Puget Island is a 19.365 km² (4,785 acre; 7.5 sq mi) island and unincorporated rural community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

 in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The Julia Butler Hansen

Julia Butler Hansen

Julia Butler Hansen , born Julia Caroline Butler, June 14, 1907, in Portland, Oregon, USA, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1960-1974. She represented Washington's Third Congressional District as a Democrat. She was the second woman and first Democratic woman...

 Bridge (built in 1938) carries State Route 409

Washington State Route 409

State Route 409 is a short Washington state highway in Wahkiakum County. The highway runs north from the Wahkiakum County Ferry on Puget Island to SR 4 in the county seat of Cathlamet over a distance of . The route connects Westport, Oregon, which is served by the county ferry, and Cathlamet...

 across the Cathlamet Channel to connect the island to the town of Cathlamet, Washington

Cathlamet, Washington

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 565 people, 246 households, and 138 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,426.2 people per square mile . There were 278 housing units at an average density of 701.7 per square mile...

. Route 409 crosses the island to its southern shore, where it connects with the county-operated Wahkiakum County Ferry, Wahkiakum, providing service to Westport, Oregon

Westport, Oregon

Westport is an unincorporated community on the Columbia River in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Westport is connected to Cathlamet, Washington across the river via the Wahkiakum County Ferry to Puget Island. U.S...

. The 2000 census

United 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...

 reported a population of 798 persons.

Puget Island's Robert W. Little Preserve is home to a population of endangered Columbian White-tailed Deer

Columbian White-tailed Deer

The Columbian White-tailed Deer is one of the three subspecies of white-tailed deer in North America...

.

The island was named for Peter Puget

Peter Puget

Peter Puget was an officer in the Royal Navy, best known for his exploration of Puget Sound.-Mr. Midshipman Puget:Puget's ancestors had fled France for Britain during Louis XIV's persecution of the Huguenots. His father, John, was a successful merchant and banker, but died in 1767, leaving Puget's...

, a lieutenant in the Vancouver Expedition

Vancouver Expedition

The Vancouver Expedition was a four-and-a-half-year voyage of exploration and diplomacy, commanded by Captain George Vancouver. The expedition circumnavigated the globe, touched five continents and changed the course of history for the indigenous nations and several European empires and their...

of exploration, which first mapped the island in 1792.

External links

• Puget Island section of Lyn Topinka's photo essay Lewis & Clark's Columbia River
• WAHKIAKUM COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT Ferry Wahkiakum
• Puget Island Community Plan, 9/15/04 document on Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments website