Orcas Island
Encyclopedia
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.
, the Viceroy of Mexico who sent an exploration expedition under Francisco de Eliza
to the Pacific Northwest in 1791. During the voyage, Eliza explored part of the San Juan Islands. He did not apply the name Orcas specifically to Orcas Island, but rather to part of the archipelago. In 1847 Henry Kellett
assigned the name Orcas to Orcas Island during his reorganization of the British Admiralty charts. It was this work of Kellett's that eliminated the patriotically American names that Charles Wilkes
had given to many features of the San Juans during the Wilkes Expedition
of 1838-1842. Wilkes had named Orcas Island "Hull Island", after Commodore Isaac Hull
. Other features of Orcas Island named by Wilkes include "Ironsides Inlet" for East Sound, and "Guerrier Bay" for West Sound. One of the names Wilkes gave remains, that of Mount Constitution. Wilkes' names follow a pattern: Isaac Hull was the commander of "Old Ironsides" (the USS Constitution
) and won fame after capturing the British warship Guerriere
in the War of 1812.
), Orcas Island is slightly larger, but less populous, than neighboring San Juan Island
. Orcas is shaped like a pair of saddlebags, separated by fjord
-like East Sound, with Massacre Bay on the south side, and tiny Skull Island
just off the coast. At the northern end of the island is the village of Eastsound
, the largest population center on Orcas and the second largest in San Juan County. In 1989, the people of San Juan County asked the federal government to purchase a Lummi
Nation site on Orcas Island's Madrona Point in Eastsound. The land was given to the Lummi who agreed to operate it as Madrona Point Park, a private preserve characterized by hundreds of twisting madrona trees
sprouting from the rocky shoreline. Several years ago, the Lummi tribe declared the land sacred ancestral burial grounds and the park was closed following incidents of vandalism. Public access has been denied since that time.
Other, smaller towns - or hamlets - on the island include Orcas
(where the inter-island/mainland ferry
lands), West Sound (technically part of Eastsound
), Deer Harbor
, Rosario (technically part of Eastsound
), Olga
and Doe Bay
.
Orcas Island is accessible by air via Eastsound Airport or water landings by seaplane as well as by water via the Washington State Ferry
system or private watercraft. During the summer season, there is an island shuttle that runs from the ferry landing to Eastsound and other points.
system. In addition, the island can be accessed through a variety of private air and sea charter services.
The Orcas Island Public Library is located in Eastsound and serves a population of approximately 5,000 card holders. The Orcas Island Library District is a junior-taxing district that funds the Orcas Island Public Library's operating budget through property taxes. The annual Library Fair sells books donated by Orcas Island residents and visitors, the proceeds of which are donated back to the Library's operating budget. The Library also sponsors life-long learning classes, the Crossroads lecture series, Sustainable Orcas Island, as well as other community outreach programs.
Mount Constitution
(elevation 2409 feet - 734 meters) is the highest point in the San Juan islands. The mountain is part of Moran State Park
, the largest public recreation area in the San Juan Islands. Moran State Park
encompasses over 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) of woodland and has several lakes and numerous waterfalls.
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...
, which are located in the northwestern corner of Washington state
Washington State
Washington State may refer to:* Washington , often referred to as "Washington state" to differentiate it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States* Washington State University, a land-grant college in that state- See also :...
in San Juan County, Washington.
History
The name "Orcas" is a shortened form of Horcasitas, or Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of RevillagigedoJuan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo
Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo was a Spanish military officer and viceroy of New Spain from October 17, 1789 to July 11, 1794...
