Finding Thea

The name Thea Foss appears all over Tacoma, WA, but few area residents seem aware of its origins. In Finding Thea, filmmakers Lucy Ostrander and Nancy Bourne Haley ask boaters in nearby Commencement Bay to identify Thea Foss, but only one person yells, “Tugboat Annie!” Foss did inspire Tugboat Annie, a character featured in Depression-era literature and movies, and the filmmakers acknowledge this legend, but their ultimate goal is to offer a glimpse into the woman's actual life and times. Born in Norway, Thea emigrated to the United States in 1875, joining her future husband, Andrew, in Minnesota. Struggling to care for a growing family, the couple heard about opportunities in the Northwest and traveled to Tacoma, at that time the terminus of the railroad, capital city of the region, and—according to Rudyard Kipling—a place “staggering under a boom of the boomiest.” The Foss family tapped into this abundance when Thea purchased a rowboat for five dollars, fixed it up, sold it for a profit, and recognized the financial opportunities of working within the maritime industry. The family business gradually expanded from rowboats to tugboats, eventually becoming Foss Maritime, a tugboat company that survives to this day. Backed by a soundtrack of Nordic folk music, Finding Thea combines historical photographs, quotes from journals, and interviews with historians to tell a fascinating story that will appeal to general audiences, as well as anyone studying the histories of immigration, women, and the maritime industry. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Wadland)