TacomaLibrary_NW_History

August of 1936, Dolores Hansen sits on the wooden steps of her home next to her mother cat who is nursing five motherless puppies. The cat took over as the mother to the litter of puppies when their real canine mother was poisoned. The mother cat had recently given birth to a single kitten. See […]

Hawaiian musicians prepare to entertain the 500+ employees and their guests of the new Liberty House/Rhodes department store at an employees' luau held at the Top of the Ocean on August 18, 1974. Rufus Kaukani and his Polynesian troupe were part of the evening's show. Liberty House/Rhodes was a division of Amfac Merchandising, a subsidiary […]

The Tacoma Times - Park District Bicycle Contest was held at the end of July and in early August 1938. To compete in the final events held in the Stadium Bowl on August 5th, boys and girls first had to compete in one of the District preliminary contests held throughout Tacoma. This unidentified young man […]

Bing Crosby arrived at Tacoma's Union Station in August of 1942 to help out with WWII bond sales in the town of his birth. Harry Lillis Crosby was born in Tacoma in May of 1903 when his family lived at 1112 North J Street. While in town with a USO troupe to entertain the soldiers […]

On August 8, 1963, Seventeen Magazine, in conjunction with the Rhodes Brothers Department Store, sponsored a "back-to-school" style show at Rhodes' Broadway location, 950 Broadway. Entertainment was provided by Valerie Kiomoto, dressed in traditional kimono, accompanied by the Jerry Sun jazz band. See more featured images and posts

Shultz & Gross salmon trap near Roche Harbor, August 2nd, 1901. Five men are pictured circa 1901 hauling in fishing nets bulging with salmon at the Shultz & Gross salmon trap not far from Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands. Their barge is already packed with fish. See more featured images and posts

The USS Omaha at anchor in Commencement Bay at the end of July 1924. The 550-foot "scout cruiser" was accompanied by a squadron of six destroyers. She was the first of a ten-ship class of 7050-ton light cruisers. Omaha was built by Todd Dry Dock of Tacoma and launched on December 14, 1920. She would […]

Lonesome pole cat (skunk) at the City pound. Hundreds of people wanted to own the skunk held at the City pound, shown here with patrolman Roscoe Savage on July 29, 1947. The small, deodorized skunk was taken into custody when he wandered into a grocery store. Dozens of people claimed ownership and many others wanted to adopt him. See more featured images and posts

Steilacoom frog farmer Charles Turner holds one of the bullfrogs that he raised to market as the delicacy "frogs' legs" in this photograph from July of 1937. The "Leaping Lena" is stretched out to her full length. Turner gave up his career as a taxi driver in 1936 and dug four frog ponds for his […]

By July of 1959, demolition of the aging Gothic-styled Piece County Courthouse at 1012 South G Street was well underway. Lige Dickson & Co. began tearing down the old courthouse in June with cranes and wrecking balls bringing it down piece by piece over the next several weeks. In July explosive charges were set and […]