'3 Fingered Jack' Miller Left His Mark On Gig Harbor

One of the most colorful personalities in Gig Harbor’s history is gone, as former Tides Tavern owner and musician Jack “3 Fingered Jack” Miller passed away recently at 76.

Known for his eccentric personality, his likeness to Grateful Dead front man Jerry Garcia and, yes missing some fingers on his right hand, Miller owned the iconic Gig Harbor gathering spot for four years until 1973, when he sold it to current owner Peter Stanley.

Tom McNellis, a Gig Harbor native, met Miller a few times when he owned the tavern.

“He was quite a character back in the late 60’s and 70’s,”  McNellis told Patch.

“In the late 60’s, the ‘hippie’ movement hadn’t hit Gig Harbor yet. Blue collar, conservative, fishermen, nobody did drugs,” he added. “With him coming into the Harbor and taking over the Tides – which he renamed 3 Fingered Jack’s Tides Tavern – he and the people who started following him kind of displaced people like my mom and dad, who went to the Tides every Friday after shopping.”

He sold it to Stanley and the Tides Tavern eventually became the gathering spot it once was, but 3 Fingered Jack had left his mark.

Today, there isn’t much evidence of the 3 Fingered Jack era at the restaurant, but he is mentioned on the Tides’ website: “Through the years, the building has seen a number of colorful owners, not the least of which was "Three Fingered Jack," a Jerry Garcia look-alike whose tenor voice resonated across the dance floor on Friday and Saturday nights in the late 60s and early 70s.”

The Harbor History Museum has pictures of the tavern when Miller owned it.

After selling the Tides, Miller continued to play throughout Tacoma, Seattle and the Northwest. He was a regular at the Pike Place Market, Seahawks games and Mariners games.

He even appeared in three movies. There’s an IMDB page dedicated to him that gives insight into his nickname: “Lost first joint thumb, first and second joints index finger and tips fourth and fifth fingers (on)right hand in gunpowder explosion April 4th, 1948 on University of Montana golf course approximately where the pro shop sits today.”

Beginning at 3 p.m., Saturday, fans and friends will celebrate his life at one of 3 Fingered Jack’s favorite spots – Meconi’s Pub, 701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma.