The first of 10 informative signs was installed in the core of Dockton last week. It outlines the history of the “Codfish Dock,” one of several culturally significant locations in the Maury Island town, which once was home to a thriving maritime boatbuilding industry.

Under pouring rain, Islanders who’ve worked to see an interpretive trail in Dockton honoring its history gathered as the sign was installed on Dock Street.

The 10-sign one-mile loop in central Dockton “honors the history of the community and of the Croatian and Norwegian immigrants who came here and provided the bulk of the labor for the maritime industry here,” said Anita Halstead, a Dockton resident who spearheaded the effort to have an interpretive trail in her community.

“Having the first sign in place, now I know all the other signs are going to go up soon too,” she said. “I’m just so delighted.”

As Halstead once pointed out, there’s no “Welcome to Dockton” sign, no visitor center or informative kiosk there. The community’s deep historical roots are invisible to the casual visitor, something Halstead and other friends of the community have worked for more than a year to change.

They’ve gathered, offered community slide shows and applied for grant funds to see that Dockton’s rich cultural heritage is honored in a way that will stand the test of time — sturdy, informative and weatherproof signs scattered throughout the town at key historical locations.

“There’s a whole history here,” said Patty VanDenBroek Custer, a board member of Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association, which has helped shepherd the Dockton project to fruition. “It’s a beautiful community with many landmarks to remember.”

The signage was designed by Islander Sandra Noel, thanks to a $5,000 grant from 4Culture, King County’s cultural services agency. The signs are being put into place by members of the Dockton Historical Committee, the group formed to support the creation of the informative walking loop marked by educational signs.

Seven more of the 10 heritage markers will be installed this week, but the final two signs and the shelter that will house them in Dockton Park are still a county permit away from being built.

“As soon as (King County) gives us a go-ahead and says we can build at that site, we’ll jump on it,” said Scott Snyder, resource director for King County Natural Resources and Parks. “It’s in the permit review process, and we have to wait our turn.”

Once the building permit is approved, organizers plan to put a shelter, artful tiled obelisk and historical church bell near the park’s playground, Halstead said.

The bell was once a fixture of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Dockton, a parish that no longer exists. Halstead and others worked with the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle to acquire the bell for installation at Dockton Park alongside two historical signs that mark the trailhead of the heritage walking loop.

Halstead said she’s hopeful the county permit will be approved soon, so the architect-designed no-walled freestanding structure can be constructed at the park.

Organizers then plan to have a grand-opening bash for the completed trail.

“We’ve been waiting now for a year,” Halstead said. Finishing the project, she added, will be “just wonderful.”