, the Viceroy of Mexico who sent an exploration expedition under Francisco de Eliza
Francisco de Eliza
Francisco de Eliza y Reventa was a Spanish naval officer, navigator, and explorer. He is remembered mainly for his work in the Pacific Northwest...
to the Pacific Northwest in 1791. During the voyage, Eliza explored part of the San Juan Islands. He did not apply the name Orcas specifically to Orcas Island, but rather to part of the archipelago. In 1847 Henry Kellett
Henry Kellett
Vice Admiral Sir Henry Kellett KCB was a British naval officer and explorer.-Naval career:Kellett joined the Royal Navy in 1822...
assigned the name Orcas to Orcas Island during his reorganization of the British Admiralty charts. It was this work of Kellett's that eliminated the patriotically American names that Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...
had given to many features of the San Juans during the Wilkes Expedition
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...
of 1838-1842. Wilkes had named Orcas Island "Hull Island", after Commodore Isaac Hull
Isaac Hull
-External links:* *...
. Other features of Orcas Island named by Wilkes include "Ironsides Inlet" for East Sound, and "Guerrier Bay" for West Sound. One of the names Wilkes gave remains, that of Mount Constitution. Wilkes' names follow a pattern: Isaac Hull was the commander of "Old Ironsides" (the USS Constitution
USS Constitution
USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
) and won fame after capturing the British warship Guerriere
HMS Guerriere (1806)
HMS Guerriere was a 38-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, which had previously sailed with the French Navy as the Guerrière. She became famous for her fight against ....
in the War of 1812.
Geography
With a land area of 57.3 square miles (148.4 km²) and a population of 4,453 (2000 censusUnited States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
), Orcas Island is slightly larger, but less populous, than neighboring San Juan Island
San Juan Island
San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington, United States. It has a land area of 142.59 km² and a population of 6,822 as of the 2000 census....
. Orcas is shaped like a pair of saddlebags, separated by fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
-like East Sound, with Massacre Bay on the south side, and tiny Skull Island
Skull Island (Washington)
There are two islands in the San Juan Archipelago named Skull Island. One is located in Mud Bay, part of Lopez Sound, between the Sperry Peninsula of Lopez Island, and Fortress Island. The other, Skull Island Marine State Park is a 2½ acre , uninhabited island in Massacre Bay, just off the coast...
just off the coast. At the northern end of the island is the village of Eastsound
Eastsound, Washington
Eastsound is an unincorporated community on Orcas Island in San Juan County, Washington, United States.Eastsound is the largest population center on Orcas Island, the second-most populated and physically largest of the San Juan Islands...
, the largest population center on Orcas and the second largest in San Juan County. In 1989, the people of San Juan County asked the federal government to purchase a Lummi
Lummi
The Lummi , governed by the Lummi Nation, are a Native American tribe of the Coast Salish ethnolinguistic group in western Washington state in the United States...
Nation site on Orcas Island's Madrona Point in Eastsound. The land was given to the Lummi who agreed to operate it as Madrona Point Park, a private preserve characterized by hundreds of twisting madrona trees
Pacific Madrone
Arbutus menziesii, commonly known as the Pacific Madrone, is a species of Arbutus found on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia to California...
sprouting from the rocky shoreline. Several years ago, the Lummi tribe declared the land sacred ancestral burial grounds and the park was closed following incidents of vandalism. Public access has been denied since that time.
Other, smaller towns - or hamlets - on the island include Orcas
Orcas Village, Washington
Orcas Village is an unincorporated community located at southeastern corner of the West Sound watershed on Orcas Island in San Juan County, Washington, United States...
(where the inter-island/mainland ferry
Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries is a passenger and automobile ferry service owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation that serves communities on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. It is the most used ferry system in the world and the largest passenger and automobile...
lands), West Sound (technically part of Eastsound
Eastsound, Washington
Eastsound is an unincorporated community on Orcas Island in San Juan County, Washington, United States.Eastsound is the largest population center on Orcas Island, the second-most populated and physically largest of the San Juan Islands...
), Deer Harbor
Deer Harbor, Washington
Deer Harbor is an unincorporated community on Orcas Island in San Juan County, Washington, United States. As with most San Juan Islands communities, Deer Harbor is known for its recreation and tourism, including kayaking, whale watching, and fishing. Many people fish for Dungeness crab, rock crab,...
