Ziegler and Rankin Families Photographs and Other Material, circa 1890-1933
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Ziegler family ; ; Rankin family
- Title
- Ziegler and Rankin Families Photographs and Other Material
- Dates
- circa 1890-1933 (inclusive)18851938
- Quantity
- 3 boxes plus 3 oversize folders, ( .8 linear feet)
- Collection Number
- 1977.6486
- Summary
- Photographs, photo albums and papers from the Ziegler and Rankin families, who lived in Port Blakely on Bainbridge Island from approximately 1888 through the early 1900s. Along with a number of portraits of family, friends and school groups, the collection includes photographs documenting the Port Blakely Mill and company houses, the Hall Brothers shipyard and other Bainbridge Island locations.
- Repository
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Museum of History & Industry, Sophie Frye Bass Library
P.O. Box 80816
Seattle, WA
98108
Telephone: 2063241126 x102
library@mohai.org - Access Restrictions
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The collection is open to the public by appointment.
- Languages
- English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical Note
The collection strongly suggests that there were three Ziegler siblings: Fred, Henry and Carrie Ziegler, children of Mr. G. and Christina Ziegler.
Fred G. Ziegler was a resident of Port Blakely since 1888 and ran the Bainbridge Hotel at Port Blakely until at least 1920. After the hotel burned down on August 12, 1928, Ziegler ran a dairy with his herd of Jersey cows, whose milk he sent to the creamery in Bremerton. It was during such a delivery that Fred Ziegler died in 1931, in a drowning accident at Fletcher Bay when he accidentally backed his truck off the ferry dock. Ziegler was survived by his wife, Gertrude Zeigler, who seems to have been an active member of the Port Blakely community. The Zieglers had a son, Weldon.
Henry Ziegler worked for Port Blakely Mill and lived in the company housing with his wife M. Augusta Meins Ziegler, whom he married in 1898.
Carrie Ziegler married William Rankin, a manager of the Port Blakely Mill Company, in 1906. The Rankins had two sons, Elwood (b. 1908) and Weldon (1911- 1925), the latter dying of pneumonia at the age of 14. In 1925, the Rankin family lived in Seattle, having moved there from Port Blakely three years previously, and both sons attended Queen Anne High School. William Rankin died on June 30, 1926, after managing the Port Blakely Mill Company for the previous 25 years.
Historical Background
Port Blakely Mill
After failed attempts to establish mill operations at Alki and Port Orchard, Captain William Renton founded the Port Blakely Mill Company in 1864, on land he purchased at Bainbridge Island's Blakely Harbor. One of several small mills in the area, the mill's output began to increase during the 1870s, partly as a result of a large immigrant labor force. In 1872, ferry service began between Seattle and Port Blakely and in 1879, Renton persuaded Hall Brothers Shipyard to move its operation to Port Blakely. During this period, Renton built houses for the families of mill workers, bachelor dormitories and the nearby 75-room Bainbridge Hotel; he also established a daily stage between Port Blakely and Port Madison. By the 1880s Port Blakely mill had become the largest sawmill on the Pacific Coast, turning out 200,000 board feet a day. The Port Blakely Mill was damaged by fire and subsequently rebuilt in 1888 and again in 1907. Following a decline in the lumber market, the mill was closed and demolished in 1924. Today, the Islandwood center for outdoor education for school children operates on the site of the old Port Blakely Mill.
Content Description
The collection consists of photographs, photo albums and papers from the Ziegler and Rankin families, who lived in Port Blakely on Bainbridge Island from approximately 1888 through the early 1900s. The photographs include many portraits, including a few portraying Ziegler family members. Group portraits of school children include Ziegler children as well as many children from local immigrant families, such as the Elofsons. The photographs also document the company houses for mill employees, including the house of the Henry Ziegler family. Other photographs depict the Port Blakely Mill, office and boiler room, Hall Brothers shipyard and other Bainbridge Island locations.
