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“There is, perhaps, no seaport town of its size in the United States where so large a portion of the inhabitants are so deeply interested in ships.”
~Captain Cameron of the J.B. Brown speaking of New Tacoma

Captain Cameron made this statement one day in May 1883 after watching Tacoma residents as they walked along the wharves one Sunday afternoon looking at the ships and talking to the sailors.

“I’m an old-timer in these parts,” the captain told a Tacoma Daily Ledger reporter.  “I came here as a mate on the ship Dashing Wave in 1874 and followed a trail through the woods to New Tacoma.  There were just three shanties up on the bluff then.  And I well-remember the first ship that came to New Tacoma.  It was 1877 and she had a cargo of railroad iron for the Northern Pacific.  It was the American ship, Ventus.  I think she took away a cargo of lumber from the Tacoma Mill.”

There is no information about the Ventus, but the Dashing Wave was one of the last true American clippers.  She was built in 1852 in New Hampshire and reached San Francisco in only 107 days. After being sunk in New York harbor, she was bought for the lumber trade and brought to Puget Sound.  Once here, she made thirteen round trips between the Tacoma and San Francisco in a single year, establishing a record.  In 1900, the clipper was sold, and used in the Nome trade after which she made a voyage to Hawaii.  In 1902 the Pacific Cold Storage Co bought her, and in 1911 the ship and the cannery were sold to John Carlson of Seattle.  The clipper remained in service for nine more years and ended up as a cold storage barge.

Tacoma's early seaport

Under ordinary circumstances, a scow is a large flat-bottomed boat with broad square ends, used chiefly for transporting bulk material such as ore, sand, or refuse.  In 1877 Tacoma, milkman R. A. Scott used his to sell his dairy products up and down the bay.  Then he enlarged it in order to haul hay, but not before he christened it with a seaboard dance.

According to the Tacoma Herald, the first Chinese junk seen on the bay was on July 25, 1878.  “It was built on the Sound, about ten miles above here,” the paper reported, “and is to be used in the fishing business by some Chinese who have been upon the Sound for some time, catching and drying various kinds of fish for the San Francisco market.”  The paper went on to say the junk was a “picturesque affair with all the peculiar attachments that distinguish the Celestial craft.  It looks as though it had backed into a lot of chicken coops and three or four pairs of stairs, and had gone off with them all sticking to it.”  The reporter did concede that the sailors aboard “managed it with great dexterity, and are as regular in their movements as man-of-war’s men.”
These days it is hard to know what the Herald was referring to when it said that “Mike Murphy and a friend, while sailing their small plunger near Pt. Defiance, capsized.”  A plunger is a submarine and, although submarines date back to before the Civil War, it’s not likely there was one in Commencement Bay.  But at least both men survived.  Mike held on to an oar and climbed up on the ship’s bow.  He was able to row toward shore while his companion held onto the keel.  Men in a passing boat rescued them.

Though often seen in Commencement Bay, the Alida was never a success.  She was laid up in Olympia in 1871 and after a year’s work, came out again in 1872 making the run between Olympia and Seattle.  In 1873 she took the first passengers from Old Tacoma to the new town to connect with the first railroad train to run in Puget Sound. She was out of commission again the greater portion of the time after 1879.  Then in August 1890, while laid up at Gig Harbor, she was caught in a fire, which swept down from the forest, and burned to the water’s edge. Her damaged engines were saved and taken to Lake’s shipyard, in Ballard.
The bark, Samoset, was built in New Hampshire in 1847 and turned up in Tacoma on Nov. 10, 1869.  Less than a month later, she set sail from the Hanson and Ackerman Mill for San Francisco with 487,350 feet of lumber, the mill’s first lumber shipment.

The first cargo of wheat to go to a foreign port from Puget Sound was shipped from Tacoma, Nov. 5, 1881, on the S.S. Dakota,a cargo vessel.
On Oct. 27, 1895,1,869 bales of silk, 95 cases of silk goods, and 125 bales of waste silk the largest cargo of silk ever shipped to Tacoma arrived on the steamship Victoria.

