Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections
PC 170
Girard, Alexander
Alexander Girard and Colin MacKenzie Photographs
circa 1902-1921
4 Linear feet of shelf space
8 Boxes
Glass plate images, primarily negatives, from Aberdeen,
WA, and surrounding areas circa the early 20th century. They portray shipping and
lumber industries as well as photographs of people and numerous aspects of daily
life.
Collection materials are inEnglish.
According to an obituary in the Sept. 30, 1946 Seattle Times (page 24, column 5),
Alexander C. (Jerry) Girard (1879-1946) lived in the Hoquiam/Aberdeen area from
1902-1921, where he worked as a newspaperman, coroner, and assistant county
assessor. He was subsequently a reporter/photographer for Seattle newspapers from
1921-1929 before running a café from 1930 until his retirement.
Colin S. MacKenzie (1879-1912) was a photographer and an assistant deputy in Hoquiam.
A former logger, he took up photography in 1903 after injuring his back during a
fire. He was shot and killed in 1912 while pursuing a murder suspect. His name is
spelled MacKenzie on his own photographs and in the census of the time, but seems to
have accidentally been popularized to McKenzie in the newspaper coverage of his
death and subsequently on his gravestone.
The photographs are taken in the Grays Harbor county area of Washington State,
primarily Aberdeen and Hoquiam. A significant number of the photographs deal with
the shipping and lumber industries, but many more pertain to the people of the time
and their daily lives in and around these Aberdeen areas.
A majority of the plates are 6”x8”, but 45 of them are 8”x10”. A small number of
images are signed by their creators, C.S. MacKenzie and A.C. Girard. While we assume
this means the majority of these images are theirs, we cannot be certain. As
MacKenzie died in 1912 and Girard subsequently moved to Seattle (where these images
were found), most are probably Girard’s.
The donor had created his own scan of the materials, and printed and bound them in
several subject-based books. These four volumes, as well as a key linking MASC’s
identifiers to his, can be found at the end of the final box. Following that is a
small folder of MASC-created donor/creator materials.
The larger 8"x10" images are located in box 1, while the others are in the remaining
boxes. The materials are organized in a number of alphabetical subject-based series,
with individual items organized alphabetically within those.
The photographs in this collection were digitized, along with photographs from the Charles R. Pratsch Photographs, 1888-1913 (PC 18), and are available online
as the Grays Harbor Collections.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions apply.
[Item Description]
Alexander Girard and Colin MacKenzie Photographs, circs 1902-1921 (PC 170)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Marvin C. Sharpe discovered the images in the attic of his 1956 Seattle home, located on NE 38th Street.
The materials in this collection were donated to the Washington State University
Libraries’ Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections on September 5th, 2017
from Marvin C. Sharpe of Gibsonville, NC and retained as UPC 2017-01.
The collection was digitized, reorganized, and described in 2017-2018 by student
Kaitlyn Van Vleet. Items with peeling emulsion were repaired by conservator Linnea
Rash in 2018.
