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John McNutt

The front of a program for the Carson Barnes Circus. This program was from the June 1991 appearance of the Carson Barnes Circus in Sequim, 100 years after the first circus came to Clallam County.

Life

BACK WHEN: Under the big tent: A history of Peninsula circuses

APRIL 3, 2026, was an important day. It was American Circus Day. Did you forget your grease paint…

Submitted photo
The cover of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge opening day brochure.

Life

BACK WHEN: Blueprint of a disaster: The Tacoma Narrows Bridge

I DECIDED TO go a little bit outside the North Olympic Peninsula for this month’s column.

The Elwha River in August 1934 during normal flow.

News

BACK WHEN: History repeats itself; Peninsula flood of 1935

IF WE DO not have anything to talk about, there is always the weather. People have often remarked,…

Gate city ladder crew.

Life

BACK WHEN: Port Angeles, still the Puget Sound’s Gate City

IN THE EARLY days of Port Angeles, civic leaders had a vision for its growth and development. How…

Thomas Guptill’s painting of Ediz Gigantus.

Life

BACK WHEN: A whale of a tale

ON FRIDAY, JAN. 26, 1934, the Port Angeles Evening News ran an astounding story. The story was so…

John Carnes circa 1900.

Life

BACK WHEN: When the mundane turns to murder on the OP

ON TUESDAY, NOV. 5, 1901 (124 years ago), a murder struck the small community of Mora. My story…

Ralph Carson’s mug shot.

News

BACK WHEN: 88th anniversary of an OP murder mystery

THE BIBLE POINTS out one of mankind’s failings. “You lust and do not have; so you commit murder.”…

Captain Lawrence Currie

News

BACK WHEN: Remembering a fateful air accident on the Peninsula

SO MUCH OF our lives are routine. Whether it is brushing our teeth daily or doing our job.…

David and SarahO’Brien’s grave marker at Ocean View Cemetery.

Life

BACK WHEN: Peninsula pioneer helped start school in Port Angeles

I MAY BE a bit odd, but when I recently read an obituary, I was drawn to a…

Map of lots available in Port Angeles from 1890.

News

BACK WHEN: Port Angeles celebrating 135 years on July 4

HERE IT IS. July 5, and we celebrated the 249th anniversary of our independence as a nation. It…

Submitted photo
Headline about Walter Lindsey’s death after Gertrude Hoag shot him.

News

BACK WHEN: Love triangle leads to murder

TRAGEDIES SEEM TO be part of the human experience. Some seem instantaneous, like an automobile collision. Others seem…

An editorial cartoon from the January 17, 1933 Port Angeles Evening News.

Life

BACK WHEN: This isn’t the first trade war for the US or Olympic Peninsula

AN OLD FRIEND of mine sent me some old Port Angeles newspapers. It was fun to rummage through…

Photo by John McNutt
The grave of Thomas and Lida Trumbull.

News

BACK WHEN: Stories hidden among the sea of graves

MOST OF US have visited a cemetery. Often it’s to put something on a loved one’s grave marker.…

A pig similar to this inflamed the British and U.S. conflict.

Life

BACK WHEN: The Great Pig War and how a pig helped set a boundary

HERE IT IS! March 1. It is National Pig Day. It is a day we can celebrate the…

The USS Argonaught stationed at Pearl Harbor and Brisbane, Australia during WWII.

News

BACK WHEN: The human cost of war hit the Peninsula in WWII

SEVENTY-NINE YEARS ago the end was in sight for World War 2. Germany unconditionally surrendered on May 7,…

An article from the Olympic-Leader newspaper of Port Angeles on July 20, 1894.

News

BACK WHEN: A tale of a Peninsula tragedy from 130 years ago

IT IS THE start of a new year. Have you made any resolutions? Maybe you thought of Matthew…

Image of the Coast Trader (submitted photo)

Life

BACK WHEN: A day to remember: Pearl Harbor Day

TODAY IS A DAY of remembrance. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day set aside to honor and remember the…

A bellwether is traditionally the leading sheep of a flock, which has a bell to lead the others.

Life

BACK WHEN: Is Olympic Peninsula the bellwether?

HERE WE ARE. Just days away from another Presidential election. There is a certain level of weirdness that…

Courtesy of Janice Blazer Ida Barker Simmons.

Life

BACK WHEN: The story of Ida Barker Simmons

LIFE CAN BE difficult for many people. In the 19th century, life could be hard on the Olympic…

Eunice Lum, Sue and Mary’s eldest daughter. The image is from a 1922 girl’s sunday school class at the First Baptist Church. Eunice would be about 11 years old.

Life

BACK WHEN: A story of early Chinese Peninsula settlers

WHEN I EXPLORE a cemetery, I often wonder about the lives of the people buried here. Does the…