And boats weren’t all that floated in Commencement Bay.  In March 1878, an unidentified man built a cabin on a raft and moored it near the wharf.  One night an elderly Puyallup man walked off the edge of the wharf and was rescued by two men rowing down from Old Town.  What they were all doing out at 2 a.m. was never said, but the rescued man was taken to the precursor of a houseboat to recover.

From scow to schooner, from ferry to freighter, bark to bateau, they were all here, lending beauty now greatly missed.

Karla Stover by — January 25, 2012 in Everything Else

On rolling, green grounds near Point Defiance Park, Franke Tobey Jones, a 20-acre retirement community, has been a part of Tacoma since 1924.  During that time, this not-for-profit entity has proved itself to be a good neighbor and an asset for the entire city community.  Nothing demonstrates this more clearly than does its Senior University program.

Senior University exists because staff members seriously addressed the premise on which Franke Tobey Jones operates:  “to enrich and expand the quality of life.”  As the staff explored the ramifications of what they wished to accomplish, they realized that the community they wanted to serve included not just the 62+ age resident community but also the 55 and better community at large.

In 2007 the first steps were taken.  The staff wanted to offer education and activities that had substance to them.  They networked with faculty from the local academic communities.  The first cooperative effort was with the University of Puget Sound, which was later joined by Tacoma Community College, University of Washington/Tacoma, Clover Park Schools and Pacific Lutheran.  One staff member was quite active in the arts community, which proved to be a valuable resource.  Senior University has also collaborated with the Elder Hostel program, a fee-based curriculum, and usually, therefore the only Senior University offering that has a fee attached to it. In these first five years of operation, Senior University knows it has touched the lives of at least 600 individuals.

The new Director of Senior University, Kitty Custer says she anticipates being able to continue building on the curriculum that Cherilyn Williams had developed.  She hopes the word will get out into the community so that Senior University might be able to serve an ever-larger number of people.
In addition to a core curriculum on health and wellness issues such as chronic conditions, Senior University offers a variety of courses that appeal to the creative mind and enhance knowledge and experiences in visual arts, literature and music.  Some classes require pre-registration in order to keep the class size a workable one within the constraints of the classroom size.

An example of this is the creative writing class, “What I Have to Say about My Life Journey” with Jan Lawry.  This ongoing class provides an opportunity to discuss the development and use of one’s core values, then see how they apply to making important decisions.  Each month, a different aspect is covered; for Feb. 3 and Feb. 17 the work will center on “Who is your family?” and March will cover work history and education.  The class size is limited to eight, so registration by calling 253-752-6621 is required.

Another class that requires pre-registration because of space limitation is “Poetry Workshop:  Writing Deeply.” Participants will have an opportunity to examine, discuss, write and receive gentle critique.   Tammy Robacker, former Poet Laureate of Tacoma leads this two-hour, Tuesday workshop beginning on Feb. 7.

Oil Pastels with Lia Cravens (one day, two hours) and Acrylic Collage with Roxanne Everett (two days, 4hrs. each) require a small fee.
For more information about these and any other offerings, check out the Franke Tobey Jones web site at www.franketobeyjones.com and click on “community programs.”  This will give you some choices, so click on “Senior University.”  Then click on “Feb 2012 Description of Courses.” Check the calendar page often to see if additional courses are being offered. The web site also offers a map and set of directions on how to find the campus.  A rule of thumb regarding the role of weather in determining if classes will be held:  if Tacoma Schools are closed, there will be no university classes.

If you have any questions or have an idea for an additional course to be added, you can contact:  Kitty Custer, Director of Senior University  at kcuster@franketobeyjones.com  or by mail at the address below.  A brief announcement of all courses appears as an ad in the Tacoma News Tribune.  (If you have trouble accessing information via computer, you might consider taking one of Senior University’s computer courses.)