Charles R. Pratsch Photographs, 1888-1913 (PC 18),
covers the same geographical region and subject areas. The dates of the collections overlap,
but the Pratsch materials average perhaps a decade earlier. Pratsch’s materials also include
many MacKenzie photographs.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Girard, Alexander -- Archives
MacKenzie, Colin S., 1879-1912 -- Archives
MacKenzie, Colin S., 1879-1912
Grays Harbor (Wash.) -- History -- Photographs
Aberdeen (Wash.) -- History -- Photographs
Hoquiam (Wash.) -- History -- Photographs
Forests and forestry -- Washington (State) -- Photographs
Washington (State)
Logging
Photographs
Series 1: Businesses
2
1
Belding Hall, Refrigerator
window
2
2
Display window, advertising oil stocks. By
A.C. Girard
2
3
Flower shop
2
4
Flower shop
2
5
Movie house production of "The Beloved
Cheater"
2
6
Street with Smith Ice Cream on
corner
2
7
US royal cord tires, window
display
2
8
US royal cord tires, window display
[copy]
Series 2: Carnivals
2
9
Carnival side show
2
10
Carnival with Ferris Wheel
2
11
Carnival with Ferris Wheel side
show
2
12
Carnival with sign "Mamie Strange
Girl"
2
13
Fair side show with "torture chamber"
sign
Series 3: Events
2
14
Football scrimmage
2
15
Military marching down street in
rain
2
16
Military marching in rain
2
17
Military tribute marches down main
street
2
18
Spectators in grand stand
2
19
Sports horse cart race
2
20
Town hall dinner
2
21
Women's golf at hole nine, 215
yards
Series 4: Families
2
22
16 children posing in the yard
2
23
16 children posing, inside
yard
2
24
16 children posing, inside yard
[copy]
2
25
18 children posing, dressed up
2
26
18 children posing, dressed up
2
27
Family picnic on grass #1
2
28
Family picnic on grass #2
2
29
Family posing against ivy wall
2
30
Family posing in yard
2
31
Seven married couples
2
32
Young boy and dog
Series 5: Farm Animals
2
33
Bull with nose ring
2
34
Cattle grazing
2
35
Cow and two pigs
2
36
Cow being patient
2
37
Cow posing for picture
2
38
Cows and bulls
2
39
Cows and man
2
40
Sheep grazing in deforested
hill
2
41
Sheep grazing in pasture
Series 6: Groups
2
42
Bandsaw no. 2 crew in Aberdeen. By A.C.
Girard
2
43
Boiler maker crew for S.S. Aberdeen. By
A.C. Girard
1
1
Crew (damaged glass negative)
2
44
Group of people with hats
2
45
Joiner force for S.S. Aberdeen. By A.C.
Girard
2
46
Men
3
1
Metal workers, Aberdeen. By A.C.
Girard
3
2
S.S. Aberdeen crew celebrates 17.5 days to
build. By A.C. Girard
3
3
S.S. Aberdeen machinist crew. By A.C.
Girard
1
2
S.S. Aberdeen, caulkers crew. By A.C.
Girard
3
4
Ship staging crew. By A.C.
Girard
3
5
Unidentified group of men
3
6
Unidentified group of workers. By A.C.
Girard
3
7
Unidentified people, waiting
3
8
Unidentified ship builder employees. By
A.C. Girard
3
9
Unidentified ship builder employees. By
A.C. Girard
3
10
Unidentified ship builder employees
[copy]. By A.C. Girard
Series 7: Interiors
3
11
Chairs and table in dining room (double
exposure)
3
12
Four chairs and two tables
3
13
Hallway with two doors
3
14
Party room with player piano
3
15
Two rockers, two chairs, and a
table
Series 8: Lumber
3
16
Apparent flood damage
3
17
Condition of land after
logging
3
18
Erosion
3
19
Erosion with tree fallen into
creek
3
20
Fallen trees and big stump
3
21
Finished lumber storage
building
3
22
Hills of stumps and scrub
brush
3
23
Hillside erosion
3
24
Hillside erosion
3
25
Hillside regrowth
3
26
Inspection of fire damage
3
27
Inspection of fire damage
3
28
Inspection of fire damage
3
29
Land stripped of trees
3
30
Land stripped of trees
3
31
Land stripped of trees
3
32
Land stripped of trees
3
33
Landscape stripped of tall
trees
3
34
Large stumps and dead tree
3
35
Loading lumber for rail
transport
3
36
Loading wood products at mill
3
37
Logs in pond with lumber mill in
background
3
38
Logs in pond with lumber mill in
background
3
39
Logs transported from logging
site
3
40
Lumber in foreground of pond and
trees
3
41
Lumber mill, interior storage
3
42
Lumber mill, unused machinery
3
43
Lumber mill, view from across
harbor
1
3
Lumber sluice spilling into
water
3
44
Lumber workers in unidentified
location
3
45
Meadow with hundreds of stumps
3
46
Mill beside rail spur
4
1
Mill in operation #1
4
2
Mill in operation #2
4
3
Multiple stumps and some trees in
background
4
4
Multiple stumps with forest
behind
4
5
Old manufacturing equipment
4
6
Stacks of lumber on carts in
mill
4
7
Trail through stripped hills
4
8
Truck and trailer of wood
shingles
4
9
Truckload of wooden shingles
4
10
Workers posing in lumber mill
#1
4
11
Workers posing in lumber mill
#2
Series 9: Lumberjacks
1
4
Group photo, posed on tree
trunk
1
5
Group photo, posed on tree trunk. Positive
image
4
12
Lumberjacks posing while cutting large
tree
4
13
Lumberjacks resting
4
14
Two men on roots of tree, 1906. By C.S.
