American Smelting & Refining Company. Tacoma Smelter records
Finding aid prepared by Gina C Giang.
Manuscripts Department
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2203
Fax: (626) 449-5720
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
© 2015
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: American Smelting & Refining Company. Tacoma Smelter records
Dates: 1915-1928
Collection Number: mssTacomarecords
Creatorr:
American Smelting and Refining Company. Tacoma Smelter
Extent:
75 items in 1 box
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
Manuscripts Department
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2203
Fax: (626) 449-5720
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection of photographs and retention letters deals with the Tacoma Smelter in Ruston, Washington,
that when finally closed in 1985, was one of the largest Superfund sites in America.
Language of Material: The records are in English.
Administration Information
Access
Collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information,
please go to following
web site .
Publication Rights
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Tacoma Smelting Plant and American Smelting & Refinery records, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Acquisition Information
Purchased from Ken Sanders Rare Books, January 2015.
Historical Note
The American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) plant located in Tacoma, Washington was originally the Ryan Smelter, a
lead-refining company, established by Dennis Ryan in 1887. William R. Rust (1850-1928) purchased the site in 1889 and changed
the name to the Tacoma Smelting and Refining Company. In 1905, Rust sold the plant for $5.5 million to ASARCO, which converted
the lead-refining plant to copper smelting and refining. The Tacoma smelter also produced arsenic trioxide, sulfuric acid
and precious metals throughout most of the 20th century.
The ASARCO Tacoma plant was declared a Superfund site in 1983 and was demolished on January 17, 1993.
Scope and Content
There are 46 8"x10" black and white photographs (three are duplicates) of the expansion of the plant and the construction
of the smokestack. All of the photos but two are identified and date between1915 to 1917.
The retention copies primarily consist of correspondence between H.Y. Walter, who was the manager of the Tacoma plant, and
Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr., who was a mining magnate in Salt Lake City, Utah. The subject matter concerns business operations
including negotiating rates and offering quotes to the White Caps Mining Company. The dates of the correspondence range from
1907 to 1928 (bulk 1919-1923).
Indexing Terms
Personal Names
Walker, H.Y.
Newhouse, Edgar L., Jr.
Corporate Names
American Smelting and Refining Company. Tacoma Smelter
Boston Consolidated Mining Company
Hedley Gold Mining Company
Tacoma Smelting Company
White Caps Mining Company
Subjects
Arsenic
Copper
Electrometallurgy
Metallurgical plants--Design and construction
Mines and mineral resources--Washington (State)
Smelting
Smelting furnaces
Geographic Areas
Tacoma (Wash.)--History
Genre
Correspondence (letters)
Photographs
Box 1
Photographs and correspondence
Folder 1
Tacoma Plant #158: Herreshoff Roasters
(1915, Dec. 1)
Folder 2
Tacoma Plant #215: Tank House Interior
(1915, Oct. 1)
Folder 3
Tacoma Plant #231: Tank House
(1915, Oct. 30)
Folder 4
Tacoma Plant #289: Power House Building
(1916, Jan. 20)
Folder 5
Tacoma Plant #295: Interior Roaster, Brick Work Starters
(1916, Jan. 20)
Folder 6
Tacoma Plant #303: Interior Roaster
(1916, Jan. 30)
Folder 7
Tacoma Plant #310: Casting House Building
(1916, Feb. 19)
Folder 8
Tacoma Plant #311: Roaster & Dust Chambers Fan &
Drives
(1916, Feb. 19)
Folder 9
Tacoma Plant #313: Conveyor to Roaster & Dust Chambers
(1916, Feb. 19)
Folder 10
Tacoma Plant #315: Top of Reverb Furnace
(1916, Feb. 19)
Folder 11
Tacoma Plant #317: Interior of casting furnace
(1916, Feb. 16
Folder 12
Tacoma Plant #319: Interior Power House
(1916, Mar. 1)
Folder 13
Tacoma Plant #321: Reverb Bldg.
