Murray Morgan Bridge
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Murray Morgan Bridge (nee the 11th St. Bridge) has been the gateway to Tacoma’s port/industrial area since 1895. Companies such as St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber, Wheeler Osgood, Todd Shipyards, Olin Aluminum, Hooker Chemical, and St. Regis Paper were the predecessors of today’s industrial base
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The present bridge was dedicated February 15, 1913. The Port of Tacoma was the culmination of a dream that started with the dredging of Foss Waterway in `889. The former marsh and tide flats area is now one of the world’s greatest ports. The bridge would play a crucial role in the great lumber strike of 1935. More than 2800 lumber workers went on strike in June `935, fighting for union recognition and a much-needed wage increase. Employers pressured Governor Martin to send in National Guard; troops from Eastern Washington patrolled Tacoma streets with fixed bayonets. On July 12, 1935, strikers confronted scabs crossing the bridge. A bloody skirmish between strikers and guardsmen ensued. With community and labor solidarity, including help from Longshoremen, the important strike was won.
The 11th St. Bridge, renamed after local author and historian Murray Morgan in 1997, remains a symbol of solidarity for the Tacoma Labor Movement.