John McNutt

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John Carnes circa 1900.

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 last month also looked at a murder… Continue reading

 

Ralph Carson’s mug shot.

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.” (James 4:2) All too often we see… Continue reading

 

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

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 long and drawn out, like war or… Continue reading

 

Captain Lawrence Currie

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. But things can take a sudden turn… Continue reading

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

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 1998 movie titled “The Legend of 1900.”… Continue reading

David and SarahO’Brien’s grave marker at Ocean View Cemetery.
Map of lots available in Port Angeles from 1890.

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 seems we have moved from a real… Continue reading

Map of lots available in Port Angeles from 1890.
An editorial cartoon from the January 17, 1933 Port Angeles Evening News.

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 them. My attention was quickly drawn to… Continue reading

An editorial cartoon from the January 17, 1933 Port Angeles Evening News.
Photo by John McNutt The grave of Thomas and Lida Trumbull.

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. Sometimes we spend time cleaning the grave… Continue reading

Photo by John McNutt The grave of Thomas and Lida Trumbull.
A pig similar to this inflamed the British and U.S. conflict.

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 pig. The purpose is to give the… Continue reading

A pig similar to this inflamed the British and U.S. conflict.
The USS Argonaught stationed at Pearl Harbor and Brisbane, Australia during WWII.

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, 1945. Japan unconditionally surrendered on September 2,… Continue reading

The USS Argonaught stationed at Pearl Harbor and Brisbane, Australia during WWII.
An article from the Olympic-Leader newspaper of Port Angeles on July 20, 1894.

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 7:12, “In everything treat people the same… Continue reading

An article from the Olympic-Leader newspaper of Port Angeles on July 20, 1894.
Image of the Coast Trader (submitted photo)

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 victims of the attack on Pearl Harbor… Continue reading

Image of the Coast Trader (submitted photo)
A bellwether is traditionally the leading sheep of a flock, which has a bell to lead the others.

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 comes with presidential elections. Clallam County has… Continue reading

A bellwether is traditionally the leading sheep of a flock, which has a bell to lead the others.
Courtesy of Janice Blazer Ida Barker Simmons.

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 Peninsula. Homesteading alone was hard. Add in… Continue reading

Courtesy of Janice Blazer Ida Barker Simmons.
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.

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 name tell me anything? Do the dates… Continue reading

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.
In Action circa 1930.jpg: A local fire with the fire truck in action. Courtesy of Port Angeles Fire Department.

BACK WHEN: The history of the Port Angeles fire truck

WE CAN BE so busy with life that we do not see treasures near us. I am reminded of that every time I drive by… Continue reading

In Action circa 1930.jpg: A local fire with the fire truck in action. Courtesy of Port Angeles Fire Department.
John McNutt

BACK WHEN: 100 years of automobile history on the Peninsula

SOMETIMES WE FORGET just how much things change. Our surroundings are always changing. Our lives are changing. Our cars are changing. Changes in cars seems… Continue reading

John McNutt
Headline from 1860s newspaper.

BACK WHEN: Olympic Peninsula history shows the danger of vigilantism

SOME PEOPLE ARE known by your local community to be the sources of recent crimes. What do you do? What would any reasonable community do?… Continue reading

Headline from 1860s newspaper.
the Hand-Book Almanac of the Pacific States

BACK WHEN: A guidebook to a Peninsula of days gone past

LET’S BEGIN WITH a Jeopardy question. “This book is filled with trivial information.” Answer, “What is the Hand-Book Almanac of the Pacific States”? I found… Continue reading

the Hand-Book Almanac of the Pacific States
Some of the evidence recovered when they were arrested.

BACK WHEN: Jail break on the Olympic Peninsula

THE STORIES OF life and crime can take many twists and turns. In 1922, a planned robbery at the recreation hall of Discovery Bay Logging… Continue reading

Some of the evidence recovered when they were arrested.