MacKenzie
4
15
Two posing lumberjacks, cutting a large
tree
4
16
Two posing lumberjacks, cutting a large
tree
4
17
Two posing lumberjacks, cutting large
tree
4
18
Two posing lumberjacks, cutting large
tree
4
19
Two resting lumberjacks, with
axes
Series 10: Portraits
4
20
Boxer posing with fists up
4
21
Boxer posing with fists up
(blurry)
4
22
Businessman
4
23
Businessmen in suits
1
6
Fishermen with boat. By C.S.
MacKenzie
1
7
Four fishermen with boat. Positive image.
By C.S. MacKenzie
4
24
Four men
4
25
Group of ship builders and office
personnel
4
26
Group of ship builders and office
personnel
4
27
Horse and carriage on dirt road, 1906. By
C.S. MacKenzie
1
8
Horse and carriage on dirt road, 1906
[copy]. Positive image. By C.S. MacKenzie
1
9
Horse and carriage on dirt road, 1906
[copy]. By C.S. MacKenzie
4
28
Man hands on hips
4
29
Man holding rod
4
30
Man in overalls
4
31
Man in profile [glass broken]
4
32
Man in suit overcoat and hat
4
33
Man in sweater and holding hat
4
34
Man leaning against support. By A.C.
Girard
4
35
Man leaning on object
4
36
Man, suit, vest, and hat
4
37
Man wearing cap
4
38
Man with bowler hat
4
39
Man with hands in pockets
4
40
Man with hat tipped back
4
41
Man with pocket watch standing. By A.C.
Girard
4
42
Man with suspenders
4
43
Maude Fitzgerald with "vote for sponsor"
sign
4
44
Mrs. Geo. Davis with "vote for sponsor"
sign
4
45
Mrs. Schumacher with vote for "this
company's first girl employee" sign
1
10
Native American Indian woman. Positive
image. By C.S. MacKenzie
1
11
Native American Indian woman. Positive
image. By C.S. MacKenzie
1
12
Native American mother and daughter with
canoe. By C.S. MacKenzie
1
13
Native American Quinault Chief and
Princess. By C.S. MacKenzie
4
46
Nurse holding newly born baby
4
47
Nurse with newly born baby
1
14
Photo of clam digger
4
48
Photo of two women
4
49
Two men, one in motion
(blurry)
5
1
Woman with black hat
5
2
Woman with crossed arms
5
3
Women standing in shipyard
5
4
Young boy dressed in uniform
5
5
Young boy wearing sailor hat
Series 11: Residences
5
6
Boy on sidewalk
5
7
Building - Aberdeen public
library
5
8
Cedar tree in front of house
5
9
Clutter and dilapidated residence with
clothesline
5
10
Hidden house with rose border
5
11
House behind crumbling fence
5
12
House with stump in front
5
13
Lindgren and Peachy oil and gas service
station
5
14
Lindgren and Peachy oil and gas service
station
5
15
Overgrown landscape
5
16
Pitched roof with long porch
5
17
Red Cross building
5
18
Roof damage
5
19
Roses climbing edge of large house
5
20
Shake siding, clothesline on
porch
5
21
Shake siding, people on porch
5
22
Shake siding, three girls on
porch
5
23
Shingled with corner porch
5
24
Three houses in row
5
25
Two-toned, with two arbors
5
26
Untitled residence
5
27
White house with chimney
5
28
White trim, birdhouse on post
5
29
White trim, people in front
yard
5
30
White trim, with attached
porch
5
31
White trim, with ivied wall
5
32
White trim, with wagon on walk
5
33
Woman admiring roses
Series 12: Scenic
5
34
Boys sitting in opening in sea
wall
1
15
Eight ships on horizon. Positive
image
5
35
Fallen fence or decaying
bridge
5
36
Forest road lined with trees
5
37
Forest standing timber
5
38
Forest with dirt road
5
39
Forest with dirt road
1
16
Forest with people on dirt road. Positive
image
5
40
Forest with road and auto
5
41
Forest with water
5
42
Lake Quinault. By A.C. Girard
5
43
Lower river above rapids. By A.C.
