japanese. On June…
Cushman Indian Hospital Commissary Fire
On June 21, 1938, firemen watch as the side of a building collapses and smoke billows from inside. The $30,000 fire on June 20-21 at the United States Cushman Indian Hospital destroyed the hospital commissary, a two and 1/2 story, wood frame building. The intense flames lit up the night for miles. The fire fight…
Sioux
The tugboat "Sioux" chugs powerfully through the waves as she undergoes sea trials on June 29, 1970. Launched at Martinac Shipbuilding on June 13th along with sister tug, "Seneca", she would be used to haul barges to the oil fields of Alaska's Prudhoe Bay. See more featured images and posts…
Fathers and Sons
To honor fathers and sons of University Place and Day Island communities, the University Place School sponsored a banquet on March 2, 1934. The program included music by Fred May's orchestra, Boy Scout demonstrations and motion pictures on scouting, boxing and songs. See more featured images and posts…
Tray Vittles – Yum!
In June of 1954, customers at Scotty's Cafe, 29 Tacoma Ave. North, could purchase Tray Vittles, "delicious foods served conveniently", packaged in easy-to-carry boxes. The complete hot dinners, which might have included soup, burgers & fries, turkey and mashed potatoes, and a large wedge of pie, could be consumed at home, in hotel rooms, offices…
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey celebrated his 49th birthday while visiting Tacoma in support of the 5th War Bond drive. The guest of honor at a dinner held at the Hotel Winthrop, Dempsey was surprised by the appearance of a cake since he had not mentioned it was his birthday. He blew out all 49 candles…
Denn Powder Company Explosion
Two massive explosions at the Denn Powder Co. dynamite plant eight miles northeast of Olympia, on June 27, 1934, killed ten people outright and injured six. Packing room employee O.R. Mitchell displays a damaged time clock with its hands stopped at 3:55, the time of the blasts. Many of the deaths and injuries may have…
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