This was a period of transition and growth for the peninsula region. In Gig Harbor, the government opened the military reservation on the east side of the bay for settlement. Throughout Puget Sound, isolated pockets of pioneers were developing into communities.
The railroads made a difference, particularly the Interurban, which ran between Tacoma and Seattle. Rail offered a more reliable service than the best steamboat could provide. It marked the beginning of the end of the steamboat era.
But it would be a while before this took place. For the 120 farmers in the Bay Island community, the steamboat was still the only transportation. They formed a cooperative called the Hales Pass and Wollochet Navigation Co., bought the steamer Crest and renamed it Bay Island. There were 12 scheduled stops on the Bay Island's route. The produce she carried could effectively compete with anything in the Tacoma markets.
Women of Washington wanted equal rights. Even though the territorial legislature passed a law forbidding them the right to vote, women didn't give up. Through their persistent attempts, Washington women achieved voting rights in 1910, a decade before the 19th Amendment was ratified permitting all women in the U.S. to vote.
This time period also saw the beginning of emancipation in women's clothing. Corsets, though still worn, were less restrictive. Skirts no longer swept the ground but were raised as high as the instep or even several inches above the ankle. Some women clung to the traditional skirt, but bloomers began to appear as the garment of choice for "modern" cyclists and hikers. This voluminous garment, gathered at knees and waistline, bore little resemblance to what today's female executive wears to work.
Anna Hunt rows out to meet the steamer "Bay Island" arriving at Picnic Point on Wollochet Bay. Lloyd Hunt, Anna's husband, was a steamboat captain and, along with four of his brothers, owned and operated several steamboats.
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