#23 on Map

Janet Anderson Smith is the daughter of Richard D. Anderson, the first Harbormaster for the Des Moines Marina, and Margaret Case Anderson; the granddaughter of Des Moines pioneers Rollin A. Case, Jr. and Marion Wilcox Case; and the great-granddaughter of Des Moines pioneers Rollin A. Case, Sr. and Georgina Horton Logan case. She made the quilt square depicting the Des Moines Marina of 1970 from a drawing done by her father.

Des Moines Marina - 1970

The idea for a marina in Des Moines first surfaced in 1946, but the residents of Des Moines objected so strenuously, the plan was scrapped. Interest in the marina was reexamined in 1965, this time receiving a favorable response. The road to completion was rocky, however, and construction wasn’t begun until January 1969. The new Des Moines Marina opened in May 1970 with facilities for 771 boats, including dry storage sheds. More moorages were added in 1977, and the fuel dock and guest moorage float were replaced in 1989. Richard D. Anderson was the first Harbormaster, serving from 1970-72.

—paraphrased from One Hundred Years of the “Waterland” Community: A History of Des Moines, Washington