Everything Here Bears the Mark of Croatia: An Extraordinary Croatian Story from Gig Harbor

Croatian family homes, fishing boats and surnames woven into the city’s history — in Gig Harbor, Washington, Croatian heritage is visible at almost every turn. The story of this city near Seattle is closely tied to immigrants from Croatia’s Adriatic coast, whose legacy remains part of the community today.

“Welcome to Gig Harbor. We’re so happy you’ve come to visit our city, because everything here bears the mark of Croatia,” Ben Malich, Lita Dawn Ancich and Michael Skrivanich told us as they welcomed us to the city.

They also had a special message for the people of Susak, the Croatian island from which some of Gig Harbor’s Croatian-American families trace their roots.

“I’d like to say hello to everyone on Susak — good day. You can also see us on Croatian Television,” Michael Skrivanich said.

From the Adriatic to the American coast

At first glance, Gig Harbor may not seem to have much in common with Croatia. But a closer look at its history reveals a deep connection.

The city, known for its scenic surroundings and location near Seattle, was shaped in part by Croatian immigrants. Their legacy can still be found in family names, homes and the community’s long maritime tradition.

Two figures stand out in the early history of Gig Harbor: Sam Jerisich, born in Kotor in 1833 as Šimun Jerišić, and Peter Goldsmith, born in Dubrovnik in 1832 as Petar Zlatarić. Their arrival in 1867 is closely linked to the earliest settlement of Gig Harbor.

Many other Croatian immigrants came from Dalmatian coastal towns and islands. Over generations, they built new lives while maintaining ties to their heritage.

“This is the Croatian neighborhood”

That heritage is especially visible in Millville, an area of Gig Harbor once home to many Croatian families.

“Welcome to Gig Harbor, Washington. This is the Croatian neighborhood we call Millville,” says Ben Malich as he takes us through the streets where he grew up.

He remembers a time when almost every house in the neighborhood belonged to a Croatian family. As he points them out one by one, familiar surnames appear: Bušić, Stanić, Skansi, Malić, Marković and many others.

Behind those houses are generations of family stories — the lives of Croatian immigrants who built a new home thousands of miles from the country they left behind.

The house his grandfather bought in 1910

One house has a particularly special place in Malich’s story.

“This is the house where I grew up. My father grew up here too, and my grandfather bought it in 1910,” he says, pointing to the Malić family home.

More than a century of family history is tied to the same place.

Malich also shows us where he played as a child.

“This is where I grew up. There was no garage back then, just the old house. We played right here, where I’m standing now. I built this house in 1998, so it’s actually relatively new for this neighborhood,” he recalls.

Some of the old homes have changed owners, been renovated or replaced. But the stories of the Croatian families who lived in them remain part of Millville’s history.

Croatian fishermen helped shape Gig Harbor

The history of Gig Harbor is also inseparable from the sea and fishing. For many Croatian immigrants, fishing was more than a livelihood — it was a way of life brought from the old country to their new home.

For decades, Croatian-owned fishing boats sailed out of the city’s harbor. Part of that maritime history is now preserved in a local park, where the names of the vessels and their owners and captains have been permanently recorded.

“All of these boats really did fish out of Gig Harbor,” our guide explains as he points to the names engraved on stone plaques.

Among them is his own boat, the *Saint Matthew*, one of three vessels he owned whose names are preserved in the park. Nearby is the boat once owned by his father, the *Marco Malić*.

The plaques are a record of the Croatian families who spent generations making their living from the sea and helping shape the identity of Gig Harbor.

“All the Croatian families are here”

When the city created the park, it made sure the names of the boats, their owners and their captains would be preserved.

“They made sure every boat was clearly identified, with all the owners and captains listed. You can see my family here, but also all the other families from Gig Harbor. All the Croatian families are here,” he says.

For Malich, the names are more than historical records. They are part of his own life story.

From the Dolphin to the Saint Matthew

He still remembers the first boat he bought himself.

“The first boat I bought was the *Dolphin*, built in 1945. I had it for about five years before I moved on to another boat, the *Freedom*,” he recalls.

He had the *Freedom* built specifically for himself.

“It was a very good boat. I just couldn’t afford it anymore,” he says.

Later came the *Saint Matthew*, whose name now stands alongside those of numerous other boats owned by Croatian fishermen in Gig Harbor.

Their stories reflect a much larger history — that of Croatian immigrants who carried their knowledge of the sea, fishing and coastal life across the ocean and made it part of their new home.

A Croatian story thousands of miles from home

More than a century after the first Croatian immigrants arrived, their legacy remains woven into the fabric of Gig Harbor — in its old houses, family names, harbor and the names preserved in the city park.

Generations have changed, but the Croatian story has endured.

Perhaps that is why the words that welcomed us at the beginning of our visit capture Gig Harbor so well:

“Welcome to Gig Harbor. Everything here bears the mark of Croatia.”