Gig Harbor History, or is it ?

A gentleman came into the Harbor History Museum a couple weeks ago, and while he was there he asked me if I could help him research the history of Martinolich Shipbuilding Compny when they were located at Dockton, Washington in the early 1900s.

Well, although Dockton is not part of the greater Gig Harbor area, and Martinolich Shipbuilding Company was never located in Gig Harbor, I hate to say no to anyone looking for historic information.  Besides Martinolich Shipbuilding Company did build a few boats for the local Gig Harbor fishermen in the early 1900s.

So I thought, maybe I can find a few leads for the gentleman to check out and make his search a little easier.  Of course, the internet is a tremendous help:  you type in a word and something comes up.  Is it what you want?  Probably not, but then again maybe something will jog a memory in a new direction.  Then too there are all the books on the local history published by Arcadia Publishing.  The one they did with Robin Paterson and Jean Finlay entitled The Mosquito Fleet of the South Puget Sound  happened to have a picture of the gentleman’s Grandfather’s 1909 vessel which had been built by Martinolich Shipbuilding Company when they were still located in Dockton.  But, unfortunately the gentleman already knew that.  However in the acknowledgements in the back of the book something caught my eye!

It had absolutely nothing to do with the gentleman’s search.

But, it did have something to do with Gig Harbor’s history, and it had something to do with past HHM blogs!  One on the Mosquito Fleet of Puget Sound and another on Emmett Hunt.

Every Wednesday, there is a blog entry taken from the Wednesday entries in Emmett Hunt’s diaries which are part of the Harbor History Museum’s (HHM) Collections.  Why Wednesday and not some other day of the week?  Because when I was asked to write the blog entries from the museum, the curator suggested that I always do an entry from Emmett’s diary on the day I work at the museum.  And so, all the blogs not taken from the diary are now published on Thursday with Emmett still having Wednesday as his own special day.  And, we did 1881,and now are into 1882 - and soon to start 1883.

 Miles Brazilla andMaritta Trim Hunt, Emmett's Parents

The Miles B. Hunt Family onMiles & Maritta Hunt's Wedding Anniversary

Oh, but let’s get back to what I found in the acknowledgments of The Mosquito Fleet of the South Puget Sound.  There was a book listed that had been published by Mostly Books in 1984, a bookstore here in Gig Harbor owned by Harry Dearth (later after he sold Mostly Books, he operated  No Dearth of Books until 2011).  The name of the book is Early Gig Harbor Steamboats, by Lucile McDonald, and based upon the Journals of Emmett E. Hunt.

Lucile McDonald was a veteran newspaperwoman, regional historian and co-author or author of 28 books, several with maritime settings.  She was honored for her service as a long-time member of the Sea Chest’s editorial Board. (Foreword written by Mostly Books August 1984 although I put into present tense.  Sea Chest Magazine is the official quarterly maritime journal of the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society.)

Lucile McDonald wrote the following in her Introduction to Early Gig Harbor Steamboats  “ Hunt had a strong sense of humor and called his jottings “A Memorandum of Events, which may be consulted at any time by myself or others for the purpose of moral improvement.”  From the diaries it is plainly evident that the young man had profited from whatever schooling he received.  He must have had at least a high school education, for he could quote Latin phrases and literary allusions, he was a good speller and could write a fine hand when not in haste.  We do not know what kind of a teacher he was in the country schools except that he would not be put upon by older smart alecky pupils.  He exhibited great patience in tutoring his handicapped son and he was persistent and good natured in his business dealings. Lucile goes on to say “After Hunt died the diaries were inherited by his daughter, Olive, and carried to Akron, Ohio.  They were not heard of until her death when Norman Blanchard, a former president of the maritime historical society, chanced to meet her husband, John Cox, on a boat trip in 1972.  The subject of preserving early records came up in their conversation and Blanchard persuaded Cox to donate the books to the society’s library.”

I didn’t happen to find a copy of the book at the HHM but discovered the Pierce County Library system has three copies of it; one copy is in the Gig Harbor library.  The book is only 72 pages in length, and starts chapter one with a title “Emmett Hunt Settles on Puget Sound” ending with Chapter eight “Tough Times, Tougher Tragedies —Emmett Leaves The Water”.   I also checked our local book stores for a copy; I found one copy that was in the inventory when No Dearth of Books transferred ownership in 2011.  And yes, I snatched it up!