The albums consist of family photographs and clippings. Albums photographs include further images of company housing, and formal and informal photographs of family and friends. Family papers include wedding announcements, letters, invitations and programs, and newspaper clippings about friends and family. A biographical booklet about Victor Hugo Elfendahl describes the life and professional career of this assistant manager of the Port Blakely Mill.
Use of the Collection
Alternative Forms Available
View selections from the collection in MOHAI's online collections.
Restrictions on Use
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.
Preferred Citation
Ziegler and Rankin Families Photographs and Other Materials, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle
Administrative Information
Arrangement
The collection has been divided into series by format, with separate series for photographs, albums, papers and publications.
Location of Collection
2b.1.6Location of Collection
1a.3.6, 10 (oversize photos)Acquisition Information
Donated by Mrs. F.R. Rankin in 1977.
Processing Note
One of the photo albums was disassembled due to deterioration. Album pages were placed in folders and retained in their original order.
Separated Materials
These materials are part of a donation that also included artifacts. These artifacts are cataloged and stored separately by MOHAI's Collections Department.
Bibliography
Kitsap County Historical Society (1977). Kitsap County: A History. Book VI: Bainbridge Island.
Price, A., Jr (1990). Port Blakely: The Community Captain Renton Built. Seattle, WA: Port Blakely Books.
Detailed Description of the Collection
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Photographs
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Description: 1: Young man, probably Henry or Fred ZieglerJudkins (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/1
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Description: 2, 3: Gertrude ZieglerHamilton, Seattle (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/2
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Description: 4: Maud HemstockDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/3
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Description: 5: Abbie DurkinGlobe Studio , Seattle (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/3
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Description: 6: Grace GillJames & Bushnell , Seattle (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/3
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Description: 7: Ellen TobinNordlund's Photo Co. , Seattle (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/3
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Description: 8: Chieko ShigemuraToyo Studio , Seattle (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/3
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Description: 9: Sol AsherUrban & Rogers , Seattle (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/4
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Description: 10: Mr. and Mrs. Hjellmer AndersonJacob , Seattle (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/4
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Description: 11: Two men in bowler hats on sidewalkDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/4
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Description: 12: Group on horses on Las Cascadas RoadDates: 1909 December 12Container: Box/Folder 1/4
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Description: 13: Mr. and Mrs. Herbert ConnorsDates: 1911 June 11Container: Box/Folder 1/4
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Description: 14: Woman with fur boaDates: circa 1917Container: Box/Folder 1/5
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Description: 15-18: Individual portraits of womenColpitts , Seattle; Boyd , Seattle; Urban & Rogers , Seattle; Wils & Vreeland , Seattle (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/5
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Description: 19-21: Individual portraits of menBushnell , Seattle; LaPine , Seattle; Dingman Studio , Seattle (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/6
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Description: 22: Couple with infantJames & Bushnell , Seattle (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/6
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Description: 23: Two women and manDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/6
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Description: 24: Two women and man in front of horse-drawn carriageDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/6
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Description: 25: Ronald Eben Bucklin at five months oldDates: 1909 August 17Container: Box/Folder 1/7
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Description: 26: Alice Jane Carroll at two months oldLynn & Cram , Seattle (photographer)Dates: 1909 FebruaryContainer: Box/Folder 1/7
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Description: 27: C. Verlaine Ziegler at 11 years oldDates: 1913 SeptemberContainer: Box/Folder 1/7
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Description: 28: Infant Georgia FranksDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/7
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Description: 29: Leslie Lincoln Randall at 1 year oldMercer Studio (photographer)Dates: 1910Container: Box/Folder 1/7
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Description: 30-33: Individual portraits of childrenDingham , Seattle; A.T. Miles , Bremerton; Lothrop , Seattle; Christy Studio , Seattle (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/7
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Description: 34: School groupDates: 1909 February 14Container: Box/Folder 1/8
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Dates: 1925Container: Box/Folder 1/8
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Description: 36: Second grade group
Identifications on verso
Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/8 -
Description: 37: Students on steps of Woodlawn SchoolDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/8
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Description: 38: Students, including Carrie Ziegler, on steps of school
Identifications on verso
Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/8 -
Description: 39: Students in front of Port Blakely School
Identifications on verso
Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/8 -
Description: 121: Flower girls at wedding of William Rankin and Carrie Ziegler
Two of the girls are identified on verso as Helen Peterson and Kathleen Price.