(1916, Mar. 1)
Folder 14
Tacoma Plant #323: Yard Craneway
(1916, Mar. 1)
Folder 15
Tacoma Plant #322: Main Flue Dust Chambers
(1916, Mar. 1)
Folder 16
Tacoma Plant #324: Top of Reverb, Tracks
(1916, Mar. 1)
Folder 17
Tacoma Plant #326: Oil Burners to Reverb Furnace
(1916, Mar. 1)
Folder 18
Tacoma Plant #327: Oil Burners to Casting Furnace
(1916, Mar. 1)
Folder 19
Tacoma Plant #328: Interior of Reverb Furnace
(1916, Mar. 5)
Folder 20
Tacoma Plant #332: Installing 60 ton Converter Crane
(1916, Mar. 5)
Folder 21
Tacoma Plant #329: Tracks under Roaster &
Dust Chambers
(1916, Mar. 10)
Folder 22
Tacoma Plant #330: Interior of Power House
(1916, Mar. 10)
Folder 23
Tacoma Plant #331: Interior of Casting House
(1916, Mar. 10)
Folder 24
Tacoma Smelting Company: Converter Flue Extension
(1917, May 1)
Folder 25
Tacoma Smelting Company: New 2000 Ton Refinery
(1917, May 1)
Note: Exterior photograph
Folder 26
Tacoma Smelting Company: New 2000 Ton Refinery
(1917, May 1)
Note: Interior photograph
Folder 27
Tacoma Smelting Company: Ditch For Cut-off Wall-25' x 550' Stack
(1917, May 1)
Folder 28
Tacoma Smelting Company: Excavation for 25' x 550' Chimney
(1917, May 1)
Folder 29
Tacoma Plant: 25' x 550' Chimney Excavation
(1917, May 10)
Folder 30
Tacoma Plant: Reinforcement for 25' x 550' Chimney Foundation, View #2
(1917, May 19)
Folder 31
Tacoma Plant: Extension to Copper Casting Bldg.
(1917, June 1)
Folder 32
Tacoma Plant: Club House
(1917, June 1)
Folder 33
Foundation-25' x 550' Stacks Tacoma Plant
(1917, June 25)
Folder 34
Tacoma Plant: Casting Building #A1
(1917, Aug. 1)
Folder 35
Tacoma Plant: Power House Extension #A2
(1917, Aug. 1)
Folder 36
Tacoma Plant: Club House #A3
(1917, Aug. 4)
Folder 37
Tacoma Plant: 550' Stack
(1917, Aug. 4)
Folder 38
Tacoma Plant: 25' x 571' Chimney
(1917, Aug. 1)
Folder 39
Tacoma Plant: Power House Extension
(1917, Oct. 1)
Folder 40
Tacoma Plant: Nickel Crystallization Plant
(1917, Oct. 1)
Folder 41
Tacoma Plant: Refinery Tank House Interior Showing Tanks
Folder 42
Photographs of unidentified mill equipment
Folder 43
Morse, Willard S. letter to C.W. Whitley
(1907, Dec. 18)
Folder 44
Walker, H.Y. letter to Roger W. Strauss
(1919, Oct. 20)
Folder 45
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1919, Dec. 1)
Folder 46
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1919, Dec. 5)
Folder 47
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1919, Dec. 17)
Folder 48
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1919, Dec. 19)
Folder 49
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1919, Dec. 22)
Folder 50
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1920, Jan. 8)
Folder 51
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1920, Jan. 14)
Folder 52
Walker, H.Y. letter to G.P. Jones
(1920, Jan. 14)
Folder 53
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1920, Jan. 16)
Folder 54
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1920, Jan. 19)
Folder 55
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1920, Jan. 28)
Folder 56
Walker, H.Y. letter to John G. Kirchen
(1920, Feb. 17)
Folder 57
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1920, Mar. 24)
Folder 58
Walker, H.Y. letter to F.M. Manson
(1920, Mar. 26)
Folder 59
Walker, H.Y. letter to J.M. Bidwell
(1920, Apr. 9)
Folder 60
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1920, June 1)
Folder 61
Barker, R.F. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1923, May 1)
Folder 62
Walker, H.Y. letter to B.N. Rickard
(1923, May 23)
Folder 63
Walker, H.Y. letter to B.N. Rickard
(1923, Sep. 7)
Folder 64
Walker, H.Y. to John G. Kirchen
(1923, Sep. 14)
Folder 65
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1923, Oct. 31)
Folder 66
Newhouse, Edgar L. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1923, Nov. 8)
Folder 67
Newhouse, Edgar L. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1923, Nov. 8)
Folder 68
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1923, Nov. 14)
Folder 69
Beyer, L.C. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1923, Dec. 6)
Folder 70
Beyer, L.C. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1923, Dec. 11)
Folder 71
Walker, H.Y. letter to Edgar L. Newhouse, Jr.
(1924, May 27)
Folder 72
Barker, R.F. letter to B.N. Rickard
(1924, Aug. 5)
Folder 73
Walker, H.Y. letter to H.A. Guess
(1925, Aug. 13)
Folder 74
Walker, H.Y. letter to R.F. McElvenny
(1928, July 31)
Folder 75
Walker, H.Y. letter to R.F. McElvenny
(1928, July 31)
