Islanders and visitors to Dockton will soon be able to walk through the town’s unique history — literally.
This Saturday marks the opening of the Dockton Historical Trial. An afternoon ceremony will celebrate the completion of the half-mile loop through central Dockton marked by 10 interpretive signs that tell of the area’s economic and cultural history.
Dockton resident Anita Halstead, who headed up the project, became interested in the small community’s history when she learned her 1908 home was once owned by Croatian immigrants. Halstead is 100 percent Croatian.
“My interest in the ethnic groups surfaced immediately,” she said.
Through further research, Halstead learned that Dockton once had the largest dry dock north of San Francisco, a booming shipbuilding industry and a thriving maritime economy, all powered by immigrants who lived and worked there.
In 2007, Halstead teamed up with around 25 other Dockton residents so that everyone could more easily access Dockton’s rich history.
The project was funded by a $5,000 grant from 4Culture, King County’s cultural services agency, a $50,000 community partnership grant from King County Parks and about $20,000 in private donations.
“Close to 150 people donated money, everywhere from $5 to $500,” Halstead said.
The trail, a result of three years of research and work by Halstead and the others involved, also includes a historical bell and a tiled obelisk monument.
The bell, now mounted at Dockton Park, once hung at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Dockton, a parish that no longer exists, and was rung to notify workers when ship repair work was available, Halstead said. The bell could be heard all over Maury, Vashon and beyond.
“You could hear it even in Tacoma,” Halstead said. “They would row their boats over to have work.”
The obelisk monument, created by the Vashon Island Tile Guild, will be tiled with pieces of glass and porcelain Halstead has collected on local beaches over the past seven years.
The approximately 5,000 pieces of varying size come from a century ago when Dockton residents threw everything, including dishes and glassware, into Quartermaster Harbor, Halstead said. Some pieces even bear stamps from the countries they were made in.
The monument will also feature the names of people who donated $1,000 or more to the project.
“Working out all the details those individual projects involved was challenging, but I could see the end in sight,” Halstead said. “I kept my eyes on the prize.”
Halstead, who has already walked the trail, is pleased with how the signs, which were designed by Island artist Sandra Noel, turned out. “They’re beautiful,” she said. “They’re very historic looking and of course have the history we so wanted everyone to know about.”
The trail’s opening festivities will be held at Dockton Park at 2 p.m. Saturday, rain or shine, with a few words from several speakers, including State Rep. Frank Chopp (D-Seattle). Attendees will then be able to walk the trail to the community hall, where there will be a slideshow on Dockton’s history, a talk by an early Dockton resident, music and refreshments.
