Minutes - December 5, 2017

City of Pacific Historical Committee Meeting.

Volunteers in attendance:

Mark Bowns (chair)
Jeanne Fancher
Judy Erickson
Paula Wiech (from City Planning)

Topics discussed... 

Various maps were viewed which included the redirection of the White River.

  The placement of the City of Pacific boundaries with respect to section lines was discussed.  We realized that a good map of the original General Land Office section lines was needed to compare with Hillman's original boundaries for the City.

The placement of monuments in the City by GLO surveyors in about 1855 was considered.  There are monuments in Jovita and also in the valley along the County Line Road.  These monuments are a part of the early history.  The King County DOT Road Service Division  is carefully establishing the location of these section markers using the latest satellite-based instruments and then encasing them in concrete to protect them from damage.

A map of the post office routes from Tacoma also was discussed as the delivery of mail was considered. The post office in Pacific is shown on a 1909 map from the US Government Archives. It was opened in 1908.  Also shown was the post office in Adelaide not far from Dash Point and the Stones steamboat dock..  This raises the question...  was the first mail to Pacific delivered from Adelaide via horseback as was found in Federal Way area?   Jeanne's suggestion to visit the Tacoma Library would be a good start. Adelaide would have been easily served by the Mosquito Fleet starting with the steamboat Fairy in 1853.

After the Interurban Railway was opened in 1902, mail was a very small part of its cargo as life in Pacific was greatly changed.  The train soon took over the mail delivery to Pacific as it passed very near the post office when it opened in Pacific in 1906.

Next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 2nd, 2018.        Adjourned at 8 pm.