The population of Dash Point & Browns Point grew at a steady rate well into the war years. On Dash Point houses were spread fairly evenly on the north-facing hillside. On Browns Point most of the homes were located close to the beach, with very few on the hill. Above, or to the east of Eastside Drive, there were about six homes. Among these homeowners were the Newcomes, the Rooneys, the Allens (a Native American family), the Furseths, and a bachelor named Wilson. He was a retired sailor that was much loved by the area’s children. He told fascinating and exciting stories about the sea and his travels.
James W. Slayden
A new resident above Eastside Drive was James W. Slayden who throughout his early life had been a cowboy and an undertaker in Dodge City, Kansas. He moved to California and then to Tacoma where he again was in the undertaking business for about five years. He took a course in dentistry and moved to Alaska in 1897. He practiced dentistry and also made his fortune prospecting and mining for gold in the Alaska Klondike. He returned to Tacoma with his wife and son, Phil, to settle down to a life of public service. He served as the mayor of Steilacoom, as representative for Pierce County in the State Legislature in 1907, 1909, 1910, and 1921, and as Pierce County Commissioner from 1915 - 1921.
In the early 1930’s Mr. Slayden purchased property on Browns Point. In 1936 and 1937 when he was about 65 years old and retiring from public life, he had the Slayden home built on the road eventually named for him. Soon after his wife died, his son Phil and daughter-in-law Ruth, from Seattle, came to live with him. Both became very active in Browns Point community activities. Meanwhile, Mr. Slayden did not slow down for a second. He was a rugged, strong, determined and energetic retiree who took up vegetable gardening, woodworking, and artistic painting. In 1944 during the war he went to work full time in the Todd Pacific Shipyards to do his part for the war effort. He took his job doing inventories very seriously and fully expected his colleagues to do the same. When any of his lazy co-workers failed to perform to his expectations it provoked him terribly. Patriotism and hard work were his by-line.
Closure of Browns Pt. School
Once again in 1938 the school situation caused controversy. The school board voted to send all Eastside Drive students to Dash Point which was supposed to get two teachers. Browns Point and Northeast Tacoma were each to get one teacher. Tacoma’s first school strike occured on the first day of school in 1938 when parents of Browns Point and Northeast Tacoma schools “held out” their students and picketed the school buildings. It was decided that Browns Point 4th, 5th, & 6th graders would go to Federal Way and the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd graders would go to Dash Point or Northeast Tacoma. Browns Point school was closed. The Browns Point community was extemly upset. A piano which had just been donated by the P.T.A. and Garden Clubs was moved out of the school to a neighbors house to prevent the Tacoma Schools from claiming it. A funeral service was held at the school. The ulogy was given by Oscar Brown. Bob Gleason, a Pierce County Commissioner and resident stated, “We won’t have a schoolhouse anymore to fight over, but we can start fighting for a new one.” It took 13 years to get a new one, but in the meantime, the war effort occupied a good portion of everyone’s time. A positive side to this story is that the old schoolhouse became the permanent clubhouse, something Browns Point had been needing for many years. It was deeded to the club; the roof patched, the windows repaired and the sagging floor reinforced. It gave many more years of service before the new building was completed in the 1950’s.
The Hylebos Bridge
Although the two communities disagreed on th school issue in 1938, they heart celebrated together in 1939 when the new Hylebos Bridge, costing $400,000, was opened. The old wooden bridge had been razed in December of 1935 after years of the points’ campaigning to keep it open. One night, in fact, residents of both points and Northeast Tacoma demonstrated their unity on the issue by driving back and forth across the automatic counter which had been placed on the old bridge all night long. Needless to say, there was a party on one or both ends of the bridge. One resident said he must have driven over the bridge 50 times. This episode and many other efforts, however, did not save their bridge.
At one point in the time the bridge was to be rebuilt on Lincoln Avenue rather than 11th street where it always been. Residents and members of the Puget Sound Marine View Association argued that the placement was inconvenient, longer, and added two extra curves. In addition, the 11th Street route was more scenic and a part of the Marine View Highway from Blaine, at the Canadian border, to Olympia, the state’s capitol. The federal government, nevertheless, ordered the demolition of the bridge and the dredging of the Hylebos waterway because there was not sufficient clearance for ships.
The residents of the points continued to campaign for a new bridge on what had become known as the 11th Street “corridor.” Ultimately they were successful. On May 29, 1939 the new Hylebos Bridge was dedicate, after residents had been detouring at least three miles for almost four years. All three communities joined in a celebration on the bridge which included speeches, lots of back-slapping, and a street dance.
Oscar Brown Retires
In 1939 Oscar Brown, who had been a constant and always dependable member of the Browns Point community, retired from lighthouse service to move to Tacoma. The new lighthouse keeper was Shorty Wood whose responsibility also included the periodic care of the clock at the Point Defiance lighthouse. The responsibility of the Browns Point lighthouse changed from the U.S. Lighthouse Service to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Years of WWII
During 1941 to 1943 the two communities cooperated in operating the Crestview Observation Post located on the highest point above the two points. Fifty to 75 people were listed and allotted periods for plane watching. They reported any sightings and the descriptions of the aircraft to the Civil Defense headquarters. The tower was manned 24 hours a day. The code name for Crestview was “Charlie Nine One.”
The beginning of the war brought some physical changes to the points. Ship building and an all out war effort became paramount in the industrial tidelands. With the buildup came workers and their families. The need for housing was answered on the points. Leon Edwards built about a dozen houses (a war-time housing development) on Mana Wana Place. Some called them “war” houses, and believed the houses were not built with the best quality control; however, they do stand today with no major problems. Edwards also owned property near the Slaydens above Eastside Drive where he built more houses. The Jacobson brothers built a row of houses on Eastside Drive next to the Burton’s gas station. In addition there was an increase of individuals building their own houses.