, Rosario (technically part of Eastsound
Eastsound, Washington
Eastsound is an unincorporated community on Orcas Island in San Juan County, Washington, United States.Eastsound is the largest population center on Orcas Island, the second-most populated and physically largest of the San Juan Islands...
), Olga
Olga, Washington
Olga is a waterfront unincorporated community on Orcas Island in San Juan County, Washington, United States. The community was named for the wife of its first postmaster....
and Doe Bay
Doe Bay, Washington
Doe Bay, Washington is a small unincorporated community in San Juan County, Washington, United States. It sits on the south-eastern shore of Orcas Island and is home to Doe Bay Resort and Retreat. Doe Bay is about by road from Orcas Village, about by road from Eastsound, and a short from Olga...
.
Orcas Island is accessible by air via Eastsound Airport or water landings by seaplane as well as by water via the Washington State Ferry
Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries is a passenger and automobile ferry service owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation that serves communities on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. It is the most used ferry system in the world and the largest passenger and automobile...
system or private watercraft. During the summer season, there is an island shuttle that runs from the ferry landing to Eastsound and other points.
Island access and sights
The state supports island access through the Washington State FerriesWashington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries is a passenger and automobile ferry service owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation that serves communities on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. It is the most used ferry system in the world and the largest passenger and automobile...
system. In addition, the island can be accessed through a variety of private air and sea charter services.
- The Orcas Island Historical Museum is located down town Eastsound and is the only object-based, interpretive heritage facility for the island, with a permanent collection containing approximately 6000 objects, paper documents and photographs.
- Orcas Island is also home to three historic camps: Camp OrkilaYMCA Camp OrkilaYMCA Camp Orkila is on the northwest shoulder of Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington. It has been in operation since 1906. It is operated by the Greater Seattle Area's YMCA...
, Four Winds Westward Ho and Camp Indralaya. - The Lambiel Museum is a small private collection in the home of local resident Leo Lambiel. Lambiel's museum contains a collection of works inspired by the San Juan Islands, including works by Helen LoggieHelen LoggieBorn in Bellingham, Washington, in 1895, Helen A. Loggie attended Smith College in Massachusetts. Between 1916 and 1924, she studied at the Art Students League of New York. Here she began to develop a style which rejected such modernist themes as those trumpeted by the Ashcan School. She toured...
. The museum is open to the public by appointment.
Public services
The Orcas Island School District operates three schools: Orcas Island Elementary School housed in the island's historic Nellie S. Milton school building; Orcas Island Middle School; and Orcas Island High School. All of the island's public schools are located in Eastsound.The Orcas Island Public Library is located in Eastsound and serves a population of approximately 5,000 card holders. The Orcas Island Library District is a junior-taxing district that funds the Orcas Island Public Library's operating budget through property taxes. The annual Library Fair sells books donated by Orcas Island residents and visitors, the proceeds of which are donated back to the Library's operating budget. The Library also sponsors life-long learning classes, the Crossroads lecture series, Sustainable Orcas Island, as well as other community outreach programs.
Moran State Park
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 meters) is the highest point in the San Juan islands. The mountain is part of Moran State Park
Moran State Park
Moran State Park is a state park on Orcas Island, Washington, encompassing over of forest with some 30 miles of hiking trails. It is the largest public recreation area in the San Juan Islands. The park has facilities for boating, hiking, biking, horse riding, and camping. Mount Constitution is...
, the largest public recreation area in the San Juan Islands. Moran State Park
Moran State Park
Moran State Park is a state park on Orcas Island, Washington, encompassing over of forest with some 30 miles of hiking trails. It is the largest public recreation area in the San Juan Islands. The park has facilities for boating, hiking, biking, horse riding, and camping. Mount Constitution is...
encompasses over 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) of woodland and has several lakes and numerous waterfalls.