Dockton, Washington
Encyclopedia
Dockton is an unincorporated community in King County, Washington
. It is located on Maury Island
, along Quartermaster Harbor
. Although once an industrial center, Dockton today is a primarily residential area, with many commuters taking the ferry to nearby Tacoma
.
. The drydock was 325 feet (99.1 m) long and 203 feet (61.9 m) wide.
After its closure, the Stucky and Martinolich yards continued shipbuilding and repair at Dockton. Over the years a number of vessels were also built at the shipyard of John Martinolich
, at Dockton on Maury Island. These included the propeller steamers Vashon (1905)
, Verona
(1910), Nisqually (later renamed Astorian) and Calista
, both built in 1911, Florence J.
(1914), F.G. Reeves, (1916), Vashona (later renamed Sightseer) (1921), and the ferry Whidby (1923).
Launchings did not always go well. Florence J. rolled over and sank on the first launching attempt.
The last commercial boat built at Dockton was the Janet G in 1929.
In the early 1910s there was a salmon cannery at Dockton, Puget Sound
fisheries peaked in 1914, but after that catches began to decline, and the cannery was closed by the end of the decade. Dockton gradually transformed into the residential community it is today.
As Dockton faded as an industrial center, its situation as a residential center was improved when King County
bridged the portage between Maury Island and larger Vashon Island in 1918. The two islands were later connected by an artificial isthmus
.
The Dockton Store, including a post office
, opened in 1920. It was the center of the community until it closed in the 1980s. The building remains, and is listed as a King County landmark. It is the only well preserved early 20th century commercial building on Maury Island.
Other surviving remnants of Dockton's past are shipyard pilings, old piers and net houses, and the homes of the managers and foremen from the industrial days, known collectively as "Piano Row".
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
. It is located on Maury Island
Maury Island
Maury Island is a small island in Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is connected to Vashon Island by an isthmus built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Before construction of the isthmus, the island was connected to Vashon only during low tide. The island is rural with...
, along Quartermaster Harbor
Quartermaster Harbor
Quartermaster Harbor is a small harbor located in southern Puget Sound, in Vashon Island, Washington State.-Geographic description:Quartermaster Harbor is formed by Vashon Island on the west and Maury Island on the east...
. Although once an industrial center, Dockton today is a primarily residential area, with many commuters taking the ferry to nearby Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
.
History
Dockton, one of the first major settlements on the now-conjoined Vashon and Maury Islands, was an important shipbuilding center in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Puget Sound Dry Dock Company ship yard and drydock there from 1892 to 1909 was the largest on the West Coast of the United StatesWest Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. The drydock was 325 feet (99.1 m) long and 203 feet (61.9 m) wide.
After its closure, the Stucky and Martinolich yards continued shipbuilding and repair at Dockton. Over the years a number of vessels were also built at the shipyard of John Martinolich
Martinolich Shipbuilding Company
The Martinolich Shipbuilding Company was founded in the early 1900s by John Martinolich , an immigrant from Croatia.-Course of business:The company's original shipyard was at Dockton, Washington, but later expanded to other locations...
, at Dockton on Maury Island. These included the propeller steamers Vashon (1905)
Vashon (steamboat 1905)
Vashon was a wooden steamboat built in 1905 at Dockton, Washington on Vashon Island. The vessel was active on Puget Sound in the early decades of the 1900s...
, Verona
Verona (steamship)
The steamship Verona was a small steamboat of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet.-Career:Verona was built in 1910 at the Martinolich shipyard at Dockton, Washington. The vessel is best known for an event which occurred on November 5, 1916. The vessel was transporting members of the Industrial Workers...
(1910), Nisqually (later renamed Astorian) and Calista
Calista (steamboat)
The steamship Calista was a small steamboat of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet.-Career:Calista was built in 1911 at the Martinolich shipyard at Dockton, Washington.The vessel is best known for an event which occurred on November 5, 1916...
, both built in 1911, Florence J.
Florence J.
Florence J. was a small gasoline-powered vessel built in 1913 or 1914 at Dockton, Washington. The vessel is chiefly remembered for having capsized immediately upon being launched.- Career:...
(1914), F.G. Reeves, (1916), Vashona (later renamed Sightseer) (1921), and the ferry Whidby (1923).
Launchings did not always go well. Florence J. rolled over and sank on the first launching attempt.
The last commercial boat built at Dockton was the Janet G in 1929.
In the early 1910s there was a salmon cannery at Dockton, 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...
fisheries peaked in 1914, but after that catches began to decline, and the cannery was closed by the end of the decade. Dockton gradually transformed into the residential community it is today.
As Dockton faded as an industrial center, its situation as a residential center was improved when King County
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
bridged the portage between Maury Island and larger Vashon Island in 1918. The two islands were later connected by an artificial isthmus
Isthmus
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...
.
The Dockton Store, including a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, opened in 1920. It was the center of the community until it closed in the 1980s. The building remains, and is listed as a King County landmark. It is the only well preserved early 20th century commercial building on Maury Island.
Other surviving remnants of Dockton's past are shipyard pilings, old piers and net houses, and the homes of the managers and foremen from the industrial days, known collectively as "Piano Row".