The Tacoma Owney tag

1888-1897

Owney obtained this hotel key check token while visiting The Tacoma Hotel in Tacoma, Washington. The hotel, built by architect Stanford White in 1884, drew a number of remarkable guests, including writer Mark Twain. In the early 1890s the hotel had its own mascot, an 800-pound bear named Jack. There are no records that reveal if the two mascots ever met, and perhaps the hotel staff wisely kept them well separated during Owney’s visit.