The steamer "Crest"

 The steamer "Ariel" on the shores of Lake Washington in 1941

Unfortunately this book won’t help our visitor in his search for the history of the Martinolich Shipping Company in Dockton, Washington, but it does fill in some of the history on our own Emmett Hunt and his steamboats as well as some of his record on his life, both on and off the water.

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Emmett Hunt's Diary Wednesday November 8, 1882

Wednesday November 8, 1882:  Nice day again with cold N. wind quite strong.  Stand around talk politics, gossip etc. feeling "wake skookum".

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Sunrise Beach Park

The Gig Harbor Kayak and Canoe Club has grown tremendously since it's inception, and of course we are always reading on Facebook or in The Peninsula Gateway or other local newspapers about their success in various meets whether here in Gig Harbor or out-of-state.

However, how many of us remember when, Rudy Moller, a lifelong resident of Gig Harbor tried to start a rowing club in 1980?  His idea was to show rowing is just as much fun as powerboats or sail boats.  Rudy thought that rowing provided a different perspective on what you see when you are on and so close to the water.  The Peninsula Gateway did a full page article and photos of Rudy and some of his friends plying the harbor waters March 26, 1980.  A copy of it is in the Harbor History Museum Research Room.

But this was not the only thing or the most important contribution Rudy wanted to share with us, our community and, of course, visitors.  Around five years earlier in 1975 Rudy, his brothers and sisters decided to donate 30 acres of their parents' 1890 homestead at Sunrise Beach to Pierce County for a park.  Rudy also talked his cousin Carl Moller into exchanging 2.3 acres of his parents 1892 homestead land for the park in exchange for a piece of property with the same assessed value, but only if the donated land remained in its natural state as parkland.  In other words, undeveloped raw timberland, wetlands or swamps and populated by the natural wildlife of the area.

The first donation was 12 wooded acres along with 800 feet of Puget Sound waterfront.  At the Mollers' insistence, Pierce County also purchased an adjacent 18 acres with an additional 360 acres of beach waterfront property.  The Mollers then purchased an additional 7 acre wetland adjacent to the parkland and requested that it too be incorporated into the park.

Rudolph Moller's Farm

Rudy, his family members including cousins wanted to be assured that some of the oldest evergreens on the Peninsula would be preserved and that the land would not, under any circumstance, become another subdivision.  Their idea was to turn the land into an environmental classroom where the main features would be sea life, plants and birds of all kinds.  Some of the birds and animals include fox, raccoons, beaver, mink and Great Blue Herons.  The land also includes a natural amphitheater in a meadow above the beach, three springs and a marshland.  The lands also included several fruit trees which had been planted when his parents first settled there in 1890.  There were also some cabins on the beach that could be used by those studying the unique environment along Sunrise beach.

By 1982 that park had grown to 43 acres with prime waterfront on Colvos Passage.  And today, when I checked the internet Sunrise Beach Park has grown to 82 acres with 2,400 linear feet of shoreline.  The internet also shows the park as a popular scuba diving destination.  It has two miles of walking trails and forest paths with views of the Puget Sound and Mt. Rainier.  There are designated parking areas, picnic tables as well.  But it is also important to remember when you visit that the hours are 7 AM until dusk.

Doesn't this make you want to visit or revisit Sunrise Beach Park and see it through the eyes of the three families that first settled there?

Herman Claussen was the first of the families to arrive on Sunrise Beach and then was followed by his cousins Henry and Anna Moller and their children:  Madeline Marie, Henry Carl, Hubert Joseph and Carl Maryon.  Rudy's family arrived in 1890 and his siblings are:  Gerhart, Norman, Margaret and Carolyn.  Herman's daughter was Elsie Claussen who, following her father's death in 1930, took over and operated the passenger launch Elsie C II and his three docks at Sunrise Beach.  Unfortunately Elsie died in 1935, but she too was, like her younger cousins, a person who enjoyed the out-of-doors ( and with friends loved climbing Mt. Rainier).  Three families, all related, who loved their new home in the Pacific Northwest.

Elsie Clauusen

Herman Claussen in his Berry Field

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Emmett Hunt's Diary Wednesday October 25, 1882

Wednesday October 25, 1882:  Nice day but pretty cool.  Some ice last night.  I went across to west town in AM & got some drills made & in PM succeeded in drilling out the stub of old bolt & putting the new one in.

