Morin Net Shed

Orange marks show location of net sheds
along Gig Harbor's waterfront

Gig Harbor's Net Sheds

(The Largest Inventory on the Puget Sound)

Have you noticed lately with the improvement in our weather that we are getting more visitors each day strolling around town?  Several visitors walking through the Millville District have stopped and asked me about our town.  Some questions are:  Is this area (Millville) your historic neighborhood?  How old is it?  How old are the houses?  What did the first people do?  And so forth.

As I answer their questions I'm thinking in the back of my mind (yes I still have one) that we as a community should make more of an effort to link our history and heritage of the downtown area with the present.  Yes, I know, we do have several historical markers identifying some our the properties around town.  And yes, the visitors are referred to the Harbor History Museum but pointing down Harborview Drive with an explanation that 'just follow the road and it's about X-minutes away.'  One resident once suggested that those of us in Millville place a small identical marker in our yards showing the date of construction and the original builder or resident similar to "Established 1884, Joseph Dorotich."

Many of our earliest settlers claimed the wider Gig Harbor area for their future homes.  As Lawrence Durrell said in his "Reflections on a Marine Venus," a recounting of his life on Rhodes during World War II after the Allies defeated the Germans and Italians occupying the isle, 'the past provides a vicarious sense of continuity to the future' (I have paraphrased his comment).

With this in mind the next 15 blogs will deal with one of the more important factors in our history - the net sheds that allowed our early residents to conduct their business of commercial fishing operations. These structures allowed them to store and repair their nets, repair equipment, and perform many of the jobs that could only be done on dry land between fishing seasons.  These net sheds are a significant remnant of the economic development of Gig Harbor, then, and now.  Gig Harbor is fortunate to have the largest remaining historic net shed inventory in the Puget Sound.

I want to thank the City of Gig Harbor for allowing me to use material from the Historic American Engineering Survey on Gig Harbor Net Sheds.  The complete surveys can be located http://www.cityofgigharbor.net/page.php?id=689  

 

Original Morin Net Shed -
Now used by the Lovrovich Family

The old MORIN NET SHED is the second of 17 net sheds along Gig Harbor’s waterfront that will be the subject of this week’s blog.  A copy of the survey can be accessed at http://www.cityofgigharbor.net/page.php?id=1089 The survey includes engineered drawings in Plan and Profile thanks to funds provided by the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and the National Trust.  To view images of the  Morin Net shed (now owned by Gregg, Timothy, and Thomas Lovrovich) go to http://www.cityofgigharbor.net/page.php?id=1089

You can also obtain a copy of a brochure for a self-guided tour of the 17 netsheds from the City of Gig Harbor, the Harbor History Museum, or the Chamber of Commerce or click http://www.cityofgigharbor.net/files/library/7ddc034fdcde1ad9.pdf

To me and many others, the net sheds of Gig Harbor are a constant reminder of the first major industry here after the white settlers arrived.  It was the Europeans escaping hard times in their homelands that came to Gig Harbor and either took up fishing or continued fishing earning them and their families a livelihood on the water harvesting the bountiful fish in the surrounding waters. The principle fishermen were Croatians, but there were many Scandinavians as well.

The net sheds were built by the fishermen to provide a place to mend nets, repair boats, provide a gathering place between fishing seasons, and perform other jobs necessary to get their boats ready for the next venture at sea.  Fishing is a full-time job otherwise known as "12-month job."  Many men fished the Pacific Ocean waters from the coast of South America to the Bering Sea.

Today's fishermen, ranging in age from their 60s (maybe 70s) to their early 20s, are still carrying on the traditions and values of their ancestors. Fishing is a living, thriving industry - young people still enter the fishing profession after completing their education. Over the past 36 years that I have lived in Gig Harbor I have seen many historic net sheds and fishing family properties disappear. Some of these historic properties have changed hands and have been adapted to re-use, with the renovation retaining little if any of the original features.  

When you look at the west side of Gig Harbor Bay, you'll find  the 17 net sheds we will identify in this and the next 16 blogs. These net sheds are the remnants of what was one of the most vibrant working waterfronts on the Puget Sound.

