Business & Economics

In 1889, a 40-acre parcel south of downtown Tacoma was set aside as South Park. In 1901, park commissioners officially changed the name to Lincoln Park to honor the former president. Lincoln remained the area's namesake, and portions of the park were carved out to create Lincoln High School in 1913 and Lincoln Bowl in the 1940s. The 20th century witnessed much change as the area became more diverse; businesses came and went; and, instead of the streetcar tracks that once crisscrossed the district, Interstate 5 now draws an obvious boundary to the north. The heart of the Lincoln District, however, remains the same—a neighborhood of modest single-family homes and thriving businesses, with the high school at its center. This book shares stories of the district's creation, development, and, most importantly, people—residents; business owners; Lincoln High School students and teachers; and significant visitors, ranging from politicians and athletes to entertainers as varied as Paul Robeson and Elvis Presley.

Johnny White's Sports Bar was a French Quarter institution. Often called the locals' living room, Johnny White's was the only twenty-four-hour bar on Bourbon Street and attracted a colorful cast of regulars, local characters and tourists looking for a good time. Memorable French Quarter personalities like Ruthie the Duck Girl and Perri the Hobo frequented the bar in their rounds. During Hurricane Katrina, the bar remained a refuge to those who'd stayed in the city, despite authorities ordering the bar to close at gunpoint. When the bar's lease was finally up in 2012, patrons mourned its loss with a full jazz funeral procession. Marita Woywod Crandle offers an insider's look at the gritty, unique and often hilarious world of this beloved and much-missed French Quarter icon.