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Port Orchard Independent
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VOL. 124, NO. 32
125
YEAR
COMMEMORATIVE
PORT ORCHARD, WASHINGTON, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015
LOOKING BACK, READY FOR TOMORROW
Set aside another 125 candles for the cake. The Port Orchard Independent is celebrating its own 125th — technically called quasquicentennial —anniversary — this fall alongside the city it calls home. Much like newspapers of its day, the Independent had a circuitous birth and adolescence. Its origins can be traced to August 1886 when Thomas Cline launched the first newspaper in Kitsap County, called The Kitsap County Pioneer. Cline brought in a jack of all trades named A.H. Sroufe a few months later. Sroufe was an accomplished man, according to the book The Washington Newspaper. He was typesetter, wood cutter, clam digger, house builder, boatman and shingle bolt cutter. A year later, Sroufe became owner of the Independent. The paper took on its owner and publisher’s personality, and became a militant fighter for the growth of Sidney and Kitsap County. The Independent’s previous owner, Thomas Cline, decided to rejoin the newspaper business by starting a competitor, the Broad Axe, in 1890. After a couple of ownership changes, W.L. Wheeler purchased the Broad Axe and changed its name to the Independent. Wheeler then merged the Independent with the Pioneer later that year.
WWW.PORTORCHARDINDEPENDENT.COM
INDEPENDENT: ITS COLORFUL PAST
A note from Independent publisher Lori Maxim: “We are proud of providing local, relevant news about Port Orchard and South Kitsap for the past 125 years. We take our responsibility seriously of presenting accurate and timely information to our readers in print and digital. We thank our readers and advertisers for their ongoing support that makes our job possible. “
YOUR NEWSPAPER:
EDITION
Kitsap Historical Museum
Thomas Cline launched the Kitsap County Pioneer in August 1886. In 1887, he sold the newspaper to Adrian Sroufe. In 1889, Cline founded a second newspaper, the Broad Ax. In 1892, the Kitsap County Pioneer and the Broad Ax merged under the name of the Sidney Independent, then owned by Walter L. Wheeler. This paper continues today as the Port Orchard Independent. The original 1892 building was on Prospect Street, one block up from Bay Street. The building was destroyed by fire in 1895.
NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER’S WIFE RECALLS THE PORT ORCHARD INDEPENDENT IN THE 1960S When Ray “Ace” Ace was drafted in the U.S. Comstock took over as pubArmy when he turned 18 lisher of the Port Orchard and he served as a clerk typist Independent in 1965, subassigned to Kawajalein, an scriptions to the paper were island in the Pacific where atom $3 a year. The newspaper bomb tests were being done office was located downand observed by journalists, town on Bay Street and following World War II. He employed seven people. At was charged with escorting the the time, there were about journalists. 7,000 residents in town. “That’s when he got his love Comstock’s wife, Bernice, of journalism,” Bernice said. and all of their five children “He knew then, that that was “Ace Comstock was editor of the Whidbey worked at the paper through Record (later changed to South Whidbey what he’d spend his life doing.” Record by Wallie Funk) in the early 1960s the 12 years that he was It’s also where he got his when the Whidbey papers were owned by publisher. nickname. He was born Allison Glenn and Phyllis Smith. Apparently not Bernice, who is now 86 Ray Comstock, and went by the tainted by journalism school, Comstock wrote initials A.C. But in the Army, and a resident of Stafford funny, entertaining stories about Langley city Suites in Port Orchard, has his buddies turned that into council and other dull meetings, as well as many good -- and some “Ace.” editorials. Everyone seemed to know him and bad -- memories of the days After military service, those few still living remember him fondly as when they were a newspahe attended the University their favorite Record editor of all time.” per family. of Washington School of — Jim Larsen, former South Journalism and soon became “It was tough work,” she Whidbey Record editor. editor of the Oak Harbor News said. “My husband was never anyone to shy away Times. from controversy. That kept “In was the (mid) 1950s and our lives interesting.” he made $60 a week,” she said. “We had five Ace Comstock was almost four years older kids at the time.” than Bernice and both graduated from South Soon, he moved on to the paper in Kitsap High School in the 1940s. Stanwood, and for a time also owned the paper “He was the big man on campus,” she said. in Darrington. Eventually, he came back to be “Back in those days the junior high and the the editor of the South Whidbey Record. high school were all together.” They were married right after high school. SEE COMSTOCK, A16
