Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collection

Known mainly for its infamous collapse in 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge continues to hold a place in engineering and Pacific Northwest history. This collection contains images and text drawn from the University of Washington Special Collections Division and the Museum of History and Industry. They document the creation of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, its collapse and subsequent studies involving its aerodynamics, and finally the construction of a second bridge spanning the Narrows.

About the Database

The information for Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collection was researched and prepared by the UW Libraries Special Collections Division in 2001. The photographs and written materials in this database are selections from the following collections held at the UW Libraries Special Collections Division: Thomas W. Neill Photographs. Collection no. 11; University of Washington. Dept. of Civil Engineering. Photograph collection no. 290; Tacoma Narrows Bridge Photographs. Collection no. 581; University of Washington Engineering Experiment Station. Accession No. 71-3; University of Washington Engineering Experiment Station. Accession No. 71-60; Lucille McDonald Papers, Accession No. 2234-3; 979.744 Pierce County - Tacoma Narrows Bridge: Special Collections Pamphlet File. Selections were also made from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection held at the Museum of History and Industry. The images and text were scanned using a Microtek ScanMaker 9600XL and saved in .jpg format. Some manipulation of the images was done to present the clearest possible digital image. The scanned images were then linked with descriptive data using CONTENTdm software.