Okay, so now I have encouraged you to check out a few of these structures - how do you go about it? As I mentioned earlier, the City of Gig Harbor has prepared a brochure for a self-guided tour of all 17 net sheds. Grab a copy and then decide how you are going to do it.  http://www.cityofgigharbor.net/files/library/7ddc034fdcde1ad9.pdf But remember, that except for the Skansie net shed these net sheds are privately owned and you will need permission from the owner to enter -- unless they are operated as a business enterprise open to the public.

If you have a boat, that is the best way; it allows you to close your eyes and visualize how busy those properties were in their heyday. But, though not quite as impressive, you can do the same thing walking along Harborview from the old ferry dock at the mouth of the harbor all the way up to West Shore Marina.  

Tune in next week for the next in our series on the historic net sheds of Gig Harbor.

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Emmett Hunt's Diary - Wednesday June 14, 1882

Wednesday June 14, 1882:  Very warm again.  Puttied that side of the boat & some other work.  Do some writing in eve --

© 2013 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Gig Harbor Netsheds (The Largest Inventory on the Puget Sound)

Sunday's Blessing of the Fleet allowed us to participate in the annual event honoring all commercial fishermen.  Yes, some of the boats had already left in early mid-May, but there was still a great representation of vessels sitting on the water waiting for the ceremony.  (I was surprised that some people thought our entire fleet was on hand for the blessing - I believe we have 20 to 25 active purse seine vessels.)

The first Blessing I saw was in San Francisco Bay in the early sixties which was an ecumenical service conducted by both Roman Catholic and Anglican (Episcopalian) clergy.  While living in Houston, I would go to the ceremony in Galveston.  The ceremony is asking for a bountiful catch, a safe season and a safe return home when the season ends.  I believe it is especially meaningful when an entire community takes part regardless of religion.  Oh, by the by, the first Blessing of the Fleet in Gig Harbor was during the 1971 Harbor Holidays, which eventually became what we know today as  the Maritime Gig

So what does this have to do with net sheds? Where are the fishermen repairing equipment, working on their boats, keeping their 'tools of the trade' in top condition? This work has been historically performed in their net sheds, and still is.  

Over this and the next 16 blogs we will touch on these historic structures which allowed our first settlers to conduct their business of commercial fishing.  

I want to thank the City of Gig Harbor for allowing me to use material from the Historic American Engineering Survey on Gig Harbor Net Sheds.  The complete surveys can be located http://www.cityofgigharbor.net/page.php?id=689  

The old GILICH NETSHED is the first of 17 netsheds along Gig Harbor’s waterfront that will be the subject of this week’s blog.  A copy of the survey can be accessed at http://www.cityofgigharbor.net/page.php?id=995.  The survey includes Engineered drawings in Plan and Profile thanks to funds provided by the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and the National Trust.  To view images of the Gilich Netshed (now owned by Blair/Moller) go to http://www.cityofgigharbor.net/files/library/b3f2d6b32ce2f244.pdf.  

If you missed it you can read more about Tony and Donald Gilich on the Harbor History Museum blog page.  It was published on March 13, 2013.  

http://www.harborhistorymuseum.blogspot.com/2013_03_01_archive.html

You can also obtain a copy of a brochure for a self-guided tour of the 17 netsheds from the City of Gig Harbor, the Harbor History Museum, or the Chamber of Commerce or click http://www.cityofgigharbor.net/files/library/7ddc034fdcde1ad9.pdf 

To me and many others, the netsheds of Gig Harbor are a constant reminder of the first major industry here after the white settlers arrived.  It was the Europeans escaping hard times in their homelands that came to Gig Harbor and either took up fishing or continued fishing earning them and their families a livelihood on the water harvesting the bountiful fish in the surrounding waters.  The principle fishermen were Croatians, but there were many Scandinavians as well.

The 'netsheds' were built by the immigrants to provide a place to mend nets, repair their boats, provide a gathering place between fishing seasons and perform other jobs necessary to get their boats ready for the next venture at sea.  Fishing is a full time job otherwise known as "12-month job".  Many men fished the Pacific Ocean waters from the coast of South America to the Bering Sea.

Today's fishermen ranging in age from their 60s (maybe 70s) to their early 20s are still carrying on the traditions and values of their ancestors. Fishing is a living, thriving, industry - young people still enter the fishing profession after completing their education.   Over the past 36 years that I have lived in Gig Harbor I have seen many historic net sheds and fishing families properties disappear.  Some of these historic properties have changed hands and have been adapted to reuse and rebuilt retaining little if any of the original features.  