Girard
1
17
Moonlight, Aberdeen Harbor. By C.S.
MacKenzie
1
18
Moonlight over bay. Positive
image
5
44
Opening in seawall. By A.C.
Girard
5
45
Sandbar near shore
5
46
Ship pummeled by storm
5
47
Water and eroded bank
1
19
Waves breaking against rocks
Series 13: Ships
6
1
Photo of unidentified Freighter. By A.C.
Girard
6
2
S.S. Aberdeen
6
3
S.S. Aberdeen, band on deck
6
4
S.S. Aberdeen, cargo ship,
christening
1
20
S.S. Aberdeen construction schedule
[mirrored, copy]
1
21
S.S. Aberdeen construction schedule
[mirrored]
6
5
S.S. Aberdeen construction schedule
[copy]
6
6
S.S. Aberdeen final prep, 1918. By A.C.
Girard
6
7
S.S. Aberdeen launch, May 10th,
1919
6
8
S.S. Aberdeen preparing for cruise. By
A.C. Girard
6
9
S.S. Aberdeen, band in front. By A.C.
Girard
1
22
S.S. Aiken, striped canopy
1
23
S.S. Aiken, striped canopy
1
24
S.S. Bancroft, Cargo Ship #1
1
25
S.S. Bancroft, Cargo Ship #2
1
26
S.S. Boxley Cargo Ship. By A.C.
Girard
6
10
S.S. Broncho
6
11
S.S. Broncho, 1918 to 1924
6
12
S.S. Broncho, 1918 to 1924
[copy]
6
13
S.S. Brookside, boy and dog in boat, 1918
to 1924
6
14
S.S. Gray Cloud christening,
1918
6
15
S.S. Gray Eagle, Cargo Ship
6
16
S.S. Grayling of Aberdeen, 1918 to
1924
1
27
S.S. Itanca, another cloudy day,
1918
1
28
S.S. Itanca in progress, Sailor on bow
waving
1
29
S.S. Itanca, Cargo Ship, 1918 to 1924. By
A.C. Girard
6
17
S.S. Wihaha, view of stern
6
18
S.S. Wishkah, 1918 to 1924. By A.C.
Girard
6
19
S.S. Wishkah, accompanied by
Hoquiam
6
20
S.S. Wishkah, headed to sea
6
21
S.S. Wishkah with tugboat
Hoquiam
6
22
Ship headed to sea, led by
tugboat
6
23
Ship, name illegible
6
24
Ship, name illegible
6
25
Ship, name illegible, attached to tug boat
named Forester
6
26
Ship, no visible name
6
27
Ship preparing for departure. By A.C.
