Jerisich Park
JERISICH, SAM Fisherman-Jerisich Park: Gig Harbour is a small, picturesque
maritime community. Nestled in the heart of Puget Sound in the state of
Washington, near the major urban centers of Tacoma, Seattle, Bremerton and
Olympia, it commands a breathtaking view of the Olympic and Cascade mountain
ranges. For much of its century-old history, fishing and boat building have
been the lifeblood of this closely-knit coastal community. At one time Gig
Harbour had one of the largest commercial fishing fleets in the Pacific
Northwest. At the foot of Rosedale Street, in this historic part of town, is a
small park - the Jerisich Park. It
had been named after a Croatian fisherman Sam Jerisich who, along with his
family and two fishing partners, rowed down from Vancouver Island some hundred
and thirty years ago, to become the first white settlers in Gig Harbour. In
1976, city fathers placed a cairn at the entrance to the park. The text, carved
in stone, reads: In 1867 Samuel Jerisich and two Vancouver Island fishing
partners arrived in Gig Harbour. They had rowed a flat-bottomed skiff from
British Columbia and like men of the Wilkes expedition 26 years before, found
shelter from the storm in the Harbour. The bay was to their liking and thus
they became the first white settlers. Farragut and Goldsmith later moved on,
but Samuel, his wife Anna, and family remained. It was not until 1883 that
other pioneers came. The family lived in a cabin on the east side before
building on the west side near the bay entrance. Jerisich, a fisherman, also
rendered dog fish oil and smoked fish, rowing his products to Steilacoom or
Olympia to sell. The fishing industry begun by this Dalmatian native, continues
to today through his and the descendants of other pioneers who settled in Gig
Harbour. Jerisich's first boat was a long, flat-bottomed skiff, built of
well-seasoned cedar boards and powered by sixteen-foot oars. Until his death,
in 1905, at age seventy two, the Dalmatian sailor turned fisher never used
motors in his boats. He powered them in the old fashioned way - by pure
'muscle' power. He and his two fishing partners Petar Zlatarich (In English,
Peter Goldsmith), a Croatian, and John Farragut (also known as John Farrague),
a Portuguese, took turns at rowing and pulling in the catch. The nets were
drawn in by 'muscle power', too. The trio fished either from the harbour shore,
rowing out to corral the fish and returning to the beach to draw the nets in by
hand, or by trolling with hook-and-line, a method of fishing which was practiced
by native fishermen in virtually all areas of the North Pacific coast. It is known that they often traded with the
Indians and were frequent guests at their ceremonies and potlatches. In the
Gulf Islands, on Kuper Island, Jerisic met his future wife, Anna (dimin.
Annie). She was a full blooded Indian from Kuper Island. Less than six months
following the birth of their daughter, the Jerisichs abruptly left Kuper Island
for Gig Harbour, in the Washington Territory. They settled on the west side of the
bay in a one room split-cedar board cabin. She maintained good and peaceful
relations with all her neighbors; a small tribe of Puyallup-NisquaIly Indians,
who lived at the head of the bay, in a village complete with a long house, and
the two new Slavic arrivals, John Novak and Joe Dorotich, who with their Indian
wives settled in the nearby Millville, now a part of Gig Harbour. The Jerisichs
prospered and, in time, the family grew. In the Tenth Census of the United
States for the Washington Territory, 1880, Samuel and Annie Jeresich are listed
as having five children, three boys (John, Michael, and Samuel Jr.), and two
girls (Caroline and Melissa). In the next decade, three more children, all
girls (Catherine, Julia and Mary), were added to the pioneering Jerisich
family. Samuel Jerisich, formerly known as Sime Jerisic, died in Gig Harbour,
in 1905. He was seventy-two years old. His wife, Anna, died in 1926, at the age
of eighty-two. Both are buried in the Artondale Cemetery, in the city which
they helped found. (Juricic 2001)