Editor’s note: The information and pictures for this story were compiled by the Poulsbo Historical Society.
The car is king
The automobile officially began its reign as the transportation king in the early 1950s. Its established dominance began on Oct. 7, 1950, when the Agate Pass Bridge opened, land link between the side of Bainbridge Island and Kitsap County’s mainland, according to Historylink.org. The bridge killed the need for ferry service that transported people between Bainbridge and the mainland since the 1920s.
A year-long toll — 35 cents per car, plus a nickel per passenger — repaid the state bond used for the bridge’s construction.
The bridge opened in grand fashion, with then-State Highway Director William A. Bugge using a wooden key to open a large lock that was suspended over the bridgeway, according to Historylink.org.
Junior high kids get
a hand-me-down
To respond to the baby boom that followed the end of World War II, the North Kitsap School District was forced into a creative game of switcheroo. In 1958, a new North Kitsap High School opened while the existing high school — built in 1930 — became a junior high school.
Hey, I’m driving here
The parking wars heated up in downtown Poulsbo, as there were too many cars and not enough parking spaces. A solution is found in the latter half of the decade when the city filled in an area of the bay behind Front Street businesses to create Anderson Parkway. Anderson Parkway took its name from Martin Anderson, the mayor of Poulsbo, who spearheaded the idea.
Another tidbit of news coming from downtown was a bit of a downer. After 54 years in business, the Kitsap County Co-operative closed its doors.
Poulsbo pilot flies
into history
A fighter-bomber pilot with roots in Poulsbo participated in the first over-water formation flight in the F-84-F Thunderstreak in November 1954. North Kitsap High School graduate 2nd Lt. Tom Mariner, 25, the son of Mrs. Lloyd Steward of Bremerton and brother of George Mariner of Poulsbo, piloted a plane in a 13-plane formation that flew from Bermuda to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.