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Dr. Arthur Seeley Monzingo

When you drive down Soundview Drive coming into downtown Gig Harbor, have you ever wondered about the people who might have lived there in the early 1900s?  Or what families lived in the older houses along the downtown portion of Soundview?  Or whose homes that were demolished to make way for the condominiums like Dolphin Reach at 7221 Soundview or Heron Pointe Condominiums at 7305 Soundview Drive?  

On December 13, 2012 HHM had a blog regarding Thomas W. Maloney and learned that it was his property that was demolished and replaced by Dolphin Reach Condominiums.  And we also learned that Glen F. (Perk) Perkins and his wife Norma operated Perkins Funeral Home which was located at 7407 Soundview Drive which was converted into multi-family units although the exterior of the building looks the same as it did in the 1950s when the Perkins owned it.  The funeral home was moved to Haven of Rest on Highway SR16 once the Perkins developed the property there which the Perkins had originally purchased to use as a cemetery.  The first burial was at Haven of Rest in 1954. 

The property at 7305 Soundview Drive was a home and hospital to a well known and remembered doctor in Gig Harbor if you are of a certain age.  But for the rest of us, Dr. Arthur Seeley Monzingo is unknown.  Although his home was demolished and Heron Pointe Condominiums were built in its place, Dr. Monzingo's place in Gig Harbor's history needs to be recounted for those unfamiliar with him.

Dr. Monzingo was born to Thomas M. and Mary A. Monzingo in Coin, Page County, Iowa on April 15, 1877.   He had two sisters, Julia Eliza and Martha Bertha, and one brother John Johnson.  Dr. Monzingo became a general practice physician and married Lydia Ellen Iles (which is also spelled Isles) in 1898.  They had two boys Hershel Lorenzo and Forest Leon. Lydia died in 1913 and I was unable to discover what happened to the two boys. Arthur and Lydia had evidently divorced prior to her death. 

Because records show Dr. Monzingo married Bernice Florence Green in Boise, ID in 1910.  Arthur and Bernice had a son, William George June 25, 1915 and a daughter Jean Bernice May 7, 1912.  Unfortunately their daughter died shortly after birth. 

Dr. and Mrs. Monzingo & Bill

Arthur became a member of the Pierce County Medical Society in November 1906, and was the first physician to practice in South Tacoma.  

Dr. Monzingo's name appears on the roster of attendants at military training camps 1913-1916, page 173, by Military Trining Camps Association (US) 1916 - 451 pages…Monzingo, Arther S., 2611 North Union Ave., Am. L. '15.

Arthur, Bernice and William (Bill) moved to Gig Harbor in 1926.  He made house calls while living in a hotel on Harborview Drive, until his combination of both a house and hospital at 7305 Soundview Drive was completed the following year.  Dr. Monzingo named his new home Holly Home.  The structure was unique in that it was built in the popular Spanish style and stuccoed.  Behind the house/hospital he planted a holly grove hoping for an annual profit of up to $10 per tree for cut boughs.    

But more importantly, Dr. Monzingo saw himself as a "country doctor".  To him, this designation meant that he attended to his patients whenever and wherever they were when they needed medical care.  His transportation started out like many doctors in 1906 as a buggy and horse, but as time when on he was able to update to a Hudson.  Yes, it was the model with the spare tire on the outside rear.  The Hudson carried him all over the Peninsula making house calls, some as far as Longbranch.

In 1926 Dr. Monzingo was 49.  He had served in the military, and he suffered from intestinal cancer.  Unfortunately, the medical field had not yet developed any treatment for the cancer other than allowng the patient to continue their normal way of life until the cancer killed them.  Dr. Monzingo outlived his cancer, but 17 years after arriving in Gig Harbor died of a heart attack.  Many felt that the overwork due to the shortage of doctors during WWII exaggerated his stress and physical condition causing the attack.

When surgery was required, he had his hospital in town, and one of his best friends, Dr. Harold Ryan, although a dentist, assist him as an anesthetist.  Surgeries involved child births, appendectomies among other things.

This man was well loved by his friends and patients alike and all had stories of his generosity and caring.  He also used his skills in the medical field for animals.  One of the favorite stories involved his favorite red hen.  The hen loved to roost on the spare tire of the Hudson.  Sometimes, the Doctor forgot to lift the hen down when he had to go on a house call.  When he returned home, he naturally would look for the hen.  When he couldn't find her, he would get back in the car and go look for the hen regardless of how tired he himself might be.  And many times, the hen would just be sitting at the side of the road - waiting, wherever she had fallen off.  She knew the doctor would be back to pick her up.

