One of our favorite spots on the Island, Dockton Park offers an amazing place to have a picnic with the family or get your toes wet in Quartermaster Harbor. However, did you know that it used to be far less peaceful than it is now? Just down the way from where the dock is now, Quartermaster Harbor was home to one of the largest dry docks in all of the Puget Sound. The dry dock was 325 feet by 102 feet and was able to carry and hold multiple large ships at once. Though built and housed in the harbor since 1892, it eventually was moved to Seattle in 1909.

At the same time, the Martinolich Shipping Company was building boats in Dockton. Their company started operations in Dockton in 1905m, and they were one of the largest employers for Island men at the time. They built and launched many ships successfully, but one of the most famous stories on Vashon was of one of their failed launches. After construction, they launched a boat by the name of Florence J. Almost immediately the ship tipped over and sank into the water. Though the boat was recovered, the story still lives on. The company eventually ceased operations in Dockton in 1929, but they continued making boats elsewhere until 1974.

List of boats made by the Martinolich Shipbuilding Company:

http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/martinolich.htm