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Cress-Dale Photo Co. photographs of the Clallam County windstorm of January 29, 1921, March 22-24, 1921

Overview of the Collection

Photographer
Cress-Dale Photo Co. (Seattle, Wash.)
Title
Cress-Dale Photo Co. photographs of the Clallam County windstorm of January 29, 1921
Dates
March 22-24, 1921 (inclusive)
Quantity
30 photographs (1 folder) ; 8"x10"
Collection Number
PH1422
Summary
Photographs of the aftermath of the Clallam County windstorm of January 29, 1921 called "the Big Blowdown" because of the widespread destruction
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries’ Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

The Cress-Dale Photo Co. was John D. Cress ("the Forest Fotographer,") and L.R. Dale. John Cress was a Seattle photographer who specialized in photographing the lumber industry. He partnered with Dale from around 1916-1923.

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Historical Background

On January 29, 1921, a hurricane-force windstorm with gusts of more than 100 miles per hour hit the Washington coast. Mill stacks were toppled along with power and telephone lines. So much timber was destroyed, billions of board feet, that the storm was called "The Great Blowdown." Destruction was heaviest in the west end of Clallam County where the highway between Crescent Lake and Forks was blocked by downed trees. The loss to the timber industry was catastrophic. Three- to seven-billion board feet of old-growth timber was destroyed and left a huge fire hazard. During the storm, a mail carrier narrowly survived when he abandoned his car for the safety of the Calawah bridge. The car was then immediately smashed by a falling tree.

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Content Description

Photographs of the destruction in the forest in Clallam County as the result of the windstorm of January, 29, 1921 called "the Great Blowdown." The images were likely taken March 22 to 24, 1921 when Governor Louis Hart and state and county officials embarked on a two-day tour of the area, photographing locations mainly near Beaver and Mora, Washington. Includes a view of the East Beach Ferry landing with the group en route to the area affected by the storm.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View the digital version of the collection

Restrictions on Use

Status of creator's copyrights is unknown; restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Users are responsible for researching copyright status before use.

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Administrative Information

Processing Note

Processed by Lauren E. Weidlich; processing completed in 2016.

Separated Materials

Material Described Separately:

Transferred from PH1376, William Hagenstein Photograph Collection , 2016.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

  • Description: Washington Governor Hart and other local officials beginning their two-day trip to evaluate the damage from the windstorm at the East Beach Ferry Landing at Lake Crescent

    From accompanying material: East Beach Ferry Landing, Lake Crescent, with Governor Louis Hart and State and County officials en route to storm area, March 22. In party are State Auditor Clausen, State Treasurer Babcock, James Allen, County Commissioner Miller, Bevington, State Rep. O. S. Morris.

    Dates: March 22, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 1
  • Description: Fir trees between Beaver and Mora

    From accompanying material: T28N, R14W, S9 - Along the road through a blowdown with full height of a 6-ft fir which was one of the few not felled at this point. Spruce logs of large size on roadside.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 2
  • Description: Examples of the quality of the fir and hemlock left mostly undamaged by the storm between Beaver and Mora

    From accompanying material: Item 3: T28N, R14W, S10 - Another view of the standing of fine fir and hemlock where the storm did not do much damage. Item 4: T28N, R14W, S11 - Some of the fine standing fir and hemlock with a very large fir at the left and a view along the road.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 3-4
  • Description: Two standing fir trees among much storm damage between Beaver and Mora

    From accompanying material: T28N, R14W, S10 - Two of the big fir trees adjoining one of the blowdowns which occur in the fir at intervals of about a quarter of a mile, and cover 100 to 500 feet in width, and extend indefinitely through the timber.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 5
  • Description: Hemlock, spruce, and fir on the slopes near Beaver Lake

    From accompanying material: Item 6: T30N, R12W, S9 - A small fall on Beaver Creek, standing cedar and hemlock in the bottom and complete prostration of hemlock on the hillside in the background. Item 7: T30N, R12W, S16 - Another view in Beaver Creek Canyon with the fallen hemlock logs on the east hillside. Item 8: T30N, R12W, S9 - On the east hillside of Beaver Creek Canyon, showing the almost complete destruction of the hemlock. Item 9: T30N, R12W, S10 - Another view in Beaver Creek Canyon, with trees sliding from steep hillside to the road, and a clump of spruce standing at the right. Item 10: T30N, R12W, S3 - Close view of down timber piled on the hillside in Beaver Canyon, typical of the devastation there.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 6-10
  • Description: Trees that were cut up to clear the road between Beaver and Mora

    From accompanying material: T28N, R14W, S11 - A view along the roadside showing broken hemlock and fir logs cut from road.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 11
  • Description: Damaged hemlock along the road near the Mora school

    From accompanying material: T28N, R15W, S24 - Another view along the road near the Mora school, showing the aggregation of logs cut out to clear the road, and indicating the condition everywhere which cannot be shown because covered with brush.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 12
  • Description: A view of the trees that were at the edge of the storm, thereby sustaining less damage than other locations

    From accompanying material: T28N, R15W, S24 - One of the very large fir trees, at the edge of a blowdown, and a view into the standing timber, which looks much smaller, but is in reality big fir and hemlock.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 13
  • Description: Downed spruce on the road near the Beaver school

