Joseph and Caroline Jerisich Dorotich

Several years after the Jerisich family settled in Gig Harbor, they were joined by other immigrants from Croatia. Like Jerisich, Joseph Dorotich came to Gig Harbor via Canada. He married Caroline Jerisich (Sam and Anna's eldest daughter) when she was 16 years old. They eventually had ten children, one of whom died at birth.

In 1877, Joseph and Caroline, together with John Novak and Sam Jerisich, bought waterfront property along the west side of the bay. In partnership with Mr. Novak and his wife Josephine, they platted their portions into town lots. This became the sawmill town of Millville.

In 1884, Joseph and Caroline started building a house on one of the four lots they kept for themselves. Rooms were added as the family grew. This house, although modernized, still stands near the corner of Dorotich Street and Harborview Drive. On their other lots, they kept a cow, raised a garden and planted fruit trees: apples, pears and plums. One valiant plum tree, a descendant of the original orchard, still exists. They grew fruit for their own use and also to sell to their neighbors.

With more and more people settling in the area, there was an increasing demand for property both for homes and businesses. As one of Gig Harbor's early land developers, Joseph Dorotich saw the growth of a number of commercial ventures in Millville.