When you look at the west side of Gig Harbor Bay and you'll find  the 17 net sheds we are identifying in this and the next 16 blogs, you can see the remnants of what was one of the most vibrant working waterfronts on the Puget Sound.

Okay, so now I have encouraged you to check out a few of these structures -  how do you go about it? As I mentioned earlier, the City of Gig Harbor has prepared a brochure for a self-guided tour of all 17 net sheds.  Grab a copy and then decide how you are going to do it.  http://www.cityofgigharbor.net/files/library/7ddc034fdcde1ad9.pdf But remember that except for the Skansie netshed these net sheds are privately owned and you will need permission from the owner to enter unless they are operated as a business enterprise open to the public.

If you have a boat, that is the best way; it allows you to close your eyes and visualize how busy those properties were in their heyday.  But, though not quite as impressive, you can do the same thing walking along Harborview from the old Ferry dock at the mouth of the harbor all the way up to West Shore Marina.  

Tune in next week for the next in our series on the historic net sheds of Gig Harbor.

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Emmett Hunt's Diary - Wednesday June 7, 1882

June 7, 1882, Wednesday:  Still cloudy and cool which is very agreeable.  Put in the day at various things all small puttering jobs.

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

EARLY DAYS AT ARLETTA - ON HALES PASSAGE

EARLY DAYS AT ARLETTA - ON HALES PASSAGE BY AURA MAY MITCHELL - Continued

"The schoolhouse was a one-room unpainted building just the right height for the pupils to play "Anti-i-over" at noon and recess. It was built by the beach on an old Indian camp ground. The children would often find beads and agate arrow heads. The number of pupils ranged from twenty to twenty-five, in grades from one to eight. It must have been a real challenge to the young teachers who were sent to the country schools for their first year of teaching.

Arletta Schoolhouse

 "Our drinking water came from a flowing creek on what later became known as the Warren place. It was an honor to be allowed to go for water. It took two to carry the big wooden bucket. We all drank from a long handled tin dipper which didn't worry us as germs had not been introduced to the innocent public.

"Most of the pupils walked from one to three miles. I walked about a mile and a half. I walked along the beach when the tide was low and along a cow trail when the tide was high. Two families lived on Fox Island. The older children could row across the channel, but when it was stormy their fathers brought and came for them.

"It must have been a poor school district because at first school was held only four or six months. Later it lengthened to nine months. We had to buy our own books and we carried our lunch in lard buckets - no wax paper.

"There wasn't a church at Arletta. One was built at Sylvan across on Fox Island and on Sunday morning the church bells sounded beautiful across the three miles of water to where I lived.  There was a church at Rosedale. No doubt, perhaps there are those who know the dates of building.

"Orchards produced an abundance of fruit and there were various kinds of berries that were picked and sent to Tacoma for sale. Pickers received 25 cents for a 24-box crate of strawberries or raspberries.

Orchards and farming provided income

"Mother Powell ran the Arletta post office for many years, also a small store. Salesmen or anyone passing through that area could always get meals and a night's lodging at the Powell home. About twice a year two Syrian peddlers with huge packs would come that way. They were most interesting and the opening of their packs was a never forgotten thrill. To my young eyes everything was beautiful, I was usually give a new hair ribbon. Small things were greatly appreciated by children when I was young.

"In the early part of the new century an unusual character appeared on the scene. A man from Missouri arrived one evening from Tacoma. His name was Ide Neff, bachelor about forty, tall, slender, with dark hair and eyes and a small dark bread. He was a soft voiced, quiet type of person and had written a small book wherein he referred to himself as "Nobody's darling." How or why he came to Arletta, I can't remember. The Powells let him stay at our house until he could get a small shack like home for himself on the far side of Horsehead Bay. For years he was the only inhabitant of that beautiful little bay. There was a log cabin on the opposite side from him where a family had lived before his arrival. It had fallen into disuse and bears would sometimes hole up there. Billy Singleton was the name of the man who built it.

"The name Horsehead Bay brings memories of Fourth of July picnics held at the head of the Bay. The first excitement of the Fourth was getting a new dress to wear to the picnic. The men would get together - clear out underbrush and build a long table. The women would really bake up a big feed. There would be games and a ball game - if the tide was out, fireworks in the evening. Later years we went to Tacoma to the big celebrations.

