BACK WHEN: The history of the Peninsula’s glorious Fourth

Published 1:30 am Friday, July 3, 2026

HERE WE ARE. It is the Fourth of July. But not just any Fourth, it is the semiquincentennial. That is a mouthful. We can also call it the sestercentennial, the quarter millennial, or the bisesquicentennial. Rather than tie our tongues in a knot, let’s just call it our nation’s 250th anniversary. This is truly a milestone event.

It all started with the Declaration of Independence. We are all very familiar with the first sentence of the second paragraph, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

We should not stop reading there. Further down in the Declaration is a list of 27 grievances that were the root issues. These issues included oppression, justice, taxes, and commerce. It included, “He [The King of England] has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns and destroyed the lives of our people.” The 56 signers put their lives and possessions on the line.

The entire Declaration is worth reading.

In 1892 (116th anniversary), Port Angeles decided “the national Independence Day should be celebrated and that the program should be large, complete and successful.” Port Angeles knew how to celebrate. It was a day-long event.

It was declared that “the people of Port Angeles were a unit in sentiment.” The only downside appeared to be the weather. It was windy and cool. In some places there was dust being blown around. The Tribune Times reported, “Otherwise the day passed off in the most enjoyable manner to our visitors and the people generally.”

9:30 a.m.: The First Division of the day saw 14 groups gather at the Central School. The parade was led by a local indigenous leader. The parade included a speaker’s carriage, a flag bearer, the Gate City Band, the GAR veterans, Knights of Pythias Lodge, the Fire Department and baseball clubs. Baseball and the Fourth went together even then.

This procession marched down to the head of Morse’s Dock and waited for the steamer Yosemite to arrive. On board were an estimated 1,200 guests from Victoria, Canada. Our celebration was an international event.

After the Canadians arrived, the procession proceeded to the picnic grounds, arriving around noon. It was quite a spectacle. The procession was 1½ mile long and was accented by numerous American and English flags. The procession included a group of young ladies on horseback dressed in red, white and blue. The procession also included two floats containing about 200 children with flags from both countries, and 30 teams of horses decorated with flags. Every building along the route was decorated.

The grandstand was set up to seat 2,000 people. Grand Marshal Judge Louis Williams called the gathering to order. The Reverend M. U. Squire prayed for the events. Mrs. Lena Wilcox recited the Declaration of Independence from memory. Mayor Norman Smith welcomed everyone to the celebration. Speeches were made by Will R. Gay, Preston Troy, and Colonel J. S. Coolican.

Ben Keller sang “Red, White, and Blue” accompanied by a chorus of school children.

1:00 p.m.: It was time for a basket picnic on the grounds. The picnic grounds were in the Tumwater Creek valley. So, the area was sheltered from the wind. It was warm enough to be comfortable for people.

The Port Angeles Ladies’ World’s Fair Club and ladies from local churches arranged for the entertainment of the children.

1:30 p.m.: It was time for sporting events. These included baseball with Beacher Bay Indians (Vancouver Island) versus Elwha Indians and Victoria (Canada) versus Port Angeles. Beacher Bay won by two points. There were also boat races of various sizes, including 8-man, 2-man, and 1-man boats.

3:30 p.m.: There was a foot race on Front Street between the Hook Ladder Company and the Hose Company.

4:30 p.m.: Two other events occurred along Front Street. First was six horse races on Front Street between Albert and Liberty Street. The prize was $125 ($4,500 today).

The first race was a 300-yard pony race won by Edwin Cay’s gray mare “Blink.” Dave Dick’s “Shoo-fly” came in second.

In the open race, George Rollins “Dick” won.

In the trotting race, Donald McGinnes’ roan horse “Jim” won easily.

The second event was an afternoon concert at the Opera House. It was a long day. The concert was to “Entertain and Rest the Weary.”

9:00 p.m.: There was a fireworks display put on by the Princes of the Orient. The Princes of the Orient was a side degree within the Knights of Pythias organization.

10:00 p.m.: The grand ending to the day included the Grand Ball at the Opera House and the Grand Supper at the City Hotel.

This was a day-long community celebration. The celebration was inclusive of indigenous peoples and neighboring Canadians. Today the Fourth has some community events, but celebrations are more of family gatherings.

Like so many holidays, we lose sight of the origins behind it. On the Fourth most people see a day off, barbecues, and the one day of the year we can blow things up.

We have a hard time imagining the courage it took to sign the Declaration of Independence. We lose sight of the Revolutionary War lasting eight years and the 69,000 people who died during the conflict. Our origins as a nation were very costly.

We may be concerned about the state of affairs today. We need to remember that our nation was formed upon grievances. We should also cast a grateful eye when we look at other nations where grievances are suppressed.

Thinking of this as our 250th anniversary reminded me of wedding anniversaries. It is a time of happiness when your parents or grandparents celebrate their wedding anniversary. A family member would be tossed out on their ear if they showed up spouting a list of grievances. It is simply not the time for that.

This is our 250th anniversary. Let’s celebrate the fact that this union has lasted so long. Leave the complaining behind for a day.

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John McNutt is a descendant of Clallam County pioneers and treasurer of the North Olympic History Center Board of Directors. He can be reached at woodrowsilly@gmail.com.

John’s Clallam history column appears the first Saturday of every month.