1946 - 1947 - 1948 - 1949

1946

  • Tacoma Times editorial calls for improved Pt. Defiance and Tahlequah docks
  • 3,500 cheery trees destroyed to prevent infestation
  • Seattle PI article - proposes floating bridge with Vashon as “the unsinkable mid-Sound anchor.” - Chamber of Commerce supports proposal
  • Life Magazine photographers visit island to photograph Betty MacDonald
  • Earthquake rocks island - slide at Shawnee
  • Vashon Library new building dedicated
  • Capt. F. M. Sherman proposes a marine park at Dockton
  • Vashon Island Cooperative Hatchery destroyed by fire, 30,000 eggs lost
  • Smallpox epidemic -
  • Ferry and Bus service increased -
  • Vashon Heights Community Club formed
  • Harbor Mercantile at Burton opens Locker Plant
  • KEVR opens transmitter and towers on Maury (later KING)
  • Safecrackers rob Vashon Tavern - $2,500, 20 cases of beer, 6 cases wine,100 cartons cigarettes
  • Beall Greenhouse Open House - 1,500 attend
  • Olympic Instruments opens - Chris Crecelius and Leonard Bonifaci

February -

  • Vashon Theater burns - Feb. 24 - surrounding buildings saved - movies shown in Island Club (now Ober Park)

August -

  • Investment group -Vashon Improvement Association - contracted to build new theater across the street of the old theater- - (current building)

October -

  • School enrollment 722

 

1947

  • New phone cable laid to island from Brace Point to Bealls Point
  • Vashon Businessmen’s Club - protest ferry rate increases
  • Mass meeting to protest ferry fare increase
  • Airport District approved - 215 to 71
  • Editorial - “A United Island” - supports state owned ferries and bridge to peninsula at Southworth
  • Tahlequah “path case” - public path over private land closed
  • 2 Hour parking enforced in Vashon Town
  • Larson Marine - opens boat shop at Cove - Slippercraft Boats
  • Vashon Sewer District approved 43-21
  • Floating bridge plans developed by State Department of Transportation
  • School Levy passes 1057 to 72 - 94% approval

January -

  • Island voter approve Airport District 215 v 71
  • Black Ball ferries seeks to raise ferry rates 30%
  • January gale and freeze - temperatures drop to 17 degrees

February -

  • February 6 mass meeting - 500 attend - raise $1,500 to fight Black Ball 30% fare increase
  • Feb 13 - caravan of islanders to Olympia to protest ferry fare increase and support S.B. 85 to create State Ferry System

 

March -

  • Boiler explosion at Winters and Sons Nursery rock Island
  • Ferry Strike - March 14-20 - temporary service by White Swan, Carlisle and Elsie C III

April -

  • PI article - Mukai Vashon Island Packing Co. handles about half of Island berry crop - packed nearly $500,000 worth of strawberries, gooseberries, loganberries, currants, boysenberries, and Olympic berries - 50 gallon barrels
  • Boat shop at Cove changes name from Larsen and Dunlap to Larsen Marina

May -

  • New Vashon Theatre opens - seats 550 - cost $100,000 - opens May 29 - “Two Guys from Milwaukee” and “The Big Sleep” double feature
  • Month-long drought threatens Vashon strawberry crop -
  • Peach Festival set Aug 16-17

June -

  • Vashon Telephone Corp. purchases Island phone company from Puget Sound Power and Light
  • Maury Island Incident - June 26 - Harold Dahl and Fred Crissman report the explosion on June 21, 1947, of a giant doughnut-shaped “flying saucer” near Maury Island in Puget Sound

July -

  • Residents near dump protest fires and odors

August -

  • Garbage Dump cleaned up
  • Fig harvest at Van House farm in Burton
  • Peach Festival August 16-17 - Peach Queen Martha Mues

September -

  • Record school enrollment Fall term - 853 students
  • Vashon Sewer District vote passes 43-21
  • Sept. 18 - Vashon Ferry District voted passes - 316-38 - Vashon Ferry District formed -- King County Ferry District- #1, Vashon Island Ferry District Commissioners - George McCormick, Charles Law, George Wall

October -

  • School enrollment 856
  • Kirschner Manufacturing Co. small animal splint saves valuable swan in Illinois
  • Halloween Parade and Theater Party

November -

  • Special School Election - passes Prop #1 - 1057-72, Prop #2 1053-69

December -

  • Dial telephones for Vashon-Maury Island
  • December Gale - 53 mph winds at Tahlequah and Point Dalco

 

