August 8, 1880, Sunday

On this day Emmet Hunt wrote in his diary "Went out sporting but found only one grouse.  Got back tired enough.  Soon I could sleep and rest." 

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Alfred Erickson, Blacksmith and Farmer

Alfred Erickson and friend

I happened to run across a 1943 newspaper clipping at the Harbor History Museum about Alfred Erickson. The article described his skill as a blacksmith. Here was a man whose talent was larger than horseshoes and farm tools. It made me interested in learning a little bit more about him.  I hope you enjoy what I discovered.

The newspaper article explained how Alfred Erickson was watching a ship's carpenter labouriously boring a hole through a plank on the bilge of a ship under construction. As Alfred watched, he thought there must be a better way to do this particular type of boring job much faster and just as well, or better.

Alfred returned to his home up Pioneer Way where he had his blacksmith shop behind the house and experimented making a bit that turned the trick. Once he fine-tuned the drill bit it was time to market it. This specialized bit devised by a Gig Harbor blacksmith was, in 1943, used from Vancouver, British Columbia to California in construction endeavors. Especially in construction for the war effort.

The boring bit that Alfred designed consisted of the ordinary long shank drill with a wire cutter on and back from the drill point. In addition, he added a counter sinking device. He made these bits in three different sizes and to fit any special job. They were operated by any electric drill mechanism.

A Seattle contractor contacted Alfred needing a drill bit that could handle 1,200,000 holes of a certain size.  Alfred furnished the contractor with a bit that, within a given time period, did five times the work usually done by the old method.

A Tacoma ship builder asked Alfred if he could make an auger to drill a special type of hole for hatch covers. Alfred could and he did. 

These tools were all made from raw iron to the finished drill bit in Alfred's own shop. And, the tools were  labor saving devices during World War II.

As mentioned earlier, the Erickson home and blacksmith shop were located on the corner of what now is Pioneer Way and Edwards Drive and included 2.5 acres of farm land. The farmhouse was restored in 1996 by Rodrick Nilsson and served as the centerpiece for Nilsson's Chapel Hill Townhomes development.

When Nilsson discovered that it was part of the original farm of the Erickson family he decided to give the farmhouse back its original character. The house was solid with no structural defects despite being 100 years old. Nilsson found hand-made blacksmith tools, an old forge and the foundations of the smithy. Also, there were plenty of those horseshoes.

Nilsson had long conversations with Rutn Ryan, Alfred's daughter and widow of Gig Harbor's first mayor, Harold Ryan. It was her memories and their shared Swedish history that gave the house back its life.

Unfortunately the old carriage house and smithy couldn't be saved and a new garage was built in their place...but the house itself is now a 116 year old "new" house.

     

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

August 1, 1880, Sunday

On this day Emmett Hunt wrote in his diary "Nice day so walked down and engaged school in District No. 19.  After which came back and filled with raspberries."

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Art Glein, Glein Boatbuilding (Eddon Boatyard)

Bjarne (Left) Art (right) Glein - 1930 Tacoma
Courtesy of Linda Glein

Art Glein

Glein Boat Company (site of today's Eddon Boatyard)

Almost everyone in Gig Harbor is familiar with the city-owned waterfront property of Eddon Boatyard, but most people don't know much about the owner who sold the property to Ed Hoppen and Don Harder -- the two men who ran Eddon Boat Company, which gave the park its name.

I asked Gary Glein if he would share some of his father's history in Gig Harbor. Fortunately for me, Gary agreed and below you can read his father's story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Art and Dot Glein built the building and house now known as Eddon Boatyard in 1945.

Art was of Norwegians descent and was born in Balfour, North Dakota, in 1907. By the mid 1920s he had moved to Tacoma and by the end of the decade he worked for Andrew's Fixture as a cabinetmaker and ran the Tacoma Flying Service along with his brother Bjarne Glein.

In the mid-1930s Art began his boat building career by building a yacht in his yard in North Tacoma. He then had a boating service facility near old Tacoma. In 1945, Art purchased the Anderson Boatyard in Gig Harbor and built the existing yard and the home where he and his wife lived. They had no children at that time.

