Tacoma's Stadium District

by Keniston-Longrie, Joy

• ISBN13: 9780738580692
• ISBN10: 0738580694
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-01
• Publisher: Arcadia Pub

Summary

A telegram stating, "We have located terminus on Commencement Bay," was sent on July 14, 1873, by R. D. Rice and J. C. Ainsworth, Northern Pacific Railroad commissioners, to Gen. Morton Mathew McCarver in Tacoma and Arthur Denny in Seattle's Pioneer Square. This message set the iron wheels in motion for Tacoma's destiny and transformation from old-growth forests to the Stadium District of today. It is here that railroad tycoons, timber barons, industrial leaders, and everyday people built their homes and raised their families. Perched high on the bluffs overlooking Commencement Bay, Mount Tahoma (Rainier), and the Cascade Mountains is one of the best-preserved historical residential areas in the nation. Magnificent Stadium Bowl is an important gathering place, and the steep spires of Stadium High School have inspired thousands of Tacomans for more than a century.

Author Biography

Former Tacoma mayor and Stadium High School graduate Bill Baarsma shares his perspective on the historical significance of this Tacoma neighborhood in his foreword. Author Joy Keniston-Longrie's family arrived in Tacoma in 1884 and includes five generations of Stadium High School graduates spanning more than 100 years. A University of Washington graduate, Keniston-Longrie partnered with her daughters Kelsey and Amberose (Stadium High School classes of 2010 and 2014, respectively) to create this pictorial story of how a simple, seven-word telegram became the catalyst for growth, change, prosperity, and hope. Photographs were contributed from a variety of collections, including the Tacoma Public Library, the Washington State Historical Society, the University of Washington, and private collections.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. 6
Foreword	p. 7
Introduction	p. 9
Che-bau-lip	p. 11
The Iron Horse	p. 21
Home Sweet Home	p. 31
The Brown Castle	p. 65
Old Woman's Gulch	p. 81
Work and Play	p. 95
Back to the Future	p. 119
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