Our previous column’s subject transitioned from a failure to deliver fire to the successful delivery of ice. The Gig Harbor Now and Then local history question was: What was the name of the ice delivery man in Gig Harbor in 1931? Answer: Let’s see, what are the most obvious possibilities? Ice, Icicle, Cold, Chill, Cool,
Our previous column noted that in a unique event, a Japanese incendiary balloon designed to set the forests of the Pacific Northwest aflame landed on the Key Peninsula in 1945, near the end of World War 2. The topic generated three questions. Where did the Japanese incendiary balloon land on the Key Peninsula? Answer: On
Gig Harbor Now and Then’s question from last time concerned a major fire at the north end of Gig Harbor in 1923 that destroyed several waterfront buildings. A group of unorganized volunteers saved all the structures on the opposite side of the road. Question: What firefighting equipment did the unorganized Gig Harbor volunteer fire fighters
Partial digression resolution This week we’re starting off with our previous digression, where we asked two questions to which we did not have the answers. We have one now. It’s nice and appreciated that Lynn Kennard, a daughter of Proctor Peacock, took the time to confirm that the Harbor History Museum photo we linked to
Continuing the theme of “where was that store located?” our last question was: Where was Safeway’s original location in Gig Harbor? The easy answer is: Also at Point Fosdick Square, but closer to Point Fosdick Drive than it is now. The easy answer is also the wrong one. Yes, before the Safeway store’s present location,
From a previous column, we know that Flamo, Standard Oil’s brand name for propane, was first demonstrated in Gig Harbor in 1930, in Berkheimer’s store. That led to the question: Where was Berkheimer’s store located? Answer: at 3118 Harborview Drive in Gig Harbor. Berkheimer’s first store in Gig Harbor was on the southwest corner of
In a seasonal version of Gig Harbor Now and Then, our last question concerned a turkey farm on the Peninsula in the 1940s. Question: Where was Slawson’s Turkey Farm located? Answer: On Burnham Drive, on the very spot now occupied by Sun Outdoors Gig Harbor, a recreational vehicle park. Ellwel and Charlotte Slawson owned a
The setup to our last Gig Harbor Now and Then local history question was very simple: In 1930, Flamo arrived in Gig Harbor. It’s still there, although is now known under another name. Question: What is Flamo? Answer: propane. “Flamo” was the trade name of the Standard Oil Company of California’s propane. The first mention
Our most recent Gig Harbor Now and Then questions of local history involve Gig Harbor’s first big industry, logging. Specifically, they concern a single second-growth Douglas fir tree standing tall in the city of Gig Harbor’s Donkey Creek Park. They are: How old is the Donkey Creek Park fir tree? Answer: Between 50 and 100
At the end of our previous Gig Harbor Now and Then column, we invited readers to post their opinions on the Gig Harbor Now Facebook page, addressing the question of whether or not the city of Gig Harbor should take an active interest in correcting its very inaccurate little city park histories and its many
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