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Anchors Aweigh
On May 31, 1933, the historic frigate USS Constitution arrived in Seattle as part of a national "thank you" tour for those who donated money for its restoration. During its two-week stay, more than 200,000 people toured the vessel before it left for a one-week stop in Tacoma. From there it visited the ports of Bremerton, Everett, Bellingham, Anacortes, and Port Townsend. While in Everett, nine of the ship's crew participated in a baseball game with the Everett White Sox.
Twenty-five years later, on June 2, 1958, Everett was visited by another noteworthy vessel – the atomic powered submarine USS Nautilus – but this time its crew was on a secret mission. Unbeknownst to the public, which had enjoyed a visit from the sub in 1957, the Nautilus had suffered a leak in the seawater circulation system of the nuclear-power-plant condenser. Crewmen donned civilian clothes and scoured Everett and Seattle gas stations sub rosa for every can of Bar's Leak they could buy. It took 140 quarts of the concentrate to fix the problem, but the story wasn't revealed to the public until a year later.
And while we're on the subject of maritime history, we note an important date in Washington's nautical past. On June 1, 1951, cross-sound travelers greeted the newly created Washington State Ferry system, after years of dealing with the fare increases and foibles of the privately owned Black Ball Line. Three years later, WSF purchased its first new ferry, but by the 1960s the state was contracting the construction of its own boats.
Pend Oreille
On May 29, 1911, Governor Marion Hay went on a tour of Pend Oreille County, in the state's northeastern corner. A few months earlier, Hay signed legislation that created the county, and his visit preceded the date when the county officially organized. Pend Oreille County is the last of Washington's 39 counties to be formed.
Hay toured the county by train, beginning with a brief stop in Newport to pick up reception committees from Ione, Usk, and Cusick. The train stopped in those and other towns on its way to Metaline Falls before returning that evening for a banquet in Newport. Newspaperman Fred Wolf, owner of the Newport Miner, noted that Hay was very impressed with the new county's resources and industrial enterprises.
Over the years, Pend Oreille County has been home to timber, mining, and cement manufacturing industries, many of which have been served by the Port of Pend Oreille, which owns its own railroad line. The county's abundance of beautiful lakes, mountains, forests, and streams has made it one of the state's premier outdoor vacation spots.
For a glimpse into what Pend Oreille County was like a century ago, we invite you to read Dorothea Nordstrand's recollections of her family's homestead in Tiger, which they shared with a determined horse named Dandy. And in 2009, Gary Graupner shared some of his family's history in Newport, where they faced many challenges, including the 1918 flu pandemic and the Great Depression.
