Massive 15-ton Washington Artifact will Return to Tacoma’s Waterfront on May 6
Thursday morning commuters along I-90 and I-5 will be among the first to see the renewed Dickman Mill headsaw headed from Spokane to Tacoma after an extensive restoration.
The Dickman Lumber Company’s historic head saw was a mechanical marvel made by Sumner Iron Works of Everett. Originally installed in 1923, it once helped fuel Washington’s economy. It was the last remaining head saw from a time when Tacoma was praised as the “wooden capital of the world”.
With its 350-horsepower Westinghouse engine, the headsaw – named because it made the first cuts in logs brought to the mill – could cut boards up to 65 feet in length, and at its peak in that up to 150,000 feet Wood produced per day in the 1920s and 1930s. There was a 15-inch wide band saw on two giant wheels that was replaced and refilled twice a day. The logs were placed on the 12-foot by 45-foot cart and passed through the blinking blade of the headsaw, also known as the “head rig.” The 9 acre Dickman Mill, which closed in 1977, was the last operational sawmill on the banks of the Ruston Way. The head saw, which stood 34 feet tall during operation, was on display in the Marine Park after the mill closed, but was removed in 2003 after years in the salty air. B. It was relocated to the maintenance yard at Point Defiance Park, where it was torn to pieces for nearly two decades while Metro Parks waited for the opportunity to restore and display it again.
In 2017, Cambia Health Solutions, the parent company of Regence BlueShield, turned that vision into a reality with a $ 2.9 million gift to the people of Tacoma. As part of the company’s 100th anniversary, a major update was funded for Dickman Mill Park, reminding of its roots in Tacoma. In 1917, local doctors teamed up to offer health insurance for woodworkers. The workers collected a small percentage of their weekly wages and in return received a safety net in case of illness or injury, creating the company that continues to this day.
However, Tacoma is not the only beneficiary of this gift. The project is also contributing to the economic health of east Washington, where Northwest Fabricators not only restored the headsaw, but also made the steel structure and handrails for a new catwalk that gives park visitors a view of Puget Sound. It’s another feature of the parking lot where the saw is displayed. In total, these elements of the design poured over $ 300,000 into Spokane’s economy.
The head saw will be shipped in pieces from Spokane to Tacoma and is expected to arrive on Ruston Way between 8 and 9 a.m. on Thursday. The parts are unloaded from the truck into a gravel area opposite the park. They are then transported to a staging area in the park, where a crane helps put the massive artifact back together piece by piece. The contractor estimates that they will lift the headsaw around 1:00 p.m. and complete the assembly by the end of the day.
The head saw will grace a beautiful square built with bricks from the old mill that were reclaimed from the coast as part of the beach rehabilitation in the early stages of the project.
Another exciting element of the park is slated to ship next week. Artist Mary Coss ‘Ghost Log, a great interpretive piece of art, is a massive 44’ Corten steel sculpture that depicts the history of the land on which the park is located.
The park construction remains on schedule for an expected opening in early summer.
Learn more and stay tuned by visiting metroparkstacoma.org/dickman-mill.