Glein Boat Company. The family house is at the left.

Art successfully built yachts and fishing boats and completed repairs as Glein Boat Co. Many of those boats are still being used in Northwest waters. In January, 1950, the harbor froze, trapping boats and making it difficult for Art to complete his boat orders on time. Frustrated, he put the yard up for sale, and when it sold, he moved to California and then Florida to do contracting work. Years later he moved back to the Northwest and lived on Day Island, Mercer Island, and Meydenbauer Bay, always on the water.

Art passed away in 1990 at the age of 83.

Art was always an entrepreneur, friendly to everyone, and a lover of boating and the water. With his yard, he continued Gig Harbor's boat building legacy and left us with buildings that have become a wonderful community park and facility.

Gary Glein

July 2012

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

July 25, 1880, Sunday

On this day Emmett Hunt wrote in his diary "Over to Bob's and back.  A glorious time singing in the evening.  Girls are .... "

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Racing Roosters and the Bandstand

Head of the Bay Bandstand

Clarence Shaw and Bill Slonecker were two men who were always promoters.  How about creating a street celebration to drum up business for Bill's new Home Cafe? It had opened in the Sweeney Block in February 1935.  (That was a large wooden building located in the empty spot just north of the Anthony's Restaurant at the head of the bay.)

Slonecker told Shaw, "Let's do something different than let our whiskers grow old, under duress." They decided to have a big party to dedicate the newly-built bandstand on July 20, 1935.

In the early 1930s, dances in Gig Harbor were held wherever a spot could be found.  In the summer, barges were brought in and tied up to the head of the bay. The adults danced as their children watched, and later falling asleep on the benches lining the dance floor. The solution was to build a bandstand.  It could be used for dances as well as concerts by local bands such as the VFW Band, the Olympic Band and the Peninsula Band.  It was quite a community effort.  Locals donated one to ten dollars, with the Austin Mill giving thirty.    

Shaw devised the idea of running roosters down the street.  The area was full of poultry farmers, and Shaw, being a Nebraska farm boy, knew they could really run if motivated.  He put out the call for roosters.

At first the duo thought about slipping a cut silk stocking over the birds so they wouldn't fly away.  But that just caused feathers to fly as the rooster went crazy being restricted. They settled on adding a red tag to the rooster tails.  That scares the rooster into thinking it must run away from it.   Also they could write a number on them for identification as well as motivating them to move along.   

The race course was a straight track just 40 yards long.  Nine men lined up across the street with their roosters.  The crowd stood on each side. The rules were the winner would be the first rooster to run, fly, hop, walk or skip into the net stretched across the street. 

The gun was fired!  And, not a rooster moved.  They just stood there.  

Their owners began to yell and wave their arms, pushing them along the street, running all the way down to the net.  The race ended with men and roosters all tangled in the net.  However, one rooster escaped all this excitement and wasn't found for days.  

It took quite a bit of discussion to determine the winner--Gertrude Hopkins' rooster. She was the wife of the Gig Harbor Postmaster.  The crowd loved it!  Shaw considered this original race a gift to the sporting world.  Unfortunately, we have no photos of the first race.

At First, the Roosterettes were called the Racing Rooster Girls

We do have a photo of another event of the day, the bathing beauty contest.  Pretty girls were always a part of a Shaw celebration.  There was also a baseball game between the Fats and the Leans. This year that was a men's baseball game.  The next year, the Fats and the Leans were women.  Imagine that terminology today!  

Each year, the races were bigger and better.  They continued until the state outlawed gambling on roosters in 1948, with time out for World War II. That didn't stop Shaw.  In 1951, he came up with the Round Rock Contest.  

Linda McCowen, Historic Photo Editor

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Dr. Hiram Herbert Rust’s Diary – July 1897

Dr. Rust, Estella, and family at Gig Harbor home.

I thought it might be interesting to read what Dr, Rust recorded in his diary for the month of July, 1897. I did not change any spellings; I left the entries as he recorded them, along with his punctuation. So here is how one person experienced July in 1897.  Can we compare then to now?

