Fourth of July: Celebrations in the Mill Town Era

When Independence Day arrived each year, the bustling activity at the Puget Mill Company came to a halt for a grand community celebration. As described in the July 2000 issue of the Port Ludlow Voice, the Fourth of July was a true company-wide holiday, uniting everyone from the mill manager to the newest worker.

The mills would close, and the "entire Puget Mill family" from Port Ludlow and Utsalady would often travel to Port Gamble for the festivities, though sometimes another mill town would play host. The event drew crowds from surrounding communities and even from Seattle.

A Day of Feasting and Games

The day was centered around food and friendly competition:

• The company cookhouse prepared massive feasts of baked hams, suckling pigs, and bread.

• Every woman brought her own specialty dishes to share at the community picnic.

• The afternoon was filled with foot races, a band concert by the Port Gamble band, and a baseball game.

Fireworks and Dawn Dances

As darkness fell, the celebration reached its peak. Will Walker (brother of mill manager Cyrus Walker) would row out to a barge in the bay to set off a lavish display of fireworks, which had been specially ordered and shipped from San Francisco by the company.

Once the spectacle was over, the youngest children were sent to bed. Then, "everyone of suitable age, from Cyrus Walker to the lowliest mill hand," attended a grand dance. With music provided by an orchestra from Port Townsend or Seattle, the community danced until four o'clock in the morning.

This spotlight offers a wonderful glimpse into the close-knit, company-town culture where holidays were celebrated with true communal spirit, blending simple pleasures with extraordinary company-provided spectacles.

Source: "Past Celebrations—Fourth of July." Port Ludlow Voice, July 2000.