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Gig Harbor Now and Then | The latest news from 1953

There are a lot of interesting and curious things to see in old newspapers. It’s not just the news that draws attention. The advertisements too can be every bit as engaging. Taken together, a cruise through an old newspaper can be quite an interesting trip. And when Gig Harbor Now and Then filters out the chaff ahead of time, it’s even better.

Here’s a look at some of the more interesting items from three 1953 issues of the Gig Harbor Peninsula’s weekly newspaper, The Peninsula Gateway. They are for the weeks of May 8, 15, and 22. Why those three weeks? Because I was reading the May 8 issue when I got the idea for this column. It’s a perfect example of how sometimes being a simpleton pays off.

Or maybe it won’t pay off. That remains to be seen.

Because the Gateway didn’t number its pages at the time, we won’t bother to go through them page by page. We’ll just use the clips in whatever order seems to fit best. The newspaper dates they come from are noted in the image captions. All of today’s advertisements and news clips were found in the Harbor History Museum.

There’s always a price to pay

One of the most interesting things in old newspapers is consumer prices. What did things cost in 1953? To convert the prices into 2025 dollars, we’ll set aside all the arguments about how accurate or flawed it is and use the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator.

Usually, it’s the low prices of goods that are so fascinating in old advertisements. We’re going to start with the opposite, just to show how expensive some things were in 1953.

The dawn of the television age

Television sets had been on the market for only a few years by 1953. It was an expensive technology, but so incredibly popular that consumers were willing to pay staggering amounts to get one. Take the long-forgotten Hoffman Easy Vision 21-inch console TV, packed with features:

Hoffman’s exclusive Easy-Vision Lens guards your eyes against strain — Hoffman custom-crafted cabinetry delights your eyes. And behind it all, the Super Mark V Chassis for best performance in your area. “Long Ranger” Tuner is ready for UHF and Dual Hi-Lo Speakers bring you sound with rich clearness. Compare Hoffman Easy-Vision here today.

A price of $409.95 would be outrageously expensive for a 21-inch TV today, but that was the cost in 1953 dollars. In 2025, adjusted for inflation, the Hoffman Easy Vision 21-inch console TV would sell for a now-stunning $4,952.58. And remember, it was black and white only. As for available programming, even most major markets had only a small handful of broadcasting stations to choose from, and they all went off the air at or before midnight.

In the 1950s, $100 a week was a livable blue-collar wage. Who today could imagine paying a full month’s wages for a television set?

For that matter, who today can comprehend having only one or two or three TV stations to choose from, and that all of them signed off the air every night?

The console model was not the only Hoffman TV available. If $409.95 was too rich, their 21-inch table model had “more value than you’ve ever seen!”

HERE’S REAL VALUE with all the famous Hoffman features: Mark V Chassis…Easy-Vision Golden Lens…Extra-Heavy Power transformer…”Long Ranger” Tuner adaptable to UHF…Lighted Station Selector…Maximum Performance Selector Switch…Electronic Interference Guard…Front picture and Full-Range tone controls. This value-packed 21” Hoffman Table Model will give you greater picture details in all areas. See it today. Matching base available.

At $329.95, converting to $3,986.10 in 2025 dollars, you could save almost a thousand bucks. (On a 21-inch black and white TV!)

Big screen TV in 1953

One of Natucci’s competitors, John D. Edwin, on Front Street (now Harborview Drive) near the Peninsula Hotel, was selling what Zenith called a “big screen TV.” At 21 inches diagonal measure, the Zenith Grenville was no bigger than the Hoffmans at the Natucci store, but the description “big screen TV” looked good in the ad copy.

Zenith’s table-top big screen TV was priced far below the same sized Hoffman, at $269.95 ($3,261.95). And it had the “famous K-53 chassis.”

