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TheSan Juan Islands are part of an archipelago in thePacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S.state of Washington andVancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core ofSan Juan County.
In the archipelago, four islands are accessible to vehicular and foot traffic via theWashington State Ferries system.
The Gulf of Georgia Culture Area encompasses the San Juan andGulf Islands, which share many archaeological similarities.[1] These islands were home to variousCoast Salish peoples, including theNooksack andNorthern Straits groups (consisting of theLummi,Klallam,Saanich,Samish, andSonghees dialects). European exploration in the area introducedsmallpox in the 1770s.
The Spanish explorerFrancisco de Eliza named the San Juan IslandsIsla y Archipiélago de San Juan in 1791[2] while sailing under the authority ofJuan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo, the Viceroy of Mexico.[3] Eliza named several places for the Viceroy, includingOrcas Island (short for "Horcasitas") andGuemes Island. San Juan Island's first European discoverer wasGonzalo López de Haro, one of Eliza's officers, for whomHaro Strait is named. The Spanish had previously encountered the islands duringManuel Quimper's exploring voyage on thePrincesa Real in 1790, but they were not recognized as islands until Eliza's expedition.José María Narváez, one of Eliza's pilots, also helped explore the San Juans in 1791 and became the first European to explore theStrait of Georgia.
TheVancouver Expedition, led byGeorge Vancouver, explored the area in 1792 while a Spanish expedition led byDionisio Alcalá Galiano andCayetano Valdés y Flores was also exploring. The British and Spanish ships met and cooperated in exploring the north. Vancouver encountered other Spanish ships and traded information, so he was aware of the names given by the Spanish expedition and kept them, although he renamed some features, such as theStrait of Georgia.
TheUnited States Exploring Expedition, led byCharles Wilkes, explored the region in 1841. Wilkes named many coastal features after American heroes of theWar of 1812 or members of his crew, possibly unaware of the already existing Spanish names and charts.
Henry Kellett led a project in 1847 to reorganize the official charts of the region for the British Admiralty. The project only applied to British territory, which at the time included the San Juan Islands but notPuget Sound. Kellett removed most of the names given by Wilkes and kept British and Spanish names, sometimes moving Spanish names to replace those given by Wilkes. As a result, Wilkes' names are common in Puget Sound and Spanish names are rare, while the opposite is true for the San Juan and Gulf Islands. Wilkes had named the San Juan Islands theNavy Archipelago and individual islands after U.S. naval officers, such asRodgers Island for San Juan Island, "Chauncey" for Lopez Island, andHull Island for Orcas Island. Some of Wilkes' names, such as Shaw, Decatur, Jones, Blakely, and Sinclair, named after American naval officers, survived Kellett's editing.[4]
In 1843, theHudson's Bay Company establishedFort Victoria onVancouver Island. The 1846Oregon Treaty established the49th parallel as the border between Canada and the U.S., with Vancouver Island remaining British. The treaty did not specify which channel the border should follow between the Strait of Georgia and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, leading to a boundary dispute. In 1852, theTerritory of Oregon createdIsland County, including the San Juan Islands. In 1853, Island County became part of theWashington Territory,[5] which createdWhatcom County out of parts of Island County in 1854. The San Juan Islands were finally split off into present-day San Juan County in 1873.
In 1855, Washington Territory levied a property tax on properties of the Hudson's Bay Company on San Juan Island, which the HBC refused to pay. This led to a dispute with theColony of Vancouver Island over the ownership of the San Juan Islands, with the U.S. claiming Haro Strait as the border and Britain claiming Rosario Strait.[6] The resultingPig War and San Juan Dispute were a diplomatic stalemate until the boundary issue was placed in the hands of EmperorWilhelm I of Germany for arbitration in 1871. The border through Haro Strait was established in 1872.
The surrounding bodies of water, including Puget Sound and the