When Waterways were Highways
The Mosquito Fleet of Hood Canal & South Puget Sound
Stella Wenstob, MA, freelance writer Before automobiles and highways paved the way to land transport, the waterways of Puget Sound were essential. When settlers first came to these inlets to homestead, Native American canoes and small watercrafts were the best method of transport. But this method of passage often required Native American guides, traveling in an open canoe for several hours and the man-powered craft was at the mercy of the strong tides, currents and weather of the Puget Sound waterways. Towards the turn of the 19th century, the canoes were replaced as steam powered sternwheelers, side-wheelers and propeller crafts became available—which were capable of comfortably taking many passengers and freight. These crafts became so ubiquitous and plentiful that they have been dubbed the Mosquito Fleet of Puget Sound. Later, as ships became tailored for these routes, more luxurious on-board amenities were provided, such as white table cloth dining and unusually, aboard the Eliza Anderson, the steam engine was put to further use as it powered a calliope – a keyboard instrument similar to an organ with music produced through a series of steam whistles. In many areas, such as the route between Seattle and Tacoma, the Mosquito Fleets established the routes later followed by the Washington State Ferries. Perched on the Hood Canal, Case Inlet and Hammersley Inlet, Mason County, in particular, relied on the ships of the Mosquito Fleet to connect it with the hubbub of the rest of the State. Mail, supplies and later tourists were brought in by ship and local products such as oysters, salal, timber
and canned fish were shipped out. Shelton and its early lumber industry was serviced by several ships, connecting it to Olympia. The Willie, Clara Brown, The Doctor, The Josephine, City of Shelton, Irene, Agnes, S.G. Simpson, Marie and the Emrose were just a few of these ships serving Shelton, Oakland Bay and Hammersley Inlet from the 1880s to the mid-1920s.
½ lb bacon chopped into 1" pieces 2 white onions, sliced 2 stalks of finely sliced celery 1 clove of garlic crushed ½ pound of geoduck 1" pieces (washed) 2 cups of heavy cream 1 can of clam nectar 2 cups of diced white potatoes 1 can creamed corn (optional) Fry bacon, onions, celery and garlic, until bacon curls and onions are translucent. Brown slightly geoduck pieces. Add cream (or for traditional pioneer chowder, 1 tin of evaporated milk and 1/2 can of water) and clam nectar, diced potatoes, and if desired add a can of cream corn. Simmer mixture, adding more water if necessary. Be careful since cream has a tendency to boil over quickly and burn. Serve with finely chopped parsley and a glass of Mosquito Winery’s 2013 Malbec (if you can get a hold of it!).
The 110-foot sternwheeler City of Shelton (above right) was built in 1895 in Shelton for the Shelton Transportation Company to replace the Willie on the Shelton-Olympia Route. According to historical gossip, the nick-name for the City of Shelton, propagated by the competing crew of the Marie was “Old Wet-Butt,” as she was built without a guard for her paddles causing water to splash up her stern. Captain and crew of these boats had to travel without the modern aids of GPS and sonar, using
FJORD 24
landmarks, compasses and problematic techniques such as rudimentary echolocation. As such, there were many marine accidents – some resulted in tragic loss of life and others were harmless such as the grounding of the City of Shelton on the tidal flats of Arcadia Point. Coming too close to shore on a low tide, in a thick fog, the City of Shelton was grounded for some time as the passengers and crew had to wait for the tide to rise to free her. Seizing upon the opportunity, the cook had himself lowered