Maggie Kelly by — January 25, 2012 in Everything Else

free tax preparation offered by AARP
AARP offers free tax preparation

Tax season is here.  Do you dread filling out those confusing forms?  Are you wondering whether new provisions of the tax code apply to you? Have you put off doing your taxes, even if you expect a refund?

Help is available!  Free tax assistance and preparation for taxpayers with low- and middle- incomes, with special attention to those age 60 and older, is available from AARP Tax-Aide from Feb. 1 through April 17.  You do not need to be a member of AARP or a retiree to use this service.

Tax law can often be confusing.  AARP Tax-Aide volunteers can make the process of filling out tax returns a whole lot easier. Volunteers have gone through a rigorous training program offered in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service, and have the knowledge to help prepare your return taking advantage of the many provisions of the tax code. Well-trained AARP Tax-Aide volunteers will offer assistance with personal income tax returns at more than 150 sites in Washington state this year.  And to speed refunds, we file returns electronically.

Last year, more than 1,200 AARP Tax-Aide volunteers helped more than 81,000 Washington residents file their income tax returns. The program is offered at senior centers, libraries and other convenient locations.

Who uses Tax-Aide? Nationwide about 4 out of 5 (78 percent) are 60 or older, 63 percent are women, and more than half have annual incomes of less than $30,000.  And most of those who use Tax-Aide would have paid to have their returns prepared.

When you visit the site, please bring a copy of last year’s return, all W-2 and 1099 forms including SSA-1099 for Social Security benefits paid, property tax records if applicable, all receipts and canceled checks if itemizing, Social Security cards for yourself and dependents, and if applicable, dependent care provider information including name, employer, and social security number.

AARP Tax-Aide is a program of the AARP Foundation, offered in conjunction with the IRS.  For more information or to locate an AARP Tax-Aide site near you visit www.aarp.org/taxaide or call toll-free 1-888-227-7669.

Contributing Author by — January 25, 2012 in Everything Else

Most Americans would prefer to remain in their own home for as long as possible.  One way that people can do that is a “Reverse Mortgage.”  Knowing the fundamentals about Reverse Mortgages can make for a solid decision and prevent major problems.  A Reverse Mortgage enables seniors 62 or older to access their home equity for a variety of purposes.

Pierce County Community Connections Aging & Disability Resources is sponsoring “Reverse Mortgages: A Primer for Consumers” as part of the “Know it before you need it” series.  The free workshop explains in clear, impartial terms the basic features of a Reverse Mortgage and how one can provide the means to stay in one’s home.

“Many people are apprehensive about getting a Reverse Mortgage,” said Aaron Van Valkenburg, manager of Aging and Disability Resources.  “But they can be a prudent way for seniors to tap into a home’s value and provide the means to remain at home without sacrificing anything.  When it comes to Reverse Mortgages, knowledge is everything.”

Presenting at the workshops will be Bob Riler, HUD-certified Reverse Mortgage Counselor and staff at Community Connections; Rebecca Rainsberger of Genworth Financial and Edwin Hoffmann of Eagle Home Mortgage.  This is an information-only event.

The workshop will be repeated four times:

Feb 13, 12:10 to 12:50 p.m.
Pierce County Annex – Main Conference Room, 2401 S. 35th Street, Tacoma
Feb 13, 7 to 8 p.m.
Soundview Building Conference Room, 3611 S. “D” Street, Tacoma
Feb 15, 12:10 to 12:50 p.m.
County-City Bldg – Rainier Conference Room – 7th Floor, 930 S. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma
Feb 15, 7 to 8 p.m.
University Place Library Conf Room, 3609 Market Place W., Suite 100; UP

The presentations are free and open to the public.  No RSVP is required.  For more information contact the Pierce County Aging & Disability Resource Center at (253) 798-4600 or (800) 562-0332.

Contributing Author by — January 25, 2012 in Everything Else