1948

  • Vashon Island Ministerial Association formed - 7 churches
  • Vashon Island Chamber of Commerce proposes bridge to Southworth to State Highway Director Clarence Shain - 2 bridges proposed 1 at Hood Canal, 1 at Vashon-Southworth
  • New King County “sanitary fill” dump located
  • Vashon Ferry District sues Seattle Times $1.25 million for libel
  • Ferry District purchases Motor Ferry City of Tacoma for $45,000 - 34 car ferry - Begins two ferry service at North End - Lincoln and City of Tacoma
  • Peach Festival - Queen Elsa Mae Schmidt
  • Ki-Mo-Vi-Ro-Club formed - Radio Engineers and Wives Club -KING, KOMO, KIRO, KVI
  • Chamber of Commerce Meeting - 500 attend and approve Vashon Ferry District
  • Dockton dock closed - reduced length and given to the people of Dockton

January -

  • Kimmels join Thriftway Stores

February -

  • Car plunges off ferry dock
  • Ferry users win rate case - fares drop 20% - Capt. Peabody of Puget Sound navigation Co (Black Ball) demands state take over ferries - threatens to stop service.

March -

  • Funds raised to buy lights for high school field
  • New dump for Island -
  • Hal Burton appointed School Superintendent
  • Ferry Strike - Peabody Blackball fleet tie-up - Gallant Lady becomes emergency ferry fro Heights to Fauntleroy -
  • King County Ferry District #1 gain right to dock at Fauntleroy - negotiations with Capt. Peabody - rent in exchange for dropping condemnation suit
  • King County Commisioners issue emergency order to make the 45-car ferry Lincoln available to King County Ferry District #1 to make Heights-Fauntleroy run
  • Passenger only service at Tahlequah provided by King County Ferry District # 1 using the Elsie III
  • Arthur H Poultney of Burton elected Chairman of King County Rural Library District Board
  • Seaplane overturns while landing near Heights Dock
  • Vashon Ferry District begins ferry service - Black Ball fleet tied up by Captain Peabody - he asks state for 30% fare increase
  • March 1 Gallant Lady makes first passenger run Vashon to Fauntleroy - King County Ferry District No. 1 -King County makes 45 car ferry Lincoln available for Fauntleroy run Passenger ferry Elsie C makes Tahlequah run

April -

May -

  • Ferry service for Tahlequah-Point Defiance improved - May 6 Motor Ferry Kitsap begins Tahlequah run
  • Seattle Times opposed Vashon Ferry District
  • Capt. Peabody announces plans to resume ferry service to Vashon Heights
  • Black Ball Ferries denied landing at Heights Dock Saturday May 15 - Irate Islanders refuse to allow ferry Illahee to land - Vashon Vigilantes repel Black Ball Ferry - “Black Ball Ferries refused Landing at Vashon Dock”- - if allowed to land Black Ball ferries could compete with Vashon Ferry District ferries
  • --City of Kirkland refuses to sell ferry Leschi to King County Ferry District #1
  • May 22 - Puget Sound Maritime Historic Society (PSMHS) was formed to
    preserve the Northwest’s marine history sponsored The Great Steamboat Race” between the Virginia V and a similar ship, the Grayline Sightseer (formerly the Vashona).- At the end of a 5- mile (8.0 km) course that ran across the Seattle waterfront, the Virginia V won the race by a small margin.

June -

  • State Auditor reports King County Ferry District # 1 is profitable
  • Peach Festival will be held Aug 21-22

July -

  • Overloaded boat capsizes off Maury Island - one man drowns
  • Vashon Ferry District ferry Lincoln gets extension for repairs from Coast Guard so berry picking will not be disrupted
  • The Island Inn announced grand opening - formerly Gardiner’s Inn

August -

  • Washington Toll Bridge Authority negotiates with Black Ball to purchase the Puget Sound Navigation Co. boats and docks.

September -

  • Ferry District Flag designed by Mrs. James Betts - white fag, with green pine tree and white map of Island superimposed on the tree
  • Frank Brown’s 2-year old lion Leo- living across from Vashon Grade School given to Woodland park Zoo
  • State to be operating ferries by December 15
  • Ferry Skansonia added to Heights-Fauntleroy run when the ferry City of Tacoma has its certificate was removed by the Coast Guard
  • September - Two-bay firehouse completed on Bank Road

October -

  • Ed Zarth killed in explosion at his garage at center
  • Charles Law resigns as Ferry Commissioner

November -

  • Vashon Ferry District joins State proposal - signs North End run over to State of Washington
  • King County Ferry District #1 offers off-peak rate $.69 - traffic must increase 20% to keep two-boat schedule
  • High School lighted field dedicated
  • Truman wins national election - Vashon votes for Dewey 1010 to 758

December -

  • Ferry Fox Island secured for South End ferry run
  • Lynne C. Waynick built lockhouse Museum in 1946 - featured in Island Views - adopted by Swinomish Tribe, given name Black Hawk
  • Betty MacDonald featured in NY Times “In and Out of Books”
  • Auto accident at Heights Dock - car loses brakes and breaks through guard rail into water - no one injured
  • Puget Sound Ferry Users Association continues to fight for state ownership of ferries - Capt. Peabody withdrew offer to sell Black Ball to State for $6.9 million
  • Leo Long takes place as Ferry District Commissioner vacated by Charles Law


1949

  • Methodist Log Church built in 1885 dismantled and moved
  • School Board buys land near High School - will later become McMurray and Chautauqua sites
  • Vashon Bridge - Vashon to Southworth to cost $18 million - proposal endorsed by Vashon Ferry District and by Vashon Chamber of Commerce
  • State Highway Department buys ferry “City of Tacoma” for Vashon Ferry District
    Seattle earthquake
  • Betty MacDonald published “Miss. Piggle Wiggle.”