Another fun story was the time the doctor was working in the garden in the rain looking like a hired yard man when a patient drove up and shouted out the car "Is the Doctor in?  The doctor suggested they just go in and make themselves comfortable while he got the doctor.  He entered the house through the back door, washed up and then appeared in the waiting room.  The patient never connected the doctor and the yard man.

The Doctor was also a lover of baseball, the Peninsula Singers, talent scout for the minstrel shows at the Roxy, working in his garden and holly grove.  Dr. Monzingo was a well-rounded person and loved by the community.

1931 Peninsula Singers Organized by Dr. Monzingo - 1st Year

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Emmett Hunt's Diary Wednesday October 18, 1882

Wednesday October 18, 1882:  Cloudy & cool. as the North Pacific come along from Victoria.  We again mount her decks for home.  Reach Seattle at 3:30 PM & have to remain another night.  Evening very pleasant.

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Politics and Gig Harbor

Politics and Gig Harbor

It's Fall and politics are in the air…  It is a good time to practice and put into use those debating skills you learned back in school, or if you are young, will learn.  Several examples, good and bad, follow.

I was reminded of this when I picked up a newspaper article date 1906.  Unfortunately the actual date in 1906 and the name of the paper was missing, but the section was entitled "Gig Harbor and Vicinity, The Choicest Suburb of Tacoma" and the article or, if you prefer, editorial was captioned "Let Us Organize".  

It is a very short piece but one that started in play a lot of changes within this village know as Gig Harbor.  So, here it is:  "LET US ORGANIZE  The time is now at hand when the residents of Gig Harbor should awake from their lethargy and by a concerted action do something for the advancement and upbuilding of this community.  Heretofore there has been some excuse for inactivity in this direction, owing to the unsettled condition of the titles of much of the land within the village.  This obstacle is now practically removed and there is no further excuse for delay.  Gig Harbor is beautifully and conveniently situated, and has tributary to it a country of large and varied resources, which is being rapidly settled by intelligent and thrifty people.  These natural advantages must be utilized in a business-like manner if we would reap the harvest which naturally flows therefrom.  We suggest that our people get together and organized a commercial club for the purpose of pushing to the front a uniform and systematic scheme of development and progress.  Let us act at once.  Delay is dangerous." 

Although I didn't find anything about the Peninsula Community Club until 1917 as explained in the next paragraph, I think it is important to give some very active members of Gig Harbor, mainly the women, credit for their part in growing the community.  The Ladies' Fortnightly Club, founded in 1907, explained in their mission statement that they intent was to serve social and economical needs of its members.  However, this mission soon grew to include things such as the social welfare of the entire community.  You can read in more detail the history of this woman's club in a blog publish October 25, 2012.

The next news I saw regarding the founding of a commercial club was in the Bay Island News, Issue #1, May 10, 1917.  This article was announcing the list of the charter members of the newly founded Peninsula Community Club.  The list of charter members includes almost every man's name of those who lived around Gig Harbor bay.  They proposed to hold meetings at different points on the Peninsula to make certain the club lived up to the name.  The article goes on to state "Unity with a solid community front will accomplish results; and there is no other way in which results may be obtained."

In 1922, a business owner found her business increasing and decided to expand from a small mercantile business, which eventually grew into a well-stocked department store.  Theresa Sweeney, being an experienced and knowledgeable business person, rented space in her new building to for a new post office, a restaurant, a pharmacy and the first mayor of Gig Harbor, at that time dentist  Dr. Harold Ryan.  (Dr. Ryan did not become mayor until 1946 when the Town of Gig Harbor platted by Dr. Burnham and the Town of Millville platted by Joseph Dorotich and John Novak joined forces and became a fourth class incorporated city.  Mrs. Sweeney wasn't only active in managing her building, but was actively involved in real estate and promoting the charm and benefits of Gig Harbor.

By February 1924 the community leaders organized the Peninsula Federation of Good Roads and Improvement Clubs.  Their idea was to provide strong efforts to better and improve conditions on the peninsula and to avoid the "rocks of discord".  Unfortunately those rocks of discord appeared to block some of the road work by April 1924 when a "Mr. Ball" refused to give the new district their tractor.  He claimed that he had spend considerable funds in maintaining and repairing the tractor, and he wouldn't give it to them until they provided him with concrete plans of work to be performed. 