On Jan. 1, 1911, a fire at the senate. He is painstaking in Port Orchard Independent studying bills before the sendestroyed the first 20 years of ate, considerate for the words editions of the newspaper. of other members, working While an important for his district, and particularly for Kitsap county. He has record of Port Orchard hispresented several bills referred tory was lost, stories that the to the judiciary committee, of Independent covered were which he is a member, a bill regularly picked up by other to locate a state normal school newspapers in the region, so on Port Orchard bay, and we can still get a glimpse of has voted for John B. Allen community life during those every ballot [for U.S. senator]. formative times. We also find Whatever he may carry to a the Independent contributing successful termination, every its thought to issues of stateeffort possible has been made wide importance, as well as to benefit his constituency. We issues of local interest. predict he will make a record Here are some significant of marked merit.” reports from Port Orchard’s first 10 years (until 1898, the Some area residents apparnewspaper was the Sidney ently didn’t like a Mr. Z.G. Independent). Dunn’s way of doing business, according to this colorful On Aug. 17, 1891, the Independent report carried Seattle Post-Intelligencer on page 3 of the Nov. 17, 1893 carried this report from the Mason County Journal (was Independent on page 8: he the Z.G. Dunn of Chicago “A school of black whale Title and Trust, referred to in were seen at Port Washington a later edition of the National and Port Orchard last Sunday. Corporation Reporter?): Some of them were over 100 “Yesterday, (Thursday, Nov. feet long. They came in with 4th) Mr. Z.G. Dunn, who had the tide and went out with it.” been around the northern The Independent’s report, end of Kitsap county securing “Eruptions of the Olympics,” contracts from various settlers was carried on page 4 of the on their land, was overtaken at Jan. 30, 1893 Seattle P-I: the ranch of W.B. Connell, by “The people of this comabout twenty of them armed munity witnessed two well with Winchester rifles … after defined eruptions of the which he made his escape Olympic mountains on and left the country by way of Thursday at 9 a.m. and 2 Cody Wright from Milford, Utah, got a via Allyn.” p.m. United States EngineerSaddleTacoma Bronc Riding competition Wed Seattle P-I, which touted the White witnessed both disweather in South America as turbances and said, ‘The first being preferable to Kitsap’s. eruption was especially clear If the tone of the 1890s and defined. The second was Independent reflected the area not so long noticed, as a high A Section it served, then Port Orchard in wind was blowing, and the A4 its infancy was an ambitious smoke was swept away as it Editorial Robert Meadows and engaged community ofA4 issued from the crater. On Scene & Heard A5 people. the 16th of this month there A6 was a slight earthquake felt in Sports As it entered a new century, Notices A7 Sidney. The shock then was soLegal Port Orchard was on its way. A7 distinctly forcible as to shake Mary Colborn A8 the fixtures in the business Obituaries The Independent will share houses of the town.’ Let MountInserts: Fred Meyer, more historical vinettes RiteAid, in comRainier return the salute.” Office Depot, Best Staples, ing issues during ourBuy, own celebration ofValassis 125 of publishing. On page 4 of its Feb. 12, Wal-Mart, 1893 edition, the Seattle Printed with recycled paper and environmentally P-I carried this report from friendly soybean oil-based ink. the Independent, praising a legislator’s work on behalf of Kitsap County: “Senator Brown has acquired a high standing among his colleagues in the
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