Museum of History & Industry, Sophie Frye Bass Library
5933 6th Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98108
Phone: 206-324-1126
URL: http://www.mohai.org
1955.970.500
McCurdy, H. W. (Horace Winslow), 1899-
H.W. McCurdy Collection on the Puget Sound Bridge &
Dredging Co.
1900-1945
7 boxes
6 linear feet
Photographs of various projects undertaken by the Puget Sound Bridge and
Dredging Company, including shipbuilding, bridges, dams, and buildings, plus scrapbooks of clippings, and
blueprints
13a.4.4-6 Collection materials are in
English.
Historical Note:
Founded in 1889, the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company was destined to become one of Seattle's most
important companies. Whether under the title Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company or Lockheed Shipbuilding and
Construction Company, their hand can be seen in most major construction sites in the Pacific Northwest including
Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Oregon and California. In addition, they are responsible for many ships,
including some of the Washington State ferries and many naval vessels during and after World War II.
Some of the highlights in the history of this company include:
1909-1910
Hydraulic Dredges construct Harbor Island, the largest man-made island for thirty-five years--second
now only to Treasure Island in San Francisco. Harbor Island was the site of the company since the thirties.
1924
The Dexter Horton Building was constructed in Seattle. At fourteen stories, it was the largest
reinforced concrete building in the United States west of Chicago.
1927
A steel cantilever bridge was constructed over the Snake River at Twin Falls, Idaho.
1939
Construction began on the Lake Washington Floating Bridge.
WWII
WWII provided a boom in contracts for the company with the Navy. In conjunction with their Canadian
affiliate, the British Columbia Bridge and Dredging Company, they constructed Naval bases in Alaska at Sitka, Dutch
Harbor and Kodiak. In addition the BCB & D built a Point of Embarkation at Prince Rupert for the
Army.
Eighty-two ships were constructed for the Navy as well, with a record fifteen (five of three different types)
ships being delivered in one day.
1959
Company purchased by Lockheed.
More recent projects include the Grand Coulee Dam, much of the Interstate 5 bridges and roadways through
Seattle, and the San Fernando Tunnel in California. They have continued to build ships ranging from dredges, tugs and
ferries to mine sweepers, ice breakers and guided missile frigates, mostly for the Navy, Coast Guard and the states of
Washington and Alaska.
Biographical Note
The collection was assembled by Horace Winslow ("H.W.") McCurdy (1899-1989). McCurdy was an engineer who
began working for the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company in about 1922. He became president and general manager of
the company in 1931.
This collection consists almost entirely of photographs taken to document various construction and
shipbuilding projects undertaken by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company in the Pacific Northwest, including
bridges, dams, dredging, and building construction. Some notable projects represented in the collection include the
Lake Washington floating bridge, the University of Washington stadium, and the Dexter Horton Building, all in Seattle.
Two albums of photos document warships built during World War II. The collection also includes scrapbooks of relevant
newspaper clippings and blueprints.
Photographs are arranged by project, and many contract numbers are noted. Project files are roughly
chronological.
View selections from the collection in
MOHAI's online collections.
The collection is open to the public by appointment.
The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes
available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI
before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections.
In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
H.W. McCurdy Collection on the Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Co., Museum of History & Industry,
Seattle
The collection was assembled and maintained by H.W. McCurdy before it was donated to MOHAI.
The collection was donated by H.W. McCurdy in 1955.
These materials are part of a large donation by H.W. McCurdy that also includes a large number of maritime
artifacts, family photographs (1986.27), and Native American photographs, mainly of Makah Indians (1955.970.470). The
artifacts are cataloged and stored separately by MOHAI's Collections Department.
The
Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company Photographs and Publications (1988.13) and the
James G. McCurdy II Photographs and Other Material (1995.37) contain additional materials
about this company.
Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Co.