By June 1924 the club was in negotiation with the State of Washington to finish the construction of the Port Orchard-Gig Harbor state highway; they did not have enough money for the last mile and a half of the road in the Federated Club of the Peninsula bank account.  (The road was originally intended to run from Port Orchard to the Pierce County line.)  

It was in 1925 that Leander Finholm, a very active leader in the Gig Harbor community, and his son, Hugo, invested in a telephone service bringing telephone and telegraph services to our community.  We found this out back in February, 2013 when The Finholms blog published.  

Jumping ahead to November 6, 1925, and the Peninsula Gateway publishes a lengthy impassioned  letter from H. R. Thurston regarding the incorporation of the Peninsula Light Company because the welfare of the people depend on electrical power and light, and the power also means water.  In this letter he is basically outlining how the company would work, the costs and benefits,and how it could be supported by bonds.  He also explains that each member would have stock in the company and one vote per one share.  His argument for the Peninsula Electric Company is promoted by a Mr. F. M. Hunt who explains, obviously in answer to questions brought out during the debate as to whether or not the Peninsula Light Company should obtain formal status as a rural electric company, that no  one member could gain full control of the company.   

The area grew by leaps and bounds during the 1920s with the introduction of gasoline, used in both boats and automobiles.  And boatbuilding was the major industry in town, followed by the agriculture community.  This period of growth came to an end with the Depression Era, the collapse of the stock market and people losing their jobs.  The folks in town were hard hit, as were the farmers.  But the farmers had the advantage of producing food, not only for their families but also for others to buy or trade various items for.   In 1931 the Lions Club was founded (the second oldest on the western shores of the Puget Sound).  The club became an informal ad hoc committee dealing with some of the governmental needs of the area.  Many of those founding members listed in the May 10, 1917 article in the Peninsula Gateway as charter members of the Peninsula Community Club were also founding members of the Lions.

Following the end of the Second World War, the community leaders in North Gig Harbor, the original area platted with the name "Gig Harbor" filed a petition to formally incorporate as a town.  It was not received with open arms.  The residents on the west side of the bay where the bulk of the community businesses were located voiced loud objection should the new corporation take the name Gig Harbor.  H. R. Thurston spoke saying no one objected to the head of the bay incorporating, but they did object to their taking the name Gig Harbor.  The Pierce County Commissioners sent everyone home with instructions that the two groups needed to come together, file a new petition for the incorporation of the entire community "and have a real town."

So the residents followed the advise, but when the election was held in September, 1945, the petition was defeated.  "A total of 188 votes were cast, but one voter expressed complete confidence in the candidates for municipal offices, but failed to vote for or against the incorporation."

So in April, 1946 a new petition was filed and when the election was held in July 1946, it passed.  Mr. C. E. Trombley, Editor of The Peninsula Gateway wrote an editorial  entitled "Gig Harbor Incorporated"  He explains his belief that it was a good thing for the community.  He went on to say "For some time our town has been like a large over-grown family without proper parental control.  We are living in an ever changing world, and Gig Harbor is a part of that world.  We have local problems on our hands today that we had no thought of five years ago and the immediate years will bring more."  And he ends with "Gig Harbor has finally taken a step that was positively necessary for its proper growth and development, and in our opinion it is now on the threshold of a brighter and better day."

And many additional benefits came to the community such as a police department, making the volunteer fire department into a formal organization, and establishing the governing body of the village with the Incorporation of the Town of Gig Harbor 

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Emmett Hunt's Diary Wednesday October 11, 1882

Wednesday October 11, 1882:  Sunny & windy to a remarkable degree.  The leading job of the day was fixing the seams on the deck of Baby.  We shall soon be ready for business in good shape.

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Our "Excellent Little Lady" by Leann O'Neill

Our “Excellent Little Lady”
By Leann O'Neill

A Compilation of Thoughts by All ~ September 30, 2013

How do we honor a woman who has given us all so much
One who shared her vision and talents with a very special touch
For all you’ve done that we know about; for all about which we don’t have a clue! 
Vicki, you’ll be missed more than words can say.  This tribute is for you.