Giant screen TV

Natucci’s could almost match John D. Edwin’s price for a big screen TV, but not quite. In addition to the expensive Hoffman brand, the store also sold more moderately priced “giant 21-inch” Westinghouse TVs.

At $299.95, the giant 21-inch Westinghouse, called the Whitby, was a bit more expensive than the Zenith sold at John D. Edwin’s, but it came with a free set of legs.

Can you picture a modern flatscreen TV on legs taking up floor space?

If the mahogany veneer cabinet was not to your liking, the Whitby was available “also in blond, at slightly higher cost.”

Or were they referring to the model in the ad’s simulated TV picture?

These were all vacuum tube TVs, meaning they were heavy, bulky, and didn’t last anywhere near as long as TVs do today. They usually needed repairs several times in their lifetimes. But people had to have them, so they sold by the millions.

Is it just me?

Here’s an advertisement that doesn’t seem quite complete:

It’s announcing the opening of “the formerly known Allen’s Grocery Burley, Wash.” We now know what it was formerly called, but what was the new name?

F.J. Richey appears to be the proprietor, so was the new name Richey’s, or was it still Allen’s? Or was it something else?

Party time

It was 72 years ago when George Hamma had a party on his 12^th birthday at what’s now known as Crescent Creek Park.

On the guest list was Karl Finholm, Billy Peacock, Bobby Carlson, Morty Mortenson, Douglas Cornman, Shad Ramsey, Marco Malich, Richard Novak, Paul Gustafson, Carl Campen, and John Cheney.

That was long before my time, yet I know a couple of those guys. And though it may sound far-fetched, both of them read this column. I wonder if that clip will spark their memories of that day?

(George Hamma passed away in South Carolina in 2011.)

Dancing on the Key

The Longbranch Improvement Club, which still exists today, was about to begin holding dances at the Longbranch Hall, which does not exist today.

The club would hold dances at the still-existing Longbranch gym later that same year, after sprucing the place up.

Meanwhile, the V.F.W. Post 4990 was sponsoring a dance at the Home Hall. Florence’s Orchestra would be providing the music.

No doubt scheduled so as not to interfere with the dance at the Home Hall, which would reduce attendance at both venues, the Longbranch Improvement Club’s dance, featuring Etta Christensen’s Orchestra, was scheduled for one week later.

Rest in peace

Obituaries in old newspapers are often insights into lifestyles of their times. This one, from May 15, is a reminder of how dangerous logging was, and still is.

Victor Matson’s death certificate lists his cause of death as “Broken Neck and Crushed Skull, Back Injury & Broken Ribs,” due to “Logging Accident, Falling Tree.”

No less horrific was the end of Nettie Robinson. Her fatal injuries were caused by “coal oil fire backflash.”

Namesake or not?

Is this who Goodnough Road is named for?

A guy’s gotta eat

It’s always interesting to look at grocery prices from a long time ago. Finholm’s Food Store and Keith Uddenberg’s Thriftway were the two biggest grocery stores on the Peninsula in 1953. They advertised in The Peninsula Gateway every week. Let’s take a look.

One pound of sliced bacon, 69 cents. At an inflation-adjusted price of $8.33, it compares fairly evenly with today’s price, depending on where you shop.

Darigold butter is far cheaper today than it was in 1953. Seventy-nine cents adjusts to $9.54 in 2025 dollars. It sells for about $4 today.

Campfire Marshmallows, a staple of any healthy, balanced diet, are more expensive today. This is a case of shrinkflation, with their 1953 package being 16 ounces, while today it’s only 10 (except for their Giant Roasters, which are in 12-ounce bags). Adjusting for the different package sizes, the 1953 price of 33 cents equates to $3.98 in 2025 dollars. Today’s actual price is about $4.78.

Keith Uddenberg’s Thriftway ads were always bigger than Finholm’s, perhaps because his store was larger?

