John McNutt

A notice which was sent to dentists around the country regarding the murder and related dental work.

BACK WHEN: Part 2: “The Lady of the Lake” murder mystery

LAST MONTH I started telling the story surrounding the “Lady of the Lake.” A woman’s body had been found floating on Lake Crescent. The body… Continue reading

A notice which was sent to dentists around the country regarding the murder and related dental work.
Dental piece found in body discovered at Lake Crescent.

BACK WHEN: The true crime story of a 1940 Peninsula murder

SOMETIMES THE TREASURES you come upon are quite interesting. A while back, I was looking through an old box of papers belonging to Dr. Harlan… Continue reading

Dental piece found in body discovered at Lake Crescent.
Lieutenant Jonathon Thorn

BACK WHEN: The story of the Tonquin and Lieutenant Thorn

WHEN I WAS a young teenager, my uncle, Dr. Harlan McNutt, told me the story of the Tonquin. The Tonquin was a ship that sailed… Continue reading

Lieutenant Jonathon Thorn
First Congregational Church building March 1889.

BACK WHEN: The first church of Port Angeles

PORT ANGELES DOES not have a long history, relatively speaking. First settled in 1854 and declared the Second National City in 1862, the town grew… Continue reading

First Congregational Church building March 1889.
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BACK WHEN: The tale of Pvt. Giuseppe Romeo

WHEN PEOPLE PASS away, there are always earthly possessions left over from someone’s life. Many of us have been left with the job of dealing… Continue reading

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Lt to Rt:   Unidentified man, George Venerable Smith-seated, Ione Tomlinson 
North Olympic History Center

BACK WHEN: A history of the Peninsula’s alternative colonies

IT IS NOT hard remembering the varieties of alternative lifestyles that started developing in the 1960s. Much of the western world was experimenting with hallucinogenic… Continue reading

Lt to Rt:   Unidentified man, George Venerable Smith-seated, Ione Tomlinson 
North Olympic History Center
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