Girard
6
28
Ship ready for christening
6
29
Ship, schooner, five masted, no details
#1
6
30
Ship, schooner, five masted, no details
#2
6
31
Ship, schooner, five masted, no details
#3
6
32
Ship, schooner, five masted, no details
#4
6
33
Ship with no apparent name
6
34
Untitled ship
Series 14: Ship christenings
6
35
Christening, ceremonial sponsor
6
36
Christening, ceremonial sponsor
[copy]
6
37
Christening ceremony, four men, one
woman
6
38
Christening event, photograph of woman
with champagne and flowers
6
39
Christening event, photograph of woman
with champagne and flowers
6
40
Christening event, sponsor and young
boy
6
41
Christening event, three women, two
men
6
42
Christening party, four women, three
men
6
43
Christening party, one woman, four
men
6
44
Christening, post-ceremony, woman without
champagne
6
45
Christening, post-ceremony, woman without
champagne [copy]
6
46
Christening, post-ceremony, woman without
champagne [copy]
7
1
Christening-related, group photograph,
seven people
7
2
Christening-related, group photograph,
nine people near ship
7
3
Christening-related, group photograph, ten
people
7
4
Christening-related, group photograph, ten
people near ship
7
5
Christening-related sponsor with
bouquet
7
6
Christening, sponsor and ten
attendees
7
7
Christening, sponsor, ready for
christening
7
8
Christening, sponsor with one
man
7
9
Christening, woman with champagne and
flowers
Series 15: Ship construction
1
30
Bright photo, people standing by hull
construction
1
31
Construction of ship hull
1
32
Construction of wooden ship
hull
1
33
Man standing in ship,
construction
1
34
Men working on base of ship
1
35
Men working on ship hull wooden
beams
1
36
Ship builders' celebration
7
10
Ship building stern view
7
11
Ship crew, nearing completion
7
12
Ship crew working on adjacent
ship
1
37
Ship crew working on upper
deck
7
13
Ship crew working on upper
deck
7
14
Ship crew working on upper
deck
7
15
Ship crew working on upper
deck
7
16
Ship crews on command deck
1
38
Ship hull construction
1
39
Ship hull construction
7
17
Ship hull construction phase
one
7
18
Ship hull construction early stage
#2
7
19
Ship hull fifty eight, November,
1917
7
20
Ship hull fifty five, November,
1917
7
21
Ship hull fifty seven, November,
1917
7
22
Ship hull fifty six, November,
1917
7
23
Ship hull scaffolding
7
24
Ship hull scaffolding #1
7
25
Ship hull scaffolding #2
7
26
Ship hulls under construction
1
40
Ship hull construction early stage
#1
1
41
Ship hull under construction
1
42
Ship hull under construction
1
43
Ship hull (spotty quality)
1
44
View of men working on ship
construction
Series 16: Ship launchings
7
27
Ship launching, name unknown
7
28
Ship launching, name unknown
7
29
Ship launching, name unknown
7
30
Ship launching, name unknown
7
31
Ship launching, name unknown
7
32
Ship launching, name unknown
7
33
Ship launching, name unknown
7
34
Ship launching, name unknown
7
35
Ship launching, Wishkah
Series 17: Vehicles
7
36
"Agency Rebublic Trucks" with night and
day tow truck service
7
37
Callahan Motors Co. dealer
7
38
Cars being unloaded to dock
7
39
Cars being unloaded to dock
7
40
Dealer for Republic trucks
7
41
Kaufman Leonard Co. Quality Furniture
vehicle
7
42
Kaufman Leonard Co. Quality Furniture
vehicle
7
43
Man leaning up against "Orange Crush"
vehicle
7
44
NASH truck without bed
7
45
North Coast Products Co. "Orange Crush"
car
7
46
Simon's Transfer Express and
Baggage
7
47
Stewart auto dealership
7
48
Touring car, circa 1917
7
49
WN dealer plate 690, expires
1921
Series 18: Miscellaneous
8
1
Boiler in place, standard oil operations.
By A.C. Girard
1
45
Christmas tree
8
2
Metal hooks one
8
3
Metal hooks two
8
4
Miscellaneous images. Positive
image
8
5
Rhododendron
8
6
Rubber suit exhibition
8
7
Rubber suit floating in water
8
8
Rubber suit tested in water
8
9
Stack and boiler built by J.C. Jamison. By
A.C. Girard
8
10
Stack and boiler built by J.C. Jamison
[copy]. By A.C. Girard
8
12
Stack and boiler for Western Lumber Co.,
Aberdeen [copy]. By A.C. Girard
8
11
Stack and boiler for Western Lumber Co.,
Aberdeen. By A.C. Girard
8
13
Street with scalped hills in background
[glass broken]
8
14
Texas petroleum dividend
checks
8
15
Untitled severely damaged
Series 19: Print Volumes
8
16
Volume I: 1. Girard; 2. MacKenzie; 3.
Miscellaneous; 4. Portraits
8
17
Volume II: 5. Scenic; 6. Residence; 7.
Vehicles; 8. Animals
8
18
Volume III: 9. Lumber; 10. Lumberjacks;
11. Shipworkers; 12. Hulls
8
19
Volume IV: 13. Ships, unnamed. 14: Ships,
named; 15: Christenings; 16. Launchings
8
20
Documentation and donor notes.