January -

  • Puget Sound Ferry Users Association - membership drive $1 family membership
  • Cold weather limits power on Island
  • Quartermaster Yacht Club hold annual meeting
  • Chamber of Commerce asks from additional sheriff - Finn Shattuck appointed
  • Norman Edson’s “Sun’s Last Glow” photograph of Mount Rainier featured in article about Edison in Vashon Island News Record - Jan. 6.

February -

  • 4 inches of snow Feb 2 -
  • Grange sponsors meeting to consider hospital for the Island
  • Island ambulance service made available
  • Pioneer Methodist Church dismantled
  • Islanders attend Olympia Ferry Bill hearings
  • Episcopal Church movers original 1912 Portage church building to Bank Road location “Little Brown Church”
  • February 23, storm sinks Tahlequah ferry slip
  • W.A. Daniel of Des Moines purchases Lisabeula Resort

March -

  • Vashon Ferry District one year old
  • Vashon Fire department begins Red Cross course
  • Beall Greenhouses show orchids at Northwest Orchid Show
  • Vashon State Bank 40th year serving Island

April -

  • News-Record featured on KIOR’s “Meet the Editor” program
  • Cooking School sponsored by Camulos Club and Ramquist Appliance Center
  • School Board purchases land for centralized school system site
  • Chamber of Commerce opposed hospital plan
  • Kimmels remodel store
  • Lighted field for sports games

May-

  • Rev W.H. Redman retires from Burton Community Church
  • Wallace Umphrey forms fiction writing class
  • Burton and Vashon 8th grades hold joint graduation
  • Flag pole and memorial plaque dedicated by the Memorial Foundation
  • Attempt to form Island Hospital District- election May 19 - plan defeated by vote of 142 for and 757 against - Island never gets hospital

June -

  • 47 students graduate from Vashon High School
  • Coffee And celebrates 1 year in business
  • Harvest Festival Dates set for August 19-21
  • Ramquists sell variety store to Fredicksons of Tacoma
  • Swim classes at Dockton Park
  • Paul Billingsley appointed Ferry Commissioner

July -

  • “Garlacres” L.A, Pierce garlic farm in Burton featured in Tacoma Ledger
  • Fire at Dockton Dock - 3 hours to contain fire at old condemned dock
  • Currant Growers organized
  • Annual Library Silver Tea and Art Exhibit
  • Veterans sponsor 3-day carnival
  • Garlacres celebrates millionth package of garlic
  • Vashon-Maury Island Pioneer Picnic

August-

  • Fosmark Feed Co sold to Lienesch of Seattle
  • Sportsmans Club
  • Kirschner Mfg Co produces splints for small animals
  • Harvest Festival parade

September -

  • L.A. Pierce garlic farm and business featured in Seattle Times
  • Annual Fireman’s Ball
  • Superintendent Barton and wife hold reception for teachers, board and personnel
  • Vashon Bowl opens - Marie Mickel and Chris Remme owners
  • Northwest Florists visit Beall Greenhouses
  • Sheriff Callahan actives auxiliary patrol on Island
  • Community Chest drive opens - Theo Berry leads
  • Brenno and Rodda dissolve partnership - Rodda to operate service station and Brenno auto parts
  • Kimmel’s store featured on KOMO’s “Homekeepers Calendar”

October -

  • O.I. Putnam reelected Chamber of Commerce President
  • Displaced family arrives in island to make new home
  • Espiscopal Church dedicated by Bishop of Olympia
  • Shurfine Market purchased by Beasley from Slagle

November -

  • Evergreen Trailways purchses Vashon Island Division of Furse
  • Stage Lines - newer style busses begin service
  • Winters Florists recognize National Flower Week
  • Art League holds first arts and crafts sale
  • Building material and supply opened at center by Howard McNicol
  • Vashon Furniture Co opened by Vincillone
  • Vashon Cleaners sold

December -

  • C.G.- Kimmel sells Thriftway to son Chuck and Paul Cook
  • Senator Witten address Chamber of Commerce
  • Schools present Christmas Program
  • All-Island Christmas party
  • Island Gun Clun sponsors turkey shoot
  • Group formed to boost bridge plan