POULSBO — When the North Kitsap Herald arrives on Poulsbo resident Muriel Williams’ doorstep, it’s more than just newsprint and ink to her.
It’s a little piece of her family’s history.
Williams was the guest speaker at the Poulsbo/North Kitsap Historical Society’s March meeting. The granddaughter of Kitsap County Herald founder Peter Iverson shared with the group the history of the first 35 years of the newspaper.
“The Herald has been the public voice for the North Kitsap community for more than 100 years and it has always continued with its high standards,” Williams commented.
Herald founder Peter Iverson and his wife Josephine met in Fort Dodge, Iowa while working for a local newspaper. Peter had immigrated from Norway in 1878 and put himself through college, while Josephine was born in Iowa and was raised in a family where education of women was thought to be important.
The couple stayed in the midwest for a number of years after their marriage, Williams explained, however, Peter kept hearing about the opportunities available in the new Washington territory and finally ventured out to see the land for himself.
“In 1896 he first saw Dogfish Creek and I would suppose it was love at first sight mainly because, like most immigrants, it reminded him of Norway,” Williams noted.
The family moved to Poulsbo and the first issue of the Kitsap County Herald was published on Feb. 1, 1901. While the fledgling newspaper struggled through its first years, Peter also worked as a tow man with his boat, the Josephine L, taking jobs when they were available.
The newspaper was a family operation, and even more so when Peter took tow jobs because the production would be left to Josephine and the five children.
“My aunt Eleanor told me that when she was 5 years old that one of her first chores was to pick up the type that had been dropped on the floor, and type was precious in those days,” Williams said.
Williams said one of the most striking differences between today’s Herald and the newspapers in those days were the community columns. Without the benefit of reliable roads between different communities, people were unable to visit different areas on a regular basis. The newspaper employed community columnists who kept the paper’s 300-400 readers abreast of the latest happenings in areas like Vinland, Olalla, Lofall and Lemolo.
The week-long process from start to finish to put out a newspaper in those days included the laborious process of setting type (backwards) piece by piece. Williams said that despite the difficulty of type setting, that the process only once got the better of the Iverson family.
“In a 1954 newspaper article it says the paper never missed a printing, but that’s untrue,” Williams told the group. “One time in the early 1900s disaster struck. As a form was being transferred to the press it went pi (an old journalism phrase meaning a disordered jumble on the floor). From then on, whenever people referred to that incident it was referred to as the pi day and it became a joke in our house that when things went gunnysack it was a pi day.”
The 12-year-old Poulsbo/North Kitsap Historical Society aims to have such historical talks at each of its monthly meetings.
The non-profit organization, which is currently in the process of trying to fund-raise to build a museum in downtown Poulsbo, is always on the look out for interesting community stories and historical artifacts to add to its growing collection.
The society meets at 9:30 a.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Sons of Norway. The historical society’s April chat session will feature Earl Hanson talking about the history of Keyport.
For more information about the historical society, call Barbara Mitchusson at (360) 779-4553, or Kathy Hogan at (360) 598-5591.