Arletta baseball team

"Christmas would be another big excitement. Often it was a community affair. There was a large building in the cove of what became the Shaw property.  A huge tree was set up in this building and candy and small gifts were given out to the children by a regular fat Santa Claus. There were small candles all over the tree. One Christmas Santa Claus caught on fire. It was so long ago I can't remember if he was badly burned.

"The first owners of what is now the Shaw home, were people named McCoy, then a poor family lived there for a while named Dow, then a couple named Warren bought it. No relation to the other Warrens, this man's name was Ed, he worked on the Panama Canal for a year or so when it was building. On one of his trips home, he brought marshmallows, the first we had seen.  He paid one dollar a pound for them which to us was exorbitant.

"In the early 1900's a colony of people considered "radical" settled near Lake Bay. They named their place "Home Colony."  It was rumored that they practiced "free love" and they were ostracized by the established local residents. We young people were warned against becoming acquainted with them. As time went on they became infiltrated with the I.W.W's - International Workers of the World.  The colony only lasted a few years then gradually dwindled away.

"On cold, stormy nights when I was fifteen or sixteen, a group of people consisting of about five families, arrived from Tacoma. They were from Colorado. I believe they were miners and had gone through financial difficulties there. They had few belongings and the men were in their shirt sleeves. The Powells took them in and kept them a few days until they made a start for themselves on Horsehead Bay. Ide Neff's shack was there and the old log cabin. They fixed up these two places for the families with the most children and started other houses. They were hard working honest people, anxious to better their lot. Alva McKinley was one of them and has, perhaps, told in his writings how and why they came to that particular location.

"The Ramsdales were another family of the early Hales Passage days. There were numerous children. They lived in a decrepit house next to the little schoolhouse.  Eventually, Mr. Lotz bought the house and property and lived there until his demise. The house has undergone much renovation and modernization and is now the attractive and comfortable home of Mrs. Grace Woodruff, his eldest daughter.

Arletta residents

"Honesty was the accepted way of life. Regardless of the financial status of anyone - money was scarce for everyone, theft just wasn't heard of.  Doors were never locked.  In times of trouble neighbors helped one another.  "Public Welfare" was never heard of.  There was independence and pride of achievement.

"The present generation is scornful of the expression, "The good old days," but there were many "good" things about the old days that will never come again.  I wouldn't want to go back to kerosene lamps, washboards and hauling water from a well with a pail, but I have many pleasant memories of childhood and growing up days at Arletta. I married and left there in 1912.

"I haven't traveled extensively, but have seen quite a bit of the United States - both East and West coasts. I am sure there is not a more beautiful region anywhere than the Bay Island country of Puget Sound."

This excellent remembrance was written by Aura May Mitchell. Unfortunately she did not date the document.  Even so, I believe if you close your eyes you will be able to see Arletta as it was at the turn of the 20th century.

   

NOTE: There was a footnote added to this document stating that the little schoolhouse next to the Ramsdale's home became Mrs. Woodruff's garage in 1905 when a new school was built near the Arletta crossroads across from the Arletta store. 

© 2013 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Wednesday May 31, 1882 Emmett Hunt's Diary

A little too warm & I did perspire most obviously.  Finished my gunwales, put in some more timbers & did some finishing work.


© 2013 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Early Days of Arletta - on Hales Passage

Sometimes when you are doing research on a subject you think might renew interest in the history of our community, you come across a document written several years ago by someone who explains it better than you ever could. That was my feeling when I ran across Aura May Mitchell's paper recounting the history of the early days in Arletta. Mrs. Mitchell was raised by the Powell family, early residents of Arletta.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.

Due to the length, this "written memory" will be publish in two parts. Sort of like the old time radio programs.

 "EARLY DAYS OF ARLETTA - ON HALES PASSAGE" BY AURA MAY MITCHELL

"The Powell family came from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada. They crossed the United States living in various states until they reached Tacoma, Washington.  After living there for a while, they homesteaded a beautiful piece of waterfront property at the head of Hales Passage and directly across the mile and a half channel from the northern end of Fox Island.  I do not know they year.

Powell Farm

"In the year 1893 when I, a small child, came to live with them, many acres were under cultivation in pasture, orchard and garden tract and they had built a large home. The family consisted of Mother and Father Powell, four grown sons and one daughter named Arla.  They named the area Arletta.  It was combined from the name Arla and Lucetta. Lucetta Castle lived with her parents in what was later known as the Perkins place. Mr. Samuel Perkins was a newspaper publisher in Tacoma.  The next owner, as I remember, was Mr. Dobson and thus it was known as the Dobson place as long as I lived at Arletta.