Fourteen years with the museum, starting off without much training
Then she studied to become Curator, and her knowledge just kept gaining
In the A-frame to start off with in spaces so cramped and so small
Such wonderful working conditions with no room for anything at all
A desk right beside Jennifer, for convenience, everyone thought
But Vic soon moved to the kitchen ‘cause Jennifer talked a lot!
A multi-purpose area that Formica counter became
Food prep, carpentry, exhibit starts – it was all the same
On one side was the copy room, the lounge, storage, and meeting place
“What could she do for fun each day?”  Try turning around in that space!
Piled floor to ceiling with boxes, papers, photos; never pristine
It was the messiest, coldest, most odorous office anyone had ever seen
Many road trips were involved for each exhibit and artifact
Stories of those travels and getting lost are endless. Amazing they ever made it back!
For years there was lots of brainstorming about traveling trunks, displays and more
Vicki quietly infused everyone with energy that opened so many doors
“Do not touch; alarm will sound,” a museum mantra she couldn’t endure
If ever there was a new museum, she’d have interactives for sure.

Many years of dreaming and just never giving up
Meant finally time to leave the A-frame, and pack up all that stuff
Such a dusty, nasty job and Vicki insisted on masks
Seems air quality wasn’t the best during those moving tasks
So on to the Sehmel building – every exhibit has Vicki’s stamp
Countless hours always spent to create, design and revamp
A “New Place in Time” was about to take shape; the dream of so many in town
Vicki’s attention to detail and leadership meant a museum of renown
Vicki’s commitment to the museum is like the United States PO
She never let rain or heat keep her down; even trudged to work in the snow
We could call her “Recycle Queen,” both for garbage and exhibit displays
And who could forget the rats and cockroaches in “An Excellent Little Bay”
An expert by choice; she learned on her own for love of history and this town
Never one for kudos; for previews and openings, often not even around
Exhibits so varied, fascinating; hundreds of flags, astounding textiles
Intriguing sandpits, golden oldies, woven baskets, and even scary reptiles
Life-sized surrey, wagon pulled by goats, former storefronts, vintage clothes
Undersea creatures, incredibly big; Maritime Art and PAL Juried Shows
Photographs of gigantic size and a Christmas card collection
Stories of quilts and tapestries; “Requiem for Trees;” a 9/11 place for reflection
QR codes, audio tours, Backpacks for Kids; “Savage Ancient Seas” blockbuster
Up ‘til all hours with exhibit installation; nothing could deter or fluster
The “Pioneer School Experience” for schoolchildren to take part
They just can’t wait to go back in time after the school bell start
Then off they go to the galleries for “I Spy” and history lessons
All the while knowing “we’re gonna be friends” long before the end of the sessions
Leveling signs, straightening letters, display cases and Plexiglas walls
Pedestals, placards, reader rails, emails and seemingly endless phone calls

No place she’d refuse to work or crawl, often with flashlight in hand
Even when searching for that horrible stench, Vicki was in command
A wealth of knowledge is in her head; tons of facts in her memory
Questions always answered for docents and guests, much fast than Google or Siri
Although she owned a few vehicles, her BMW sports car was frequently found
Sitting there in the parking lot, then she’d roar out with the top down
We’re lucky to have a real schoolhouse and a real fishing boat too
And all of us who worked with her know, she’s the “real deal” through and through
Never afraid to climb ladders and we’re not talking a social one
Changing light bulbs, putting banners outside, replacing TP; now who’ll get these jobs done?
A mentor for so many others; she let us into her world
Researcher, director, manager – the “Above and Beyond Curator Girl”
Loyal, generous, compassionate, professional, even keeled
Enthusiastic, diligent, inquisitive, incredible leadership revealed
Devoted, creative, tireless; we’re all in awe of her skill
Always going the extra miles and millenniums so history could delight and thrill
Never a prima donna, great sense of humor, incredibly smart
Now every visitor can touch, feel and learn from Vicki’s “works of heart”
Award-winning programs and grant writing; there’s nothing Vicki can’t do
All of us just keep shaking our heads.  Whatever will we do without you?
Vicki, you have been our rock, laying foundation so crystal clear

As good as gold, the salt of the earth.  Your value is cast in stone here
You always found the silver lining; in every job, you were top brass
It’s been our privilege to work with you.  Everything you do is first class
No matter the task, you’ve always found treasure; you’re a visionary beyond parallel
To say you’ll be missed is an understatement.  You’re irreplaceable, Mrs. Blackwell
We know this decision was not easy for you – it was complex and hard and weighty
Just know, for sure, that you will always be our “Excellent Little Lady!”

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Emmett Hunt's Diary Wednesday October 4, 1882

Wednesday October 4, 1882:  Clouds & sunshine  Cut wood all day & did very well.

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.