Page 4 - 2022 SWHS Spring Newsletter for website

John offered him help if he would stay. investigation proved fruitless. At first it TO SEARCH FOR JOHN G. PHINNEY
Guy stayed, and with his keen mind, was feared he drowned, but that gave ---
soon became prosperous in real estate, way to the suspicion that he was mur- Detectives on the Trail -- Reason to
land development, a lumber mill, in- dered and his house burned to remove Suspect Foul Play
surance and banking. When he died any traces. His body was never found. There are no new developments in re-
in 1893, Guy’s estate was worth more gard to the disappearance of John G. Phin-
than $500,000. After John Phinney’s Disappearance ney, and his friends have sent Detective
Ed Cudihee, of this city, and the sheriff
John, who was now in his 50s built Some 44 years later, Denny Thor- of Island County to investigate his disap-
up both the logging camp and real es- sheim who lived at the old Phinney site pearance.
It is the general opinion among the resi-
tate operations at Phinney, owned a was visited by a friend from Portland dents of the island that foul play has been
ranch in Coupeville, represented Is- who knew the ranch hand. According practiced. The only man that saw him
land County on the Washington State to Thorsheim, this man admitted that leave the island in the rowboat, or claims
World's Fair Association, served on the he had indeed killed Phinney in a fight that he saw him, has been employed by
Mr. Phinney as a ranch hand for the past
State Board of Immigration, and was and disposed of his body, though he two months. This man is a stranger to ev-
also on the State Board of Commerce. declined to say where. eryone on the islands, and most everyone
Then on February 19, 1895 he simply John Phinney had no heirs, no will, believes he is connected with Mr. Phin-
disappeared. and his property at Phinney was left ney's disappearance. They claim that the
burning of the house and the disappear-
According to a ranch hand, he was idle for several years. A 44-acre water- ance of the proprietor so soon afterward
last seen boarding a skiff in bad weath- font tract was sold in 1906 to A. J. Mc- are almost conclusive proof that foul play
er with a stranger, something that was Milllan at public auction for back taxes has been done, and some go so far as to say
out of character with the way he trav- of $38.64 plus administrative fees of that they believe Mr. Phinney was mur-
dered, and in order to cover up the tracks,
eled. Search parties and a detective’s $24.75. the house was burned.
Columbia Beach changed from a
JOHN G. PHINNEY IS MISSING summer fishing camp of the Snohom- March 17, 1895 Seattle-PI article.
ish Tribe, to a logging camp and fledg-
Left His Ranch in a Small Boat ling town. Shortly after WWI, it be-
and Has Not Returned came the site where South Whidbey’s Chase. After a fire destroyed the boat-

John G. Phinney, of Phinney, on Whidby first car ferries were built by Willis house, the resort was broken up into
Island, has been mysteriously missing for Nearhoff. His Whidbey I was the first private lots for cottages and houses
two weeks and there are circumstances
about his disappearance which cause automobile ferry to cross from Phinney The land which was initially ac-
his neighbors to suspect either that foul to Mukilteo in 1919. quired by a timber land grant in 1864,
play or an accident has befallen him. In 1946 and the property became Jim then purchased in 1878 for less than
Mr. Phinney, who is a well-to-do bache- and John's Fishing Resort until 1963 a dollar on acre by John Phinney, is
lor farmer of about 50 years, lost his house
by fire on the morning of February 28, and when it was sold to Barbara and Les worth millions today.
later in the day was seen by his hired man
to leave the place in a small boat with a
strange man, but the hired man did not
know where he was going. That was the
last time he was seen, and he does not ap- Consider joining our Board...
pear to have returned to Whidby Island,
for some goods which wered shipped to
Clinton for him about two weeks ago have Love local history? Perhaps you are Email Board President, Bill Harold-
not been called for. His making a trip in descended from one of the south end’s son at SWHMuseum@gmail.com and
a small boat is considered strange, as he early families and would like to con- mention a convenient time to call.
was not in the habit of traveling on any tinue a legacy of community building.
craft but steamers. When in the city he The Board meets once a month at
usually stops at the Butler hotel, but he Or maybe you are new to South either Langley or Freeland.
has not been seen there in a month. Whidbey and wish to get involved with
Mr. Phinney is a brother-in-law of Capt. your new community while
F. J. Burns, of this city, and a brother of working toward common
the former superintendent of the Ludlow
mills. A party of his friends will leave this goals of preserving and
morning on the steamer Idaho to search sharing our local heritage.
for him. The South Whidbey His-
torical Society invites you
March 14, 1895 Seattle-PI article. Note: to learn more about serv-
John Phinney was actually age 63 when ing on our Board.
he disappeared.
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