Found Photo: Really Old School Parking Situation
As some of you that follow me on twitter know, I was given a box of medium format negatives that were found in a South Tacoma estate sale this last weekend. I have just started to go through them. My estimates are that the photos span from about 1909 to the 1980s. Some are in Tacoma. Others are in California and New York. Sure, there are photos of Tacoma railroad stuff (that always gets people excited), but this photo was particularly interesting to me and is the one I’ll share first:
Click to Enlarge
Is this Tacoma? Or, at least, near Tacoma? Here’s the bit I find interesting … the Parking 25 cents sign is mounted on a more permanent looking Henderson Motorcycles sign. There’s some connection between Henderson Motorcycles and Tacoma Speedway … We have no idea as to what it all means. Who wants to hazard a guess as to the story of this photo?
My scanner is just getting warmed up. More photos in in the coming weeks.
Filed under: History, General
20 comments
A argyle May 8, 2009
Nothing about the geography screams Tacoma at me, but the fir trees and muddy parking lot look a lot like home.
J Jenyum May 8, 2009
Looks to me like Pt Defiance by the ferry. Did they run the Talequah ferry that early? It would make sense that people would be parking and willing to pay for parking. The curve of the landscape looks right but the trees are younger.
R RR Anderson May 8, 2009
I think I see DB Cooper, upper right
M Morgan May 8, 2009
You got a negative scanner?! Jealous! What kind?
Pt. Defiance gets my vote – if this is even Tacoma. Could we get a larger res version so we can read the signs?
Nice interview on TV12!
T TacoMan May 8, 2009
I’m thinking either tideflats near the quarry… or maybe north of Droopy Boob…er, Titlow park before they built all sorts of houses on that South facing slope. Great pictures. Can’t wait to see more!
D Davest May 8, 2009
The water looks more river like to me. I’d love to be able to zoom in and read the other signs.
J jamie from thriceallamerican May 8, 2009
Something about that hillside–the rocks?–seems more mountain-y (or at least inland) to me. There does appear to be some body of water in the photo, which similarly doesn’t look quite like Sound waterfront to me…so my guess is somewhere outside of the city limits.
D Derek staff May 8, 2009
I wish we could rotate or stretch that diagonal sign.
The top line of the sign appears to say “speed limit”.
I’ll try to take a higher res scan this weekend and see if we can elucidate anything else.
A Andre May 9, 2009
This is pretty interesting Derek. Where in South Tacoma was the estate sale? Just curious.
A argyle May 9, 2009
I’m with jamie and Davest on this one. The shape of the land doesn’t really look like the edge of the Sound to me. Also, the woods at Point Defiance are at least semi-wild so I would expect to see more old trees and a little more density of growth.
Those thin, sort of spindly trees look to me either like a location at a high elevation or someplace that had been logged fairly recently.
You should, of course, enjoy a lovely grain of salt with all of that.
M Mofo from the Hood May 9, 2009
What we have here is an early photo of Harold LeMay’s backyard.
D Douglas Tooley May 10, 2009
I’ll second the high altitude observation, but part of that could be the fogging artifacts of age in the photo. The trees and the very rocky soil do look alpine, regardless.
How about Reflection Lake on Rainier, near where the road now climbs away from the Lake towards Paradise? (picture might be inverted)
Spirit Lake near St. Helens?
T tom waits May 11, 2009
one observation i might offer is that the road bed is paved. now, admitting i am ignorant in the specifics, much of urbanized puget sound, including “downtown” streets and most suburban sidestreets, was not paved when this photo was taken.
so, i’d be sort of surprised if it was too remote given that it is paved. my street wasn’t paved until the late 1940s, although the sidewalks went in around 1906.
D David Domkoski May 11, 2009
The staff of the Northwest Room at the Main Library has years of experience identifying old photographs. They would be happy to help. Bring the photos over!
T tom waits May 11, 2009
i love stuff like this. my current favorite guess is some celebratory event, like the opening of the cushman power plant or crossing. though as i said before, no paved roads anywhere near the crossing in the 1920s.
kind of think something with enough traffic to require a speed limit…
T Thorax O'Tool May 12, 2009
NE Tacoma, up before they built Marine View Drive?
R richard May 12, 2009
My guess is the Tacoma Speedway during one of the 24 hour endurance challenges in the early ’20s
K Ken May 13, 2009
The curve and size of the hill makes me think of Steilacoom, at what is now Sunnyside Beach? Although that doesn’t account for the riverish water in the parking lot.
E ENL May 13, 2009
It’s something happening on the water, I think in about 1932 or 1933 — too late for the speedway, but wasn’t that the beginning of hydro-like racing? Notice the pedestrians moving towards the water and the nicer cars are parked to the right of the picture facing the water. It almost looks like they are perched over something happening down below. The riff-raff is parked in a pile behind them. It really looks like there is a body of water there above the Lincoln in the right. Interesting.
J J. Cote May 13, 2009
The first thing that comes to mind when looking at it is Point Defiance around the Boathouse area. But, there would be signs of buildings or other structures further down the beach near what would be Owen Beach, wouldn’t there? Just a guess.