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Fred Dummatzen photograph album

 Digital Record
Identifier: larc_001

Dates

  • 1922 - 1939

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

RESTRICTED: Original not available due to fragility. Use photocopy.

Restrictions

Copyright has not been assigned to the Labor Archives and Research Center. All requests for permission to publish or quote from materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Labor Archives and Research Center as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Biography of Fred Dummatzen

Fred Gustave "Red" Dummatzen was a Golden Gate Bridge laborer, and member of the Construction and General Laborer's Union, No. 261. On February 17th, 1937, a traveling roadbed stripping platform broke away from the structure and ripped through the safety net, and plunged twelve men into the ocean. Ten of the men died in the fall from the bridge, including Fred Dummatzen.

Language of Materials

English

Acquisition

The Fred Dummatzen Photograph Album was donated to the Labor Archives and Research Center in 1987, by Linda Olson, a close family friend.

Related Archival Materials

See the Evan "Slim" Lambert Oral History for description of the accident on February 17, 1937; Lambert was one of two men that survived the fall.

Abstract

Photograph album containing images and clippings of and about Fred Dummatzen, a Golden Gate Bridge laborer, and member of the Construction and General Laborer's Union, No. 261. Dummatzen was one of ten men that died in 1937 during the construction of the bridge; the album, which was partially compiled after Dummatzen's death most likely by his parents, also includes clippings, photographs and poems in honor of Dummatzen. The bulk of the photographs, taken by Dummatzen and his fellow workers, include images of workers, both at work and at rest; views of the bridge and the bay from the bridge; images of construction equipment; and documentation of the construction in progress.

Scope and Contents

Photograph album containing images and clippings of and about Fred Dummatzen, a Golden Gate Bridge laborer, and member of the Construction and General Laborer's Union, No. 261. Dummatzen was one of ten men that died in 1937 during the construction of the bridge; the album, which was partially compiled after Dummatzen's death most likely by his parents, also includes clippings, photographs and poems in honor of Dummatzen. The bulk of the photographs, taken by Dummatzen and his fellow workers, include images of workers, both at work and at rest; views of the bridge and the bay from the bridge; images of construction equipment; and documentation of the construction in progress. The album also includes images of Dummatzen, both as a child and as an adult with his friends and family on outings such as camping; and photographs and clippings documenting his funeral and a memorial for Dummatzen held one year after his death.

Repository Details

Part of the Labor Archives and Research Center Repository

Contact:
San Francisco State University
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco 94132-1722 USA
(415) 405-5571