Thriftway was selling Heinz Ketchup for 19 cents per 14-ounce bottle. That’s equivalent to 21.17 cents per pound, or $2.62 in 2025 dollars. Today at Target it sells for about $3.60 per pound. 1953 was definitely the good ol’ days for ketchup lovers.

Struck down at 16

Roy Hart, living at the north end of Peacock Hill Road, in Olalla, was stricken with polio at age 16 in November 1951. He spent three months in a Tacoma hospital’s isolation ward before going home in February 1952. Upon discharge, he needed a leg brace and crutches to walk. He still couldn’t return to South Kitsap High School, but was provided with a part-time tutor.

When he did go back to school, he broke a leg!

In May, 1953, one of his teachers and some fellow students gave Roy a surprise party.

In addition to the party, his hosts gave Roy $120 towards his most recent medical bills. That’s equivalent to about $1,449 in 2025 money. Not bad for selling Cracker Jacks at lunch time.

So, what happened to Roy Hart of Olalla after contracting polio and breaking a leg?

He married Elaine, his high school sweetheart, months after they both graduated from high school in 1955. They celebrated their 50-year anniversary in 2005.

The original final draft of this column ended it there, as the newspaper trail was becoming uncertain. But just hours before the column was filed, my neighbor, Don Clark, introduced me to Roy at The Cruz car show in Port Orchard. Roy is 90 years old, doing well, and living in Olalla. He’s looking forward to his 70^th anniversary on Oct. 8.

New Chevrolets

This ad for the Rehn Motor Co. of Gig Harbor shows a bit of a stretch by Chevrolet’s advertising agency. They decided the Bel Air convertible would be called swank, the Two-Ten convertible colorful and captivating, and the Bel Air Sport coupe jaunty.

They stressed that the three models of station wagons were all steel. Was that a dig at the waning popularity of woodie wagons?

New Ford trucks

In 1953, Chevrolet pickup trucks had outsold Ford trucks for 12 years running. That didn’t last. As of 2025, Ford has had the best-selling truck for 48 years in a row. It took over the top spot by leading the pack with innovation, as displayed in this ad:

Ford’s addition of fully synchronized transmissions to its truck line was a major improvement. No more double clutching! (That’s a big deal.)

News from the third grade

The new Harbor Heights Elementary School had its own news column in 1953, broken down into grades. This is what the third grade reported on May 8:

I know one of those art editors!

Everything in moderation

The motto of Buckley-King Funeral Home in Tacoma was “As Moderate as You Wish.”

Really? What if somebody wanted a gunny sack tossed off the Narrows Bridge?

Uddenberg’s two wows

Bert Uddenberg Motors, in the building at the foot of Stinson Avenue in Gig Harbor now occupied by Speedy Glass, had repair specials from time to time. In a sign of the times, the ad specified that the brake job was for “all Ford hydraulic equipped passenger cars.” In 1953 there were still some cars on the road that had mechanical, not hydraulic brakes. I’m going to guess that little bit of trivia will mean something to between 3 and 7 percent of this column’s readers. Probably an even smaller percentage than that has ever driven a car with mechanical brake linkage. I can tell you from personal experience that you’re not missing anything.

Faded with age

By the way, the old Peninsula Gateways don’t look like the clips in today’s column. The paper is not white anymore. It was originally, but time fades newsprint, a lot. It’s not off-white or even yellowed. In fact, it’s quite dark. This is what the clips look like when photographed, and after a several-step restoration process:

Nobody should be sad that we don’t all have to renew car license tabs during a single 45-day period anymore. The lines could be terribly long.

Further proof

As another example of 1953 being the good ol’ days for ketchup/catsup lovers, we have this ad for the Personal Service Food Stores around the Peninsula. At 14.5 cents per 14-ounce bottle of Wesco Catsup, it’s even cheaper than Heinz at Uddenberg’s Thriftway. A virtual ketchup nirvana!

