Case Inlet steamboats
Encyclopedia
Case Inlet steamboats served the small communities along the shore of Case Inlet
in southern Puget Sound
from the 1870s to 1924.
on the east side of the inlet from Hartstine Island and the Kitsap Peninsula
on the west side of the inlet.
, Dutcher's Cove, Herron and Herron Island
, Whiteman Cove, and Taylor Bay.
On the west side of inlet, from north to south on the Kitsap Peninsula, the communities included Allyn
, Eberhardt Float, Grapeview (Detroit), and Stretch Island
. South of Stretch Island, Pickering Passage
separates Hartstine Island from the Kitsap Peninsula. On Case Inlet, on the east side of Hartstine Island, was the small community of Ballow and also Cowans Landing.
Vaughn in particular became an important steamboat terminal for the north end of the Key Peninsula. A day when the steamboat was schedule to arrive was known locally as a “Boat Day.” Vaughn was located near a small inlet known as Vaughn Bay which was separated from Case Inlet by a sandbar. Freight and passengers bound for Vaughn had to be lightered over the sandbar was there was insufficient depth of water to allow a steamboat to pass. Later a dock was constructed which resolved the problem.
Smaller steamboats also were constructed at Case Inlet ports, E.M. Gill, built at Vaughn in 1895, and Detroit (81 ft (24.7 m), 97 gross tons) , built at Detroit (now Grapeview), in 1889.
There was a landing on Stretch Island
, called Eckert's Landing, for a winery on the island, which, during Prohibition
, became a grape juice factory.
( built 1878 60 ft (18.3 m)) , Arrow ( built 188345 ft (13.7 m), Seaside, ( built 1885, 45 ft (13.7 m), 31 GT), White Cap, and Colby ( built 1902 35 ft (10.7 m))
The somewhat larger sternwheeler Tyconda
( built 1895 104 ft (31.7 m), 186 GT), also ran up to Vaughn, where the shallow draft of the sternwheeler made loading and unloading easier, as the vessel could come close in to the shore.
Adam Ervin Cowan, the founder of Cowan's Landing, operated two boats which served Harstine Island, Lavina, named after his wife, and Leota, named after his daughter. Cowans killed in a boatyard accident in 1918, when the supports under Lavina gave way, and he was crushed by the hull.
. Local service may continued longer. It is reported that in 1923, Glen Harriman, using an ex-navy vessel he renamed Loren (54 ft (16.5 m)) after his daughter, begin making runs three times weekly from Case Inlet to Olympia, with stops at Allyn, Vaughn, and Hartstine and Squaxin
islands.
Case Inlet
Case Inlet, in southern Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington, is an arm of water between Key Peninsula on the east and Hartstine Island on the west. Its northern end, called North Bay, reaches nearly to Hood Canal, creating the defining isthmus of Kitsap Peninsula. Case Inlet is the boundary...
in southern Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
from the 1870s to 1924.
Geography
Case Inlet runs in northerly direction from the Nisqually Reach and divides the Key PeninsulaKey Peninsula
The Key Peninsula is a finger of land in Puget Sound, Washington, United States . It is approximately long and extends south from the Kitsap Peninsula. It is part of Pierce County, Washington. Some of its towns include:...
on the east side of the inlet from Hartstine Island and the Kitsap Peninsula
Kitsap Peninsula
The Kitsap Peninsula is an arm of land that is part of the larger Olympic Peninsula in Washington state that lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound. Hood Canal separates Kitsap Peninsula from the rest of the Olympic Peninsula...
on the west side of the inlet.
Communities served
Steamboats served communities all along the inlet. Among others, these included, on the Key Peninsula, from north to south, Victor, Rock Bay, VaughnVaughn, Washington
Vaughn is an unincorporated community in Pierce County, Washington, United States. Vaughn is located on Vaughn Bay in the northwestern Key Peninsula. Vaughn has a post office with ZIP code 98394....
, Dutcher's Cove, Herron and Herron Island
Herron Island
Herron Island is an island in central Case Inlet in the southern part of Puget Sound in the state of Washington, USA. The Pierce County island has a land area of 1.2326 km² and a population of 152 persons as of the 2000 census....
, Whiteman Cove, and Taylor Bay.
On the west side of inlet, from north to south on the Kitsap Peninsula, the communities included Allyn
Allyn, Washington
Allyn is an unincorporated community in Mason County, Washington, United States. It is part of Allyn-Grapeview, a census-designated place that also includes the community of Grapeview. Allyn is located on the western shore of North Bay region of the Case Inlet of the Puget Sound.The area's main...
