Moran State Park is a state park

State park

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

 on Orcas Island

Orcas Island

Orcas Island is the largest of the San Juan Islands, which are located in the northwestern corner of Washington state in San Juan County, Washington.-History:...

, Washington, encompassing over 5000 acres (20.2 km²) of forest (much of it old growth) with some 30 miles of hiking trails. It is the largest public recreation area in the San Juan Islands

San Juan Islands

The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States between the US mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of the U.S...

. The park has facilities for boating, hiking, biking, horse riding, and camping. Mount Constitution

Mount Constitution

Mount Constitution is a mountain on Orcas Island, and the highest point in the San Juan Islands. A stone observation tower patterned after a medieval watch tower stands at the summit. It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936. The tower offers panoramic views of the surrounding...

 (elevation 2409 feet (734.3 m)) is a focal point of the park. The view from the top of Mount Constitution is considered by some to be one of the world's best panoramic views. A road and hiking trails lead to the top of the mountain where a 360-degree view of the regional mountain and marine geography awaits. An observation tower, which was built in the 1930 patterned after the 12th-century Caucasian towers, enhances views from all angles.

History

The original land for Moran State Park was donated to the state in 1921 by Seattle

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

 mayor and shipbuilder Robert Moran

Robert Moran (shipbuilder)

Robert Moran was a prominent Seattle shipbuilder who served as the city's mayor from 1888 to 1890.A native of New York City, Moran was 18 when, in 1875, he arrived penniless in Seattle, a frontier outpost in the Pacific Northwest, which had been settled in November 1851, and only incorporated...

. Due to poor health, Moran moved to Orcas Island and between 1906 and 1909 built his estate, naming it Rosario. Today, the former Moran estate is http://www.rosariohotel.com Rosario Resort and Spa http://www.rosarioresort.com. It is the largest resort in the San Juan Islands and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

. The Rosario mansion features a museum honoring Robert Moran, complete with original furnishings. The mansion's music room is home to a 1913 34-rank Aeolian

Aeolian-Skinner

Æolian-Skinner Organ Company, Inc. — Æolian-Skinner of Boston, Massachusetts was an important American builder of a large number of notable pipe organs from its inception as the Skinner Organ Company in 1901 until its closure in 1972. Key figures were Ernest M. Skinner , Arthur Hudson Marks ,...

 pipe organ

Pipe organ

The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...

 and 1900 Steinway

Steinway & Sons

Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...

 grand piano, both of which are still played for visitors today by the musician, Christopher Peacock. Five days a week there is a free program that includes a concert by Mr. Peacock, who plays the aforementioned instruments, and recounts the history of Moran and Rosario. During the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps

Civilian Conservation Corps

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...

built many of the trails, roads, bridges, and buildings that are seen in the park today. Wood and stone material found on the island were used to construct the estate's houses and buildings.