Photographic prints
Shipbuilding -- Washington (State) -- Photographs
Dams -- Design and Construction -- Photographs
Bridges -- Design and Construction -- Photographs
Ships and Shipping
Seattle
Photographs
Photographs
1
1
Headquarters, offices and yards / McCurdy portrait
1
2
People
1
3
"How We Did It," album
1900-1909
1
4
Carson City office
before 1942
1
5
Empress Hotel, Victoria, BC
1908
1
6
Puyallup River Bridge
1911
1
7
Frank Nowell
King County Courthouse
1915
1
8
Frank Nowell
University of Washington Naval Air Station
1918
1
9
Asahel Curtis
University of Washington stadium
1920
1
10
Asahel Curtis
University of Washington stadium
1920
1
11
Asahel Curtis
University of Washington stadium
1920
1
12
Asahel Curtis
University of Washington stadium
1920
1
13
Asahel Curtis
University of Washington stadium Washington vs. Dartmouth
1920 Nov 27
1
14
Dredge PUGET SOUND
circa 1924
1
15
Garza Dam, Texas
1924-1925
1
16
Garza Dam, Texas
1924-1925
1
17
North Coast Railroad -- Columbia River Bridge
1
18
Estacada Dam (album)
1910-1911
1
19
Lilly's Cont. (album)
1910
2
20
Washington Iron Works (album)
1910
2
21
Jordan River Dam (album)
1912-1913
2
22
Jordan River Dam
2
23
Temple of Justice
2
24
Temple of Justice (album)
2
25
Seattle School District No. 1 warehouse & shop building (album)
2
26
Pasco-Kennewick Bridge Gravenslund
2
27
Texas dam
2
28
Diversion dam, Texas
1922-1923
2
29
Panoramas
2
30
Falls Creek Dam, (album)
1922-1923
2
31
Arnold McFaden
Clinton Court Apartments, Walla Walla
1922-1927
2
32
Washington Iron Works
1923
2
33
Dexter Horton Building
1922
2
34
Dexter Horton Building (album)
1922
3
35
Dexter Horton Building
3
36
Wilsonian Apartment Hotel
1923
3
37
High Bridge, PNW Traction, Bellingham
3
38
Pacific S.S. Terminal
1924
3
39
Anderson
Wishkah River Bridge, Aberdeen
1924-1925
3
40
Garza Dam, Dallas, Texas
1924
3
41
Meridian Avenue Bridge, Puyallup
1925
3
42
Transmission towers, Henderson Bay, Tacoma
1925
3
43
Anderson
Chehalis River Bridge, Aberdeen
1926
3
44
Bridge of the Gods, Wauna toll bridge near Hood River, OR
3
45
Little Hoquiam Bascule
1926
3
46
Edwards
Dredge GENERAL WOLFE, Quebec
circa 1927
3
47
San Juan Pulp Mill, Bellingham
1926
3
48
Bullen
Georgia Hotel, Vancouver, BC
1926
3
49
Sandison
Jukes
Pacific Coast Paper Mills, Bellingham
3
50
Twin Lakes Bridge, Idaho
circa 1927
3
51
Gateway Bridge, Brownsville, Texas,
1928
3
52
Simpson Avenue Bridge, Hoquiam
1927-1928
3
53
Simmer
Brewster Toll Bridge, Okanogan Co.
1928
3
54
Fisher Body Co. Seawall, Duwamish Waterway
1929
3
55
14th Avenue South Bridge, Seattle
1929-1931
3
56
Centralia Power Plant, Yelm (album)
circa 1930
3
57
Centralia Power Plant, Yelm
circa 1930
3
58
Alask Fisher Studio
Pennock Island
1931
3
59
Seward, Alaska dredging
1931
3
60
Wenatchee River Bridge
1932
3
61
Christmas dinner on VICTORIA at Sitka
1939
3
62
Santa Monica breakwater
1933
3
63
San Joaquin River dredging
1932
3
64
SS NORTHWESTERN
1940
3
65
Columbia River rock renewal
4
66
Simmer
Lake Washington pontoon bridge
1939
4
67
Lake Washington pontoon bridge (album)
1939
4
68
Alaskan air bases
1940-1942
4
69
Longview, Wash.
1943
4
70
Misc. bridges -- statewide
4
71
Misc. bridges
4
72
Burned dredge SEATTLE, OLYMPIAN
4
73
Dredges -- misc.
4
74
Dredge TACOMA
1912-1921
4
75
Dredge PORTLAND
4
76
Sandison
Chuckanut Bay fill
4
77
Mausoleums and cemeteries
4
78
Columbia River Bridge (negatives)
4
79
Misc. negatives
5
Warship launches/christenings (album)
1944-1945
5
Warship launches/christenings (album)
1942-1944
7
Oversize photographs
3 photographs
Christening of the Tom McCurdy II, S.S. Alaska, unidentified Tacoma ship
Scrapbooks
5
Scrapbook of newspaper clippings -- bridges & canals
5
Scrapbook of newspaper clippings -- waterways
6
Scrapbook of newspaper clippings -- canals, waterways,
dredging
6
Scrapbook of newspaper clippings -- Lake Washington Bridge, Unit #
4
7
Scrapbook of newspaper clippings -- Alaska Air Bases from August 31,
1939
Blueprints
5
Blueprints of East waterway and Canal waterway
1897-1900
5
Blueprints of other waterways