, Eberhardt Float, Grapeview (Detroit), and Stretch Island
Stretch Island
Stretch Island is an island in Case Inlet in the southern part of Puget Sound in the state of Washington, USA. It forms part of the unincorporated Mason County community of Allyn-Grapeview. The island has a land area of 1.2179 km² and a population of 119 persons as of the 2000 census...
. South of Stretch Island, Pickering Passage
Pickering Passage
Pickering Passage is a strait, in the southern end of part of Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. Entirely within Mason County, the Pickering Passage separates Hartstine Island from the mainland, and connects Totten Inlet with the north end of Case Inlet.Pickering Passage flows past the...
separates Hartstine Island from the Kitsap Peninsula. On Case Inlet, on the east side of Hartstine Island, was the small community of Ballow and also Cowans Landing.
Vaughn in particular became an important steamboat terminal for the north end of the Key Peninsula. A day when the steamboat was schedule to arrive was known locally as a “Boat Day.” Vaughn was located near a small inlet known as Vaughn Bay which was separated from Case Inlet by a sandbar. Freight and passengers bound for Vaughn had to be lightered over the sandbar was there was insufficient depth of water to allow a steamboat to pass. Later a dock was constructed which resolved the problem.
Smaller steamboats also were constructed at Case Inlet ports, E.M. Gill, built at Vaughn in 1895, and Detroit (81 ft (24.7 m), 97 gross tons) , built at Detroit (now Grapeview), in 1889.
There was a landing on Stretch Island
Stretch Island
Stretch Island is an island in Case Inlet in the southern part of Puget Sound in the state of Washington, USA. It forms part of the unincorporated Mason County community of Allyn-Grapeview. The island has a land area of 1.2179 km² and a population of 119 persons as of the 2000 census...
, called Eckert's Landing, for a winery on the island, which, during Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
, became a grape juice factory.
Type of service
Vessels employed on case inlet were generally smaller and engaged in general purpose work, such as the transport of passengers, construction supplies, and groceries. They also did towing work on occasion.Vessels on the route
Vessels on the route included E.M.Gill ( built 1895, 63 ft (19.2 m), 21 gross tons (GT)) Maggie Yarro( built 1891 34 ft (10.4 m), 19 GT) , Orion, Capitol( steam scow, built 1878 54 ft (16.5 m), 54 GT) , Clara, the sternwheeler Old SettlerOld Settler (sternwheeler)
Old Settler was a sternwheel steamboat that operated on Puget Sound from 1878 to 1895.- Career:Old Settler was built at Olympia, Washington in 1878, and was said to have been “cheaply constructed” and “undersized”. The engines, boiler, and whistle were all second hand...
( built 1878 60 ft (18.3 m)) , Arrow ( built 188345 ft (13.7 m), Seaside, ( built 1885, 45 ft (13.7 m), 31 GT), White Cap, and Colby ( built 1902 35 ft (10.7 m))
The somewhat larger sternwheeler Tyconda
Tyconda
Tyconda was a sternwheel steamboat of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet, later transferred to the Stikine River.-Career:Tyconda was built in 1898 for the Lorentz Brothers, a steamboat family active in Puget Sound maritime affairs. Tyconda was the only sternwheeler the Lorentz Brothers ever owned...
( built 1895 104 ft (31.7 m), 186 GT), also ran up to Vaughn, where the shallow draft of the sternwheeler made loading and unloading easier, as the vessel could come close in to the shore.
Adam Ervin Cowan, the founder of Cowan's Landing, operated two boats which served Harstine Island, Lavina, named after his wife, and Leota, named after his daughter. Cowans killed in a boatyard accident in 1918, when the supports under Lavina gave way, and he was crushed by the hull.
Termination of service
In 1924 Ariel made the last steamer run from Tacoma to Allyn, WashingtonAllyn, Washington
Allyn is an unincorporated community in Mason County, Washington, United States. It is part of Allyn-Grapeview, a census-designated place that also includes the community of Grapeview. Allyn is located on the western shore of North Bay region of the Case Inlet of the Puget Sound.The area's main...
. Local service may continued longer. It is reported that in 1923, Glen Harriman, using an ex-navy vessel he renamed Loren (54 ft (16.5 m)) after his daughter, begin making runs three times weekly from Case Inlet to Olympia, with stops at Allyn, Vaughn, and Hartstine and Squaxin
Squaxin Island
Squaxin Island is in the extreme southwestern part of Puget Sound in Mason County, Washington, USA. The island is an Indian reservation of the Native American Squaxin Island Tribe. It once contained a Washington State Park by the same name, which has since been closed, and the land returned to the...
islands.