Tuesday July 6, 1897:  Cloudy – raining & raining.  Breakfasted at Pratt’s at 7:30.  Took train for Enumclaw at 9:55  On reaching home visited Eckhart’s. Find that Mrs Eckhart has fracture of liaments – quite serious/See [unable to make out] McKay – better see others at office.  Dine at home – Esson House.  Supper at home 6:30 train brings John Atkinson.  We have just done supper – E [wife Estella] and I – when he arrives – E sets table for him and he eats and talks – We 3 retire at 9:50,

Wednesday July 7, 1897:  Cloudy & raining raining & raining.  John Atkinson rises first about 7 – then Estella and me. After breakfast we start the washing, a big one – comparatively – Mr. Atkinson helps. I drive to Buckley – dine at Buckley Hotel – Put Jim up at Diemers – Pay a drug bill to Repinsky $5.20.  Buy 2# coffee and a side of bacon at Mill store $2.50. Also at Jones 2 pr. Rubbers 1 for E and 1 for me $1.25.  

Thursday July 8, 1897: Cloudy . I send $1.50 express order to Nation publishing Co. for a diamond ring, offered to Estella as a prize for her good work in word building – E and Atkinson and I drive to the Coombs corner where they leave me and walk to the ranch.  I drive to Palmer. See the Platts & McKennons – a long hard drive.  Return to Esson at about 6 pm – Mr Newman has not supped yet so he and I get supper at the Esson.  Mr N. does most of the work. We retire here at about 11.

Friday July 9, 1897:  Fine, very fine.  Rise at 7, Newman gets breakfast.  Mr Eckhart sends for me I see Mrs E and at office I see several and extract 2 teeth for Mrs Paul Brooks, and cut my finger. Mr Newman gets dinner for he and I at about 2 o’clock. I extract another tooth for Mr Evans Prescribe for Mrs Hogan – visit Mrs McKay – Send medicine to Palmer – Write to Ben. Receive letter from W. W. Young of Gig Harbor asking for a certificate – Prescribe for Mr Rebar – also for Mr English and Mr Centrer & Mr Sorenson – Drive to Conway’s Home at 9 o’clock.  Mr N gets supper – too late to drive to Eagle Ranch.  Retire.

Rust home on east side of harbor. Horse and wagon near roadway.

Thursday July 15, 1897:  Fine. Mostly office work. Estella and I drove to Eagle Ranch via McKeys  Reached the ranch at about dark pm. Supped there. Retired there at about 10.

Friday July 16, 1897:  Rains more or less all day.  We came to Eagle Ranch to pick berries and make a little hay, but will do neither today. Estella and I read “Ocean” and I write to Hunter a very long letter and part of a letter to Ben. We retire at about 10 o’clock.

Saturday July 17, 1897:  Rains in the morning, fair in afternoon.  Finish my letter to Ben. Read more in “Ocean”.  Write a little on a story I had started yesterday. At about 3 pm, we get ready to drive back to Enumclaw. E & I pick some black berries by the way and arrive at the Esson House about 6., as I do E having left me a little sooner at the turn to walk home while I drive over to McKeys. I find Mr Newman cleaning and rearranging in the drug store. We read the news after tea, especially the exciting news from Alaska, particularly the Klondyke. Retire at about 10 pm.

Sunday July 18, 1897:  Fine, warm.  E. and I take breakfast at the Esson at about 8 o’clock, then a lot of office work and call at Eckharts. E and I dine at about 8 pm and I write to Arthur & Ettie and send a newspaper clipping on the reported gold find to Gig Harbor, which Ben had sent in a letter today. Towards evening Estella and I drive to McKeys and to Veasea where she remains with Jim while I walk over the railroad track to Whites and back. Then we proceed to Eagle Ranch reaching there at 8:20.  Read from “Ocean” a little and retire at 10.

Monday July 19, 1897: Fine, warm. Estella picks more black berries and I and Orson McKay mow clover and hay.

    

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.