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Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022 Shelton-Mason County Journal Page A—11
The Gateway inn and Cabins in Hoodsport during the 19303 was the spring and
summer headquarters for Ed Ricketts, a marine biologist and one
films. Courtesy photos
' of John Steinbeck’s best friends. He was the inspiration for the
character “Doc” in Steinbeck’s novel “Cannery Row.” Below, left
to right, Gig Harbor
historian Michael Kenneth Hemp is the author of “Cannery Row:‘The
History of John Steinbeck’s
Pacific Northwest.”John Steinbeck’s best-known novels include “The
Old Ocean Wew Avenue and Its Connections to the
Grapes of Wrath,” “Of, Mice and Men" and “East of Eden,” which
were made into
Connecting legendary novelist to Hondsport
By Gordon Weeks
gordon@masorrcounty. com
id one of the country’s great-
est novelists, John Steinbeck,
. spend a week in Hoodsport
during the 1940s? >
And did a Hoodsport logger named
Ernie Dahman teach the author of
“Grapes of Wrath,” “Of Mice and Men”
and “Cannery Row” how to shoot a
gun? .
The answers to these questions are
“holy grails” to Gig Harbor historian
Michael Kenneth Hemp, author of
“Cannery Row:‘ The History of John
Steinbeck’s Old
Ocean View Avenue
and Its Connec-
tions to the Pacific
Northwest.”
2 “That’s the cru-
cial part of it now,”
Hemp said in an
interview with the
Journal.
He added, “I’m
trying to build a
new factual history of Shelton and
Hood Canal that no one knows about.”
Anyone who knows anything about
Steinbeck’s connection to Hoodsport
Hemp
. can contact Hemp at 831-236-2990 or
mkhemp@thehistorycompany.com.
Here’s a quick biographical recap
of Steinbeck for those who haven’t
touched one of novels _since it was. re-
quired reading in school: I
Steinbeck was born in Salinas, Ca1-
ifornia, in 1902. His first published
book in 1935 was “Tortilla Flats,” a
series of humorous stories about Mon-
terey “paisonos.”
Steinbeck’s works include “Of Mice
and Men” in 1937, “The Grapes of
Wrath” in 1939, and “East of Eden” in
1952. All were made into major mov-
ies starring the likes of Henry Fonda
and James Dean. .
“The Grapes of Wrath” tells the ,
story of an Oklahoma family whose
land becomes unfarmable during the
v Dust Bowl days of the early 19308,
and travels to California in search of -
a better life. They become farm work-
ers in labor camps with low pay and
no rights.
Steinbeck was awarded a Nobel
Prize, a Pulitzer Prize and the US.
Medal of Freedom. He died in New
York City in 1968.- x
Steinbeck’s connection to the Pa—
cific Northwest came through his good
friend, Ed Ricketts. Ricketts was a
marine biologist and ecologist on Can-
nery Row. -
Ricketts is the model for the char-
acter “Doc” in the novel “Cannery
ROW.” ,
Hemp said Ricketts spent most of
the springs and summers during the
1930s in Hoodsport, where he and,
his family‘stayed at the Gateway Inn
and Cabins. From there, heconducted‘
maritime research of Salish Sea wa-
ters'that led to his 1939 presentation,
“Between Pacific Tides.”
Steinbeck possibly came to
~Hoodsport to see why the area was so
important to Ricketts’ work, Hemp
said.
Hemp said a relative of Dahman
told himthat Dahman taught Stein-
beck how to shoot a gun; Steinbeck
also reportedly autographed copies of
some of his books that were on Dah-
man’s shelf, and whose whereabouts ,
are unknown, hesaid.
Hemp said he believes a Steinbeck
connection to Hoodsport and Mason
County would attract tourists inter-
ested in the historical, maritime, lit—
eracy and ecological legacies it shares
with Cannery Row and Monterey, and
the entire West Coast. Another Stein-
beck attraction in Western Washing-
“ ton is the ongoing restoration of the.
boat Western Flyer in Port Townsend.
,The purse'seiner was built, in Tacoma
"in 1937, In 1940, Steinbeck and Rick-
etts set off for a six-week journey to
L the Sea of Cortez on the boat. The
voyage inspired Steinbeck’s book “Sea
of Cortez.” The boat is scheduled to be
relaunched this year. L