"Logging, fishing, and trapping were among the occupations from which many derived their living. The forests teemed with wild life, deer, bear, rabbits and skunks. Several varieties of clams were plentiful. Wild huckleberries were picked in the fall and sold commercially.

Digging for geoducks at Arletta

"Mother Powell had been a singing teacher and she formed an excellent quartet with her four sons. Entertainment was home made in those days. Sometimes during the winter the Powell family would put on a show of short plays, musical numbers and recitations. Neighbors would come from miles distant. It was a break in the monotony of the long winter evenings. Often the young people would gather at Powell's on Sunday evening (mostly boys - few girls in the neighborhood). We would make Welsh rarebit (I had a chafing dish) candy, have popcorn and apples and play games. 

The first post office in Arletta was in the Powell house.
Arla Powell is in the foreground, holding a parrot.

"Neighborhood dances were held in homes and attended by young and old. Later, community halls were built. Going to a dance was a family affair. The older people would bring food, set up a long table and at midnight a hearty supper was served in what we now call "smorgasbord" style. When we had box lunch dances to raise money for some project, girls often told boys what her box was like so she could get a laugh out of watching them bid against each other. It was quite usual to dance until day break - cows had to be milked. Our music consisted of one, sometimes two fiddles or one fiddle and a wheezy organ. I am sure we had as much fun as present day youth have with their high priced orchestras.

"In my late teenage years, the older people began to stay home except a few kind workers who came to provide supper.  The young folks began to pair off and often a group would rent a launch and go to a dance at Lake Bay, Glen Cove, Purdy, Minter or some other nearby small community. We always went as a crowd, never a couple alone, for a couple to leave the hall during the dance was frowned upon and was food for gossip. During the summer evenings, when weather and tide would permit, beach bonfires were a source of much enjoyment. Driftwood was plentiful, no one had thought of using it for decorative purposes. A huge bonfire was a beacon neighbors could see and would gather around. We would sit and sing for hours such old songs as: Juanita, Annie Laurie, My Old Kentucky Home, Carry Me Back to Old Virginia, Row, Row the Boat, and on and on. Bonfires could be seen for miles along the beaches as different groups gathered.

"Transportation: Mail, freight and passengers were brought to and from Tacoma (the nearest town) by steamboat owned and manned by the Lorenzo brothers whose home and headquarters were at Lake Bay. The boat made daily round trip runs through the week to Tacoma then on Sunday reversed the run so visitors from the city could come to the country in the morning and return at night. The fare was twenty-five cents one way and many rode free. The trip took about two and one-half hours each way as the boat went back and forth from landings on Fox Island to landings on the mainland.

Arletta dock and early steamboat

"In the early days, passengers were taken by rowboat to a float anchored out far beyond low tide. It took a very efficient captain to maneuver his boat alongside a bobbing, tossing float not more than twelve or fifteen feet square, especially in stormy weather. It also took an intrepid passenger to clamber out of a tippy, wallowing row boat onto the slippery, moving float and from there up to the steamboat."The float would often swing away just as one made to step aboard. Watchful, quick moving deck hands saved many a one from a ducking.  Later, community docks were built, usually at the terminals of county needs.

The steamboat Arcadia at the Arletta dock

"One of the interesting boat stops was at Wollochet Bay. There a small Indian village spread out. The head man was Dave Squally. He and his sons and neighbors obtained a precarious living by fishing. I have watched them "pull seine" in front of the Powell place. They would often bring in a ton of smelt, herring or a couple of hundred gorgeous, huge salmon. Sharks and dog fish were also plentiful and were used for fertilizer. A big catch like that would be worth a great deal in the year 1906, but meant little then. Salmon was smoked and a large keg was salted down for winter.

Sunday outing; possibly old steamboat landing
in background

"One time a huge sperm whale was harpooned off Fox Island. Evidently, the men didn't know how to kill it for it swam around for days towing rowboats. People would row out and catch hold of the fishing boat. It was a cruel thing to do. I didn't realize it at the time. It eventually died and a horrible stench as it decayed. I don't remember how it was gotten rid of."

TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

© 2013 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.