Local members of the Personal Service Food Stores chain included the Stanich Grocery and Parish’s Economy Market in Gig Harbor, Eide’s at Rosedale, the Arletta Food Store, and Hipp’s Food Center in Key Center.

Land speculation

Purdy Realty had some interesting properties for sale in May 1953. How about 10 uncleared acres near Purdy, with 1,200 feet of county road frontage? At $1,200 ($15,000 today), does that sound like something worthwhile?

And what about that abandoned house in Arletta? It was equally suitable for remodeling or wrecking. Of course, “wrecked for the materials” would be reworded today to reflect a more sophisticated attitude towards salvageable anything: “recycled, reused, repurposed.”

Aiming for 100 percent

Hans Greggerson, Olalla postmaster, and Adolph Hoepner, Olalla mailman, reported a 98% compliance with rural mailbox etiquette.

School district news

This Peninsula School District calendar for the 1953-54 school year doesn’t look much like today’s schedule, does it?

For anyone with a valid driver’s license needing a part-time job, driving a school bus paid $1.50 an hour ($18 in 2025).

Manpower shortage

Apparently no longer able to field enough players to make a team in each place, as they had for years, Longbranch and Gig Harbor made plans to combine to make one team.

Just one reason why Gig Harbor was unable to come up with enough baseball players to fill a roster was because Dick Meyer (not Myer) of Rosedale, one of the best players on the Peninsula, was in the U.S. Marine Corps, stationed in San Diego.

I’m all but certain that if asked about it at the time, he’d have said that the commute would’ve killed him.

The CYO Camp mentioned in the clip was featured in a story by Ted Kenney in Gig Harbor Now in 2023.

Multiple farm homes

Potlatch Yards, a regional chain of lumber stores, tells us that “DELAY IS FALSE ECONOMY!” If your chicken, cow, tractor, or truck needs a home, “now is the time to repair, remodel and build.”

Want ads

The half-page or so of want ads in the 1953 Peninsula Gateways always have a variety of interesting things. Here are a very few.

How about a place to live? Would $45 a month be too much rent for a furnished two-bedroom waterfront apartment, with utilities included?

Or would it be a better value to spend the same $45 for a furnished three-bedroom house with basement and garage?

Of course, that $45 dollars would be $543 in 2025. Housing was not nearly so dear in the 1950s as it is today.

Two of the next group of three should be familiar.

At the top, McConaghy is the very same John McConaghy who partnered with Howard Cox at the Gig Harbor Machine Works in 1944, which was noted here in Gig Harbor Now and Then just one month ago.

In the middle, W. A. Slawson was the father of Ellwel Slawson, whose turkey farm we wrote about a couple years ago. He stayed in Gig Harbor when his son and family moved to Alaska.

At the bottom is Russ Siegner. We haven’t written about him, but will. He was a Gig Harbor fixture for many years.

Many older locals still remember that Joe Hoots was a carpenter and cabinet maker, but who knew that his mother sold flowers? I didn’t.

Roy Edwards must’ve been a very busy and practical guy. He was always selling something useful in the want ads.

Hey, I knew those guys!

A sweet ending

For the dessert portion of today’s column, we have a potentially tasty recipe for maple nut fruit jells. While they can’t be expected to compete with toll house cookies, that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth eating. So, if anyone reading this would like to make some, you are cordially invited to bring a few (dozen) samples to the Harbor History Museum on any Wednesday. I’ll be in the Resource Room, and thank you very much.

Next time

Our next column will have two questions concerning my ignorance. In general, that’s a big, big subject, to be sure, but in the column it will be confined to how it applies to the previous bridge over Donkey Creek, next to the Harbor History Museum. The story of the last wooden bridge there held a mystery for years that has finally been solved. On Aug. 25 the mystery will be presented, and the solution will be posted on Sept. 8. Both columns will be illustrated with lots of maps and photos. At least a few of them — maybe even all of them — will be interesting, I swear!

— Greg Spadoni, August 11, 2025