    From accompanying material: T30N, R12W, S30 - The mass of debris piled up near the Beaver school, of which the roof shows, and a view along the road to Beaver Farm. Timber mainly spruce.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 14
  • Description: Downed spruce near the Beaver school

    From accompanying material: T30N, R12W, S30 - One of the big spruce trees blown over near the Beaver school, photographed from the roots.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 15
  • Description: Remnants of the car the mail carrier was driving when the storm hit

    From accompanying material: T28N, R13W, S5 - All that is left of the mailcarrier's Ford auto which was caught under the falling big firs a half mile north of Forks, with several of the big logs moved from the road.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 16
  • Description: Survey members assessing the hemlock damage on the road near the Mora schoolhouse

    From accompanying material: T28N, R15W, S24 - On the road near the Mora school, in the hemlock which was practically all destroyed, and where a very large amount of work was required to open the road.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 17
  • Description: Survey crew member examining the damage in the bottom of Beaver Creek

    From accompanying material: T30N, R12W, S9 - Closer view of the broken fir, in this case twisted off, and the roots of another big one. Probably in this case the wind was deflected by the canyon walls.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 18
  • Description: Views of the damage in the bottom of Beaver Creek and near Beaver Lake

    From accompanying material: Item 19: T30N, R12W, S9 - In the bottom of Beaver Creek Canyon, a very good view of the uprooting of the timber and the entangled mass of hemlock, fir, spruce and cedar resulting. Item 20: T30N, R12W, S9 - On the west hillside of the Beaver Creek Canyon, where more than half the fir and hemlock trees were thrown down and slid down the steep hillside onto the road. Typical of several miles in this location. Item 21: T30N, R12W, S10 - In Beaver Creek Canyon just above Beaver Falls, where the wind caught the hemlock on the ridge fairly, while the trees in the bottom withstood it. The trees are much larger than they look in the photograph. Item 22: T30N, R12W, S9 - A very impressive view in Beaver Creek Canyon where the wind destroyed everything in the bottoms and hit the mountainside fairly; in this case breaking off many of the trees. Shows part of the road, and hemlock logs removed from it. On the mountain, much of the timber is fir of good size.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 19-22
  • Description: Examples of the size of the fir near Forks, WA, where the mail carrier's car was destroyed

    From accompanying material: T28N, R13W, S5 - Illustrating how the big fir trees were thrown over with the roots still intact, and one with saw cut showing annual rings plainly. It was at this point the mail carrier's Ford auto was caught under the falling timber.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 23
  • Description: A view of the damage from the Quillayute Prairie overlooking the Quillayute River

    From accompanying material: T28N, R15W, S24 - From a vantage point on the Quillaute Prairie overlooking the bottomlands along the Quillaute River, a portion of a strip 5 miles wide and 20 miles long extending from the Bogachiel River east to the Sol Duc. This former dense stand of hemlock and spruce now lies in a matted mass, impenetrable, and forming a fire menace much worse than in the Fir belt. It is typical of many other places further south.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 24
  • Description: Uprooted fir on the road between Beaver and Mora

    From accompanying material: T28N, R14W, S11 - View in the fir belt along the road, showing how trees gave way at the roots. Few were broken off, and there are no indications of the wind being a "twister." This also shows the difficulty of opening the roads after the storm.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 25
  • Description: Good quality standing fir on the road between Beaver and Mora

    From accompanying material: T28N, R15W, S17 - Showing the general character of the fine stand of Douglas Fir and hemlock, where practically every tree is tall, straight and sound; the firs clear of limbs for a hundred feet or more, and the hemlock generally free from low limbs. Many of the trees show moss clumps which resemble knots. About 20 fine trees are shown in this view, with several logs from the storm.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 26
  • Description: Downed fir on the road between Beaver and Mora

    From accompanying material: T28N, R15W, S24 - View into one of the blowndown strips of fir of moderate size on the Mora road, over down logs to the standing timber. In the Fir belt about 75% of the timber still stands.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 27
  • Description: Downed fir on the Olympic Highway towards the Pacific Ocean

    From accompanying material: T28N, R15W, S24 - Moderate sized fir timber with a little hemlock, on the road between Beaver and Mora -- the Olympic Highway to the ocean. View made from the edge of one of the numerous blowdowns. The fir runs from 3 to 6 feet in diameter -- at this point to 4 ½ ft.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 28
  • Description: Downed hemlock near the Mora schoolhouse

    From accompanying material: T28N, R15W, S24 - Near the Mora Schoolhouse. Looking into the blowndown hemlock running from 15 to 36 inches. Below the trunks visible many are hidden by the foliage. This is part of the strip 5 miles wide and 20 miles lang practically all down.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 29
  • Description: Men surveying downed hemlock near the Mora schoolhouse

    From accompanying material: T28N, R15W, S24 - Near the Mora schoolhouse, where the heavy stand of hemlock was 90% down. This view shows some of the trees which split, of which the proportion was small.

    Dates: circa March 22-24, 1921
    Container: 1/1, Item 30

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Subject Terms

  • Wind damage--Washington (State)--Clallam County--Photographs
  • Windstorms--Washington (State)--Clallam County--Photographs

Corporate Names

  • Cress-Dale Photo Co. (Seattle, Wash.)--Archives

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographs

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Cress, John D., (photographer)
    • Dale, L. R., (photographer)

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Subject Terms

  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
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