John McNutt

  • 57 Stories
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Tambor docked at Coast Guard Air Station. No identity for the men. Source: Nancy VanSickle collection

BACK WHEN: They found a place to call home

Sailors return to Clallam County after their service

Tambor docked at Coast Guard Air Station. No identity for the men. Source: Nancy VanSickle collection
Dr. Appleton on the flyleaf of his book.

BACK WHEN: Dr. T.J. Appleton: Doctor, leader, scholar

A mountain’s namesake

Dr. Appleton on the flyleaf of his book.
BACK WHEN: When Whitecapping came to Clallam County

BACK WHEN: When Whitecapping came to Clallam County

Sol Duc Valley neighbors try to deliver vigilante justice

BACK WHEN: When Whitecapping came to Clallam County
BACK WHEN: Past actions show us nothing is brand new

BACK WHEN: Past actions show us nothing is brand new

IT SURE SEEMS like these are troubling times in which we live. Impacts to our lives are coming from every direction. Talking with someone seasoned… Continue reading

BACK WHEN: Past actions show us nothing is brand new
BACK WHEN: A local restaurant’s centennial

BACK WHEN: A local restaurant’s centennial

Dupuis celebrates 100 years of operation

BACK WHEN: A local restaurant’s centennial
BACK WHEN: Civil War veterans help build Port Angeles

BACK WHEN: Civil War veterans help build Port Angeles

I RECENTLY TOOK a stroll around Ocean View Cemetery. There are a number of simple grave markers identifying the remains of Civil War veterans. There… Continue reading

BACK WHEN: Civil War veterans help build Port Angeles
BACK WHEN: John and Mary Cowan: A lighthouse family

BACK WHEN: John and Mary Cowan: A lighthouse family

LIGHTHOUSES HAVE LONG served as a navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses marked dangerous coastlines and safe passages. The… Continue reading

BACK WHEN: John and Mary Cowan: A lighthouse family
BACK WHEN: The secret sorrow of Elsye Mitchell

BACK WHEN: The secret sorrow of Elsye Mitchell

FOR MANY, LIFE is a simple path. You grow up in a peaceful place unencumbered by the events happening around the world. You have dreams.… Continue reading

BACK WHEN: The secret sorrow of Elsye Mitchell
BACK WHEN: Thomas Osasa: Patriot by choice

BACK WHEN: Thomas Osasa: Patriot by choice

A WHILE AGO I found something that deeply aroused my curiosity. I found a copy of The Tulean Dispatch dated July 10, 1942. The lost… Continue reading

BACK WHEN: Thomas Osasa: Patriot by choice
BACK WHEN: The day shrapnel fell on Clallam Bay

BACK WHEN: The day shrapnel fell on Clallam Bay

JANUARY 29, 1962, a day that will live on in lore and legend. It was a day when the citizens of Clallam County would face… Continue reading

BACK WHEN: The day shrapnel fell on Clallam Bay
BACK WHEN: The Lasley family sees the country on wheels

BACK WHEN: The Lasley family sees the country on wheels

WHEN LIFE BECOMES very difficult people with resolve, determination and strength of character will take action and find a way to carry on. I thought… Continue reading

BACK WHEN: The Lasley family sees the country on wheels
BACK WHEN: The story of Battling Danny Mathews

BACK WHEN: The story of Battling Danny Mathews

I THINK IT is reasonable to say that many people play sports to have a healthy self-image. Some simply love the competition. Others play to… Continue reading

BACK WHEN: The story of Battling Danny Mathews
BACK WHEN: People journey to Port Angeles for ‘utopia’

BACK WHEN: People journey to Port Angeles for ‘utopia’

WASHINGTON HAS QUITE a radical history. In 1936, Postmaster General James Farley is purported to have joked that “There are 47 states in the Union… Continue reading

BACK WHEN: People journey to Port Angeles for ‘utopia’
BACK WHEN: Goodbye to the old, hello to the new

BACK WHEN: Goodbye to the old, hello to the new

I WENT FOR a stroll downtown two weeks ago to have one last close up look at the D.W. Morse Building, known to most as… Continue reading

BACK WHEN: Goodbye to the old, hello to the new
BACK WHEN: Local history contest encourages youth interest in the past

BACK WHEN: Local history contest encourages youth interest in the past

OUR PAST AFFECTS our present and future. Though we feel the influence, we often don’t see the connections. The Hands on History Contest, sponsored by… Continue reading

BACK WHEN: Local history contest encourages youth interest in the past
BACK WHEN: Marking the life of an area mother

BACK WHEN: Marking the life of an area mother

TAKING A STROLL around a cemetery can give you a quiet time for reflection and thought. Turn off the cellphone; reception is kind of dead… Continue reading

BACK WHEN: Marking the life of an area mother
BACK WHEN: A new columnist takes the reins

BACK WHEN: A new columnist takes the reins

EDITOR’S NOTE: Alice Alexander has retired from writing the Back When Clallam County history column. Taking over her role is John McNutt, president of the… Continue reading

BACK WHEN: A new columnist takes the reins