In December 1949, new machinery went into operation at the Aaberg Fuel Company’s yard located between East Bay Street and the Puyallup River at the foot of Puyallup Avenue in Tacoma. Mrs. Anna Johnson was president of Aaberg while her husband, Herbert served as secretary-treasurer.
Aaberg operated a fleet of dumptrucks and delivery vehicles supplying wood, oil, and coal to Tacoma area customers. At the time many homes and business still relied on firewood and coal for heat. Hebert P. Johnson Jr. designed the system of machinery that moved coal from railroad cars to Aaberg’s delivery trucks, all run by electricity provided through more than 20,000 feet of electrical control cable.
The Aaberg system was the first of its kind and was once featured in a magazine devoted to mechanics. The company “guaranteed the best quality coal or oil in town at the lowest possible prices.” In this photo Aaberg’s delivery drivers stand beside six trucks in front of large stockpiles of coal. Four different sizes of coal were popular for home consumer and small business use: stoker, chip, nut, and lump. In the mid-1980s, Herbert and Anna Johnson sold the business and name to Hank Bacon who operates today as Aaberg’s Tool and Equipment Rental and Sales, Inc.
This photo #D464967 by Richard Studios comes courtesy of the Tacoma Public Library and appeared in the December 14, 1949 issue of the Tacoma News Tribune.
