Finding Aid to the Fred Dummatzen Golden Gate Bridge Construction Photograph Album
Finding aid prepared by Tanya Hollis
Labor Archives and Research Center
2013
San Francisco State University
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco, CA, 94132-1722
(415) 405-5571
larc@sfsu.edu
Title: Fred Dummatzen Golden Gate Bridge construction photograph album
Date (bulk): 1937-1939
Date (inclusive): 1912-1939
Creator:
Dummatzen, Fred
Extent:
1 album (137 photographic prints) ; 23.5 x 31 cm. ,
2 folders
Collection number: larc.pho.0070
Repository:
Labor Archives and Research Center
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
San Francisco State University
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco, CA 94132-1722
(415) 405-5571
larc@sfsu.edu
Languages:
Item is in English.
Abstract: Photograph album containing images and clippings of and about Fred (Gustaf Frederick) Dummatzen, a Golden Gate Bridge laborer,
and member of the Construction and General Laborer's Union, No. 261. The bulk of the photographs, taken by Dummatzen and his
fellow workers, include images of workers, both at work and at rest; views of the bridge and the bay from the bridge; images
of construction equipment; and documentation of the construction in progress. Collection also includes a folder of personal
and legal documents, and a folder containing a portrait of Dummatzen, along with images that appear to have been removed from
the album.
[Identification of item], Fred Dummatzen Golden Gate Bridge Construction Photograph Album, larc.pho.0070, Labor Archives and
Research Center, San Francisco State University.
Copyright has not been assigned to the Labor Archives and Research Center. All requests for permission to publish or quote
from materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of the Labor Archives and Research Center as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Restrictions also apply to digital representations of
the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
RESTRICTED: Original not available for use due to fragility; use digital or reference photocopy.
See the Evan "Slim" Lambert Oral History for description of the accident on February 17, 1937; Lambert was one of two men
that survived the fall.
The Fred Dummatzen Golden Gate Bridge Construction Photograph Album was donated to the Labor Archives and Research Center
in 1987, by Linda Olson.
Fred (Gustaf Frederick) "Red" Dummatzen was a Golden Gate Bridge laborer, and member of the Construction and General Laborer's
Union, No. 261. On February 17th, 1937, a traveling roadbed stripping platform broke away from the structure and ripped through
the safety net, and plunged twelve men into the ocean. Ten of the men died in the fall from the bridge, including Dummatzen.
Photograph album containing images and clippings of and about Fred Dummatzen, a Golden Gate Bridge laborer, and member of
the Construction and General Laborer's Union, No. 261. Dummatzen was one of ten men that died in 1937 during the construction
of the bridge; the album, which was partially compiled after Dummatzen's death most likely by his parents, also includes clippings,
photographs and poems in honor of Dummatzen. The bulk of the photographs, taken by Dummatzen and his fellow workers, include
images of workers, both at work and at rest; views of the bridge and the bay from the bridge; images of construction equipment;
and documentation of the construction in progress. The album also includes images of Dummatzen, both as a child and as an
adult with his friends and family on outings such as camping; and photographs and clippings documenting his funeral and a
memorial for Dummatzen held one year after his death.
Collection also includes a folder of personal and legal documents, including Dummatzen's birth announcement and high school
diploma, a Golden Gate Bridge Bond, and legal documentation from the legal case of the Dummatzen family vs. Golden Gate Bridge
Company for compensation for Dummatzen's death; and a folder containing a portrait of Dummatzen, along with images that appear
to have been removed from the album.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Bridge construction--California--San Francisco--1930-1940.
Bridges--California--San Francisco Bay.
Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, Calif.)
Laborers.
Photograph albums--1930-1940.
Photographic prints--1930-1940.
Box 1, Folder 1
Photograph album 1937-1939
Box 1, Folder 2
Personal and legal documents, Golden Gate Bridge bond 1912, 1930-1937
Box 1, Folder 3
Portraits of Fred Dummatzen, miscellaneous photographs removed from album 1934-1937