Archive for October 2020

A woman acrobat provided part of the evening’s entertainment at the Halloween party sponsored by the Tacoma Athletic Commission on October 30, 1950. The acrobat is probably Patsy Jean Smith, who studied acrobatics at the Barclay School in Seattle. Mr. Barclay also taught at the Lewis Harter Studios, 945 1/2 Broadway in Tacoma. The Athletic…

Harry Neilson, with the Street Light Division of the Tacoma Light Department, is putting a cardboard disc inside the top of one of the city's lighting fixtures. In October of 1942, Tacoma was attempting to cut down on the sky glow over Tacoma to meet the army's new dim-out rules. Ornamental street lights in large…

This Inuit family from Labrador was photographed on October 25, 1909 at the A.Y.P.E. in Seattle. The family posed in front of a backdrop of snow covered log buildings. The A.Y.P.E. stood for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition which ran for 138 days on the expanded campus of the University of Washington. Over three million visitors paid…

Bob Stevenson, Bremerton Sun's Navy Yard reporter, was photographed in October of 1936 standing beside the huge ship anchors used for America's largest warships. These "mudhooks," in nautical language, weighed 61,000 pounds each and were stored outside on concrete and wood beams. They required hoisting machinery to move them to and from the ocean's bottom…

Steam escaped from a Great Northern freight locomotive after the southbound train derailed at 24th and Bay St. on October 15, 1942, and fell over on its side. Six cars piled up behind the derailed engine. Over 100 feet of track were torn up in the mishap, but luckily no one was hurt. The locomotive…

The steamboat Tacoma was severely damaged when she was rammed by the car ferry Kitsap in late October of 1926. The resulting impact tore a hole in the side of the Tacoma at the water line. Although the accident occurred when the ships were maneuvering through thick fog, it greatly increased the discord between the…

Studio portrait of the Unique Social & Community Club. Twelve members of the Unique Social & Community Club, dressed in evening attire with elbow length gloves, were photographed on October 8, 1968. Each year the club sponsored a debutant ball where college-age African American women were introduced to society. See more featured images and posts…

Dr. Clyde E. Gray took the pulse of an unidentified patient sitting up in a hospital bed in this unused publicity photo for the 50th anniversary celebration of St. Joseph Hospital. The names of the four other men in business suits were not provided. The hospital, which was founded in 1891, celebrated its anniversary from…

Each year the officers of the Pre-school section of the Tacoma Council of Parent-Teacher Associations gave a get-acquainted party to welcome the new presidents of the local pre-school associations.The theme for the party held on October 3, 1951, at the Jefferson Park fieldhouse, was "Bibs and Pinafores." Here we see Mrs. Oscar Nero creating a…