THE TUGBOAT PIONEER Thea Foss

Thea Foss
photo courtesy of Foss Maritime Company

135 years ago, Norwegian immigrant Thea Foss lived in a ramshackle driftwood houseboat on the coast of Tacoma Washington. Kind, capable, and hard-working, she was an anchor for hundreds more immigrants during America’s Gilded Age. Thea built the largest maritime company west of the Mississippi- but more than that, she was the heart of the community. (Plus there’s a boat parade, a catastrophic fire, and a truly delightful cow.)

Join Katie on location in Tacoma, Washington as we explore the question of how to build community.

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Fancy a Thea Foss ⁠MUG⁠ featuring her inspiring motto ALWAYS READY? The What’sHerName ⁠SHOP⁠ is open!

Join us for our next adventure on a What’sHerName TOUR!

If you’re local to Tacoma, check out all the cool stuff Jennifer Trahan and Parks Tacoma are doing!

Thea and Andrew
image from informational panel at Thea’s Park

Thea and Lillian Foss
Tacoma Public Library

Foss Boathouse, 1890s
Tacoma Public Library

The houseboat with many upgrades over the years
Tacoma Public Library

The Foss Family at their boathouse
Tacoma Public Library

Thea Foss’ funeral
Tacoma Public Library

Foss Tugboats
image from informational panel at Thea’s Park

Foss Waterway Seaport, Tacoma
photo by Katie Nelson

Foss Waterway, now crowded with yachts
photo by Katie Nelson

Thea’s Park, Tacoma Washington
photo by Katie Nelson

A Foss tugboat, Mt. Ranier in the background
photo by Katie Nelson

Jennifer Trahan is a Park Guide for Parks Tacoma in Washington State. She has worked with and volunteered for local museums while also developing educational programs for nonprofit organizations. She continues to develop education programs for youth, leads nature guided hikes, and tells the stories of Tacoma’s past on history walks. Her focus is primarily Tacoma history but has broad interests including botanical medicine and its historical applications. She received her BA in United States History from the University of Washington and a certificate in Holistic Landscape Design from Bastyr University.

Music featured in this episode included:

Traditional Norwegian songs in the ⁠National Jukebox Collection⁠ at the Library of Congress
“The Royal Vagabond” by Jockers Dance Orchestra
“Meditation Impromptu 1” by Kevin MacLeod
“Density & Time” by Travelator
“Lift Up” by the Mini Vandals
sound effects were kindly shared by ⁠Kevin Luce⁠ and ⁠Klankbeeld

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