Dates: 1906Container: Box/Folder 1/8b -
Description: 40: Group of women in costumes
Identifications on verso
Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/9 -
Description: 41: Two men looking at burnt timber after clear-cut and fireDates: circa 1900Container: Box/Folder 1/10
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Description: 42: Man in officeDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/10
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Description: 43-48: Portraits: tintypesDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/11
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Description: 49-57: Sailing vessels at Port Blakely Lumber Mill dockDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/12
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Description: 58, 59: Port Blakely Lumber Mill showing log pond in foregroundDates: circa 1890sContainer: Box/Folder 1/12
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Description: 60: Crane moving lumberDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/12
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Dates: circa 1900Container: Box/Folder 1/13
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Description: 62: Man at desk in Port Blakely Mill officeDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/13
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Dates: circa 1907Container: Box/Folder 1/14
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Description: 65: Henry Ziegler's mill company houseDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/15
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Description: 66: Three men, two women and child on steps of mill company houseDates: circa 1909Container: Box/Folder 1/16
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Description: 67: Mill company house with flowers on porchDates: circa 1900Container: Box/Folder 1/16
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Description: 68: Row of mill company houses showing wooden tracks along roadDates: circa 1900Container: Box/Folder 1/16
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Description: 69: Hotel, possibly the Port Blakely HotelDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/17
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Description: 70: Hall Brothers shipyardDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/17
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Description: 71: Port Blakely Hall decorated for Masonic partyDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/18
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Description: 72: Room decorated for event at Masonic HallDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/18
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Description: 73-75: Greenhouses on Bainbridge IslandDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/19
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Description: 76: Port Blakely ferry terminal with ferry BainbridgeDates: circa 1930Container: Box/Folder 1/20
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Description: 77: View of Puget Sound at sunsetDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/20
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Description: 78: Seagull with Seattle skyline in backgroundDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/20
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Description: 79: Dirt road through wooded areaDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/20
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Description: 80: Clipper ship Benjamin PackardDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/21
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Description: 81, 82: Clipper ship Benjamin PackardDale (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/21
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Description: 83: Battleship before launch, probably the NebraskaDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/22
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Description: 84: Road around Lake Crescent on the Olympic PeninsulaDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/23
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Description: 85: Olympic Highway Bridge on Duckabush River on the Olympic PeninsulaDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/23
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Description: 86: 60 by 90 feet flag flying at Camp LewisDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/24
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Description: 87: Members of a fraternal order posed outside commercial buildingDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/25
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Description: 88: Nooksack Indian Old Tolowie and Nooksack womanU.P. Hadley (photographer)Dates: circa 1903Container: Box/Folder 1/26
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Description: 89: Native woman weaving basket outside shackDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/26
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Description: 90-95: S.S. Bertha on fire in Uyak Bay, Kodiak, Alaska 6 photographic postcardsN.W.F. Co. (photographer)Dates: 1915 July 19Container: Box/Folder 1/27
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Description: 96-99: Exterior, interior and fish bin of Tea Harbor Packing Co. Cannery, Tea Harbor, AlaskaW.H. Case (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/28
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Description: 100: View of volcano, probably in AlaskaMerrill Studio , Sitka, Alaska (photographer)Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/29
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Description: 101: Memorial stone markers near Union Gap, Yakima, Washington
These markers commemorate Tow-Tow-Nah-Hee, the only Indian killed in the Battle of Two Buttes
Dates: after 1917Container: Box/Folder 1/30 -
Description: 102: Horse drawn cart in front of Ike's Place Confectionary & Pool HallDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/30
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Description: 103-105: Boat Lieut. Elliott agroundDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/30
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Description: 106, 107: Steamers near dock, probably at Port BlakelyDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/30
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Description: 108: Ship in shipbuilding cradleDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/30
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Description: 109: Ship at dock, probably at Port BlakelyDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/30
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Description: 110: Ships near dockDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/30
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Description: 118: Waterfront (Port Blakely?)Dates: 1891Container: Box:oversize OS
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Description: 119: Group of children in front of brick buildingDates: circa 1890sContainer: Box:oversize OS
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Description: 120: Launch of the five-masted schooner H.K. Hall at the Hall Brothers Shipyard, Port BlakelyWilhelm Hester (photographer)Dates: 1901Container: Box:oversize OS
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Photograph Albums
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Description: 111: Photograph album
This album consists largely of images of the William Rankin and Carrie Ziegler Rankin family and friends. It includes photographs of William and Carrie Rankin, two children who are probably their sons Weldon and Elwood, and photographs of a Port Blakely Mill company house. The album also contains clippings, including several about the death of Weldon Rankin at the age of 14 from pneumonia, and about the death of William Rankin. Loose photos removed from the album are in a separate folder.
Dates: circa 1900-1925Container: Box 2 -
Description: 112: Photograph album
The front of the album consists of portraits of several individuals. Some are recognizable as members of the Zeigler family (probably Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ziegler); others are possibly members of a Lowe family. The album also includes several images of the Port Blakely company houses, and photographs of the Hall Brothers shipyard, the U.S.S. Arizona, and church and school buildings. The back of the album contains photographs of pets, livestock and farm buildings. Loose photos removed from the album are in a separate folder.
Dates: undatedContainer: Box 2 -
Description: 113: Photograph album
This album contains images of a Mrs. Brock and her family, "Aunt Lizzie Hogue" and her husband, and other individuals. Locations depicted include a hotel, houses, a cabin, Mount Rainier and Bainbridge High School. Loose photos removed from the album are in a separate folder.
Dates: undatedContainer: Box 2
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Papers
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Description: Letters to Mr. and Mrs. F.G. ZieglerDates: 1906; 1912; undatedContainer: Box 3, Folder 1
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Description: Invitations to Mr. and Mrs. F.G. ZieglerDates: circa 1900-1910Container: Box 3, Folder 2
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Description: Wedding announcements and wedding invitations
Includes announcement of marriage Henry F. Ziegler to Augusta Meins on June 20, 1898 and of Carrie Ziegler to William Rankin on June 18, 1906.
Dates: 1898-1911Container: Box 3, Folder 3 -
Description: Patent certificates to Philip Martin Low for "spark arresters"Dates: 1891 September 8; 1909 February 9Container: Box 3, Folder 4
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Description: Programs
Programs for theatrical productions, luncheons and banquets, mostly in Port Blakely
Dates: 1899-1933Container: Box 3, Folder 5 -
Description: F.G. Ziegler's copy of script for "A Regular Fix"Dates: 1899Container: Box 3, Folder 6
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Description: ClippingsDates: early 1900sContainer: Box 3, Folder 7
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Description: MiscellaneousDates: undatedContainer: Box 3, Folder 8
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Publications
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Description: 114: Booklet of photographs of Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition buildingsDates: circa 1909Container: Box 3
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Description: 115: The Cornish School General CatalogDates: 1924-1925Container: Box 3
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Description: 116: At Home with the Kodak
Tips on taking photographs at home, published by the Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y.
Dates: early 1900sContainer: Box 3 -
Description: 117: Victor Hugo Elfendahl
Brief biographical booklet about the life and professional career of Elfendahl, the assistant general manager of the Port Blakely Mill Company of Seattle.
Dates: circa 1918Container: Box 3
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Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Lumber industry--Washington (State)--Port Blakely
- Mills--Washington (State)--Port Blakely
- Shipyards--Washington (State)--Port Blakely
Personal Names
- Rankin, William
- Ziegler, Carrie
- Ziegler, Fred
- Ziegler, Gertrude
- Ziegler, Henry
Corporate Names
- Hall Brothers Shipyard (Port Blakely, Wash.)
- Port Blakely Mill Company
Geographical Names
- Bainbridge Island (Wash.)
- Port Blakely (Wash.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Photograph albums
- Photographic prints
- Portrait photographs
- Tintypes
