The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-09-12
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Army Mechanics to Make
Over Troop 3
Fsmous Horse Company
SONG Anfi-Tsnk
Helped lnduet First Sfste
Governor Into Office
CoIorful Career Includes
Overseas Service
THEY were having great
l. times in Tacoma in the
fan of 1889. The folks here
then were military minded.
They liked TO see men in uni
form and there were plenty OF
men who liked to wear the
uniforms. The colorful Mason
Zouaves, a company organized
and financed by Allen c. Ma
son. Tacoma's leading citizen.
had earned a national reputa-
ton. A couple of infantry COM
panies were the best drilled
militia units in the Northwest
One day early in the fall OF
1889, a young attorney named
Ashton; w. ]. Robb. the Union
Pacific land agent; Col. c. P.
Ferry. capitalist and brother Of
the leading candidate seeking
the honor of being the.first gov
ernor of the new state Of WASH
ington; Frank Harshberger, sec
rotary TO Allen c. Mason, and
q few other young horsemen
were having lunch together. As
Col. Ferry, who had just return
ed from the East. told about an
exhibition drill by the famous
Seventh Cavalry regiment Of
New York, one of the group
said, why can't we have q
cavalry troop here ?"
A week later there appeared in
the Morning Ledger a news story
which began with this para
graph:
"The pluck and Drawn and
intelligence Of Tacoma's young
men were well represented last
night ut the meeting In the
armory Of the Tacoma Guards
on Railroad avenue (Com-
merce street) of those In
terested in forming q Tacoma
cavalry company
That was the beginning of Ia
coma's famous Troop B. now one
of the few cavalry organizations
in the United States to survive
the army organization program.
And now the days of Troop B
are numbered. AS soon as the
red tape can be untangled the
cavalry troop that put color into
the parade at the inaugural Of
the first governor of Washing
ton, fought the Pinkerton strike
breakers in the Western WASH
ington coal fields, saw patrol
service on the Mexican border
and performed important duties
in France In 1918, will be
absorbed in a motorized anti
tank battalion. Because of its
service and association in public
activities during the first fifty
years of statehood, it seems that
some reference should be made
to an honorable record covering
half century of service.
At the meeting at the Ia
coma Guard armory In the fall
Of 1899, about half q hundred
OF Tacoma's young horsemen
signed the charter membership
roll of the first cavalry troop
organized In the Northwest.
On the roster were the names
of members of families stin
represented In the business
and social life Of Tacoma.
Among them were Fred T.
Taylor. city assessor; L. H. Pink
ham, H. r. Cox, one time county
school superintendent; w. j.
Meade, vice president Mason
Mortage Loan and Trust COM
pany; George p. Eaton. assistant
general land agent, Northern
Pacific; w. ]. Brown. r. N.
Brown. w. o. Robb. Union Pa
cific land agent; Arthur Bowen,
contractor Harry Hoaglund,
hardware; z. c. Burlingame,
contractor; r. d. Herod, James
M. Ashton. member of the firm
of Michel, Ashton and Chap
man; George w. Bowen. Charles
Fox. real estate; Thomas Fox
photo-engraver; Herbert and
Henry Hunt, Peter Kehoe. con-
tractor; Edward Hall, Potter
Charles Sullivan. attorney: Fred
Alspaugh. secretary Tacoma In
stitute for Savings; w. z. Price
George Bingham. city engineer,
T. p. McCielland. Col. G. p
Ferry. w. p. Heath. c. A. Kline
w. ]. Werner. representative
Lombard Investment company,
W. B. Dodge. hardware: L. B
Strayer. c. F. Whipple. Fret
Allern. James NJ. Dougan, Der
Richardson. Fred Schievert, c. r