John McNutt

Mora Park c1880, Courtesy of North Olympic History Center

BACK WHEN: The life behing the name on Port Angeles building

THERE IS A building in downtown Port Angeles that bears the name K.O. Erickson Building. SAVINGS BANK is written on the cornice. When you see… Continue reading

Mora Park c1880, Courtesy of North Olympic History Center
Lord James Balch's gravesite. (John McNutt / for Peninsula Daily News)

BACK WHEN: Clallam’s first church built in Dungeness

and are — quite spiritual and that spiritual beliefs have… Continue reading

Lord James Balch's gravesite. (John McNutt / for Peninsula Daily News)
North Olympic History Center
Pilot Maj. Gilbert H. Eckerson, circa 1928, when the landing strip was downtown. Passenger Thomas Aldwell stands in front.

BACK WHEN: Clallam County’s William R. Fairchild International Airport rich in history

LATER THIS MONTH, on May 21, Airport Day will be celebrated at William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles from 10 a.m. to 4… Continue reading

North Olympic History Center
Pilot Maj. Gilbert H. Eckerson, circa 1928, when the landing strip was downtown. Passenger Thomas Aldwell stands in front.
US Flag Ship Philadelphia in Port Angeles Harbor circa 1899. (Courtesy of the North Olympic History Center)

BACK WHEN: Dispatches from Olympic Peninsula’s past

SOMETIMES, THERE ARE interesting tidbits of history that are simply too small to write a column about. Here are a few: E Pluribus MOOnum Sequim… Continue reading

US Flag Ship Philadelphia in Port Angeles Harbor circa 1899. (Courtesy of the North Olympic History Center)
Bert Thomas and his team on the King Bacardi   Image courtesy of the North Olympic History Center

                                         Bert Thomas has on the broad-rimmed hat.   Bub Olsen has on the skippers cap.

BACK WHEN: Bert Thomas first swimmer to conquer Strait of Juan de Fuca

PEOPLE SEEMED INTRIGUED by athletes. Testosterone levels rise when our team wins. We have empathy for the struggles to compete. We feel like we’re in… Continue reading

Bert Thomas and his team on the King Bacardi   Image courtesy of the North Olympic History Center

                                         Bert Thomas has on the broad-rimmed hat.   Bub Olsen has on the skippers cap.
Courtesy of University of Washington Libraries / Special Collections
The SS Clallam

BACK WHEN: Sinking of SS Clallam dark day in Peninsula maritime history

IT SEEMS THAT people have a fascination with shipwrecks. Unlike other disasters, shipwrecks leave behind a monument to the that we can see, explore, and… Continue reading

Courtesy of University of Washington Libraries / Special Collections
The SS Clallam
John McNutt

BACK WHEN: Trouble follows Texas man to Olympic Peninsula

SOMEONE GETS IN trouble with the law. Rather than face the music, they move far away and change their name. This has all the makings… Continue reading

John McNutt
Capt. Gilbert Bown, circa 1937

BACK WHEN: Life on sea calls to PA-raised sailor

MANY OF US have known young people who are a bit lacking in the motivation department. Quite often, they do not know what they want… Continue reading

Capt. Gilbert Bown, circa 1937
The damage caused by the blast.   Courtesy of the North Olympic History Center

BACK WHEN: Explosions rattle, take lives on Olympic Peninsula

IT IS GOOD to use significant milestones to remind ourselves that life has risks, and we always need to be watchful. I say this because… Continue reading

The damage caused by the blast.   Courtesy of the North Olympic History Center
Gravestone of Roy B. Moore. (John McNutt/for Peninsula Daily News)

BACK WHEN: Crime drama holds Clallam rapt

WHEN YOU WALK around a cemetery, you will see many granite and brass grave markers. Most of them simply give a person’s name, a date… Continue reading

Gravestone of Roy B. Moore. (John McNutt/for Peninsula Daily News)
The Winona at Ocean Station NAN in November 1969.

BACK WHEN: Keeping Coast Guard stories alive

WE ALL HAVE memories and stories from our lives. Family, work and friends all build into our personal stories. Part of the purpose of my… Continue reading

The Winona at Ocean Station NAN in November 1969.
Roscoe and Ethel Murrow

BACK WHEN: Murrow family moves past devastating events

MANY PEOPLE GO through events in their lives that can be devastating. How many times have we seen families ruined because someone will not let… Continue reading

Roscoe and Ethel Murrow
The painting of Port Angeles, its harbor and the Olympic Mountains by Count Johan Gustaf Kalling created for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. (Courtesy of North Olympic History Center)

BACK WHEN: Painter gives view of Port Angeles to world

MOST OF US have access to the world through the internet. It has made it incredibly easy to share our lives with the world. You… Continue reading

The painting of Port Angeles, its harbor and the Olympic Mountains by Count Johan Gustaf Kalling created for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. (Courtesy of North Olympic History Center)
Otto Slehofer

BACK WHEN: Commencement exercises always an important event

JUNE IS HERE, and it’s a time for transition. We’re transitioning from spring into summer, from good weather to gorgeous weather. And for some younger… Continue reading

Otto Slehofer
Lois Crisler in 1949. (Ernest Kassowitz)

BACK WHEN: Crisler captured wilderness, wildlife in writing and on film

CHANGES OCCUR IN our society over time. They can be thrust upon us due to a tragedy. We recently observed Earth Day, one of those… Continue reading

Lois Crisler in 1949. (Ernest Kassowitz)
Naval Aviation Museum Foundation
Lt. Cmdr. Gordon H. MacLane U.S. Navy/U.S. Coast Guard, circa 1960.

BACK WHEN: Sometimes, rescuers need rescuing

YOU HAVE GONE out on a search-and-rescue mission. People need your help. After the mission ends, you are on your way back to your base… Continue reading

Naval Aviation Museum Foundation
Lt. Cmdr. Gordon H. MacLane U.S. Navy/U.S. Coast Guard, circa 1960.
The picture on the frontispiece of Big Chief White Horse Eagle’s biography titled “We Indians — The Passing of a Great Race.”

BACK WHEN: Visitor brought tall tales to Clallam County

ON DEC. 23, 1924, Clallam County received a significant visitor. Big Chief Gray Horse Eagle came to speak with local tribes. He was organizing Native… Continue reading

The picture on the frontispiece of Big Chief White Horse Eagle’s biography titled “We Indians — The Passing of a Great Race.”
A USCG Douglas RD-4, post office truck and unidentified men gather at Cook’s Prairie, the location of the current William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles. (Courtesy of Bert Kellogg Collection/North Olympic Library System)

BACK WHEN: Coast Guard a part of Peninsula since 1930s

DOES IT SEEM there are a lot of pigeons around town? It does to me. More on that later. It was a time of war… Continue reading

A USCG Douglas RD-4, post office truck and unidentified men gather at Cook’s Prairie, the location of the current William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles. (Courtesy of Bert Kellogg Collection/North Olympic Library System)
John McNutt

BACK WHEN: How did Lake Farm Road get its name?

WHEN YOU ARE traveling east of Port Angeles, you’ve likely seen the street sign for Lake Farm Road. How did that road get that name?… Continue reading

John McNutt
1916.8.100.jpg: Makah women canoe racers.   Photo by Samuel Morse c1902.   Washington State Historical Society

BACK WHEN: Samuel Morse built impressive body of photographic work

EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to a production error, John McNutt’s Dec. 6 column did not run in its entirety. Here is the complete submission along with… Continue reading

1916.8.100.jpg: Makah women canoe racers.   Photo by Samuel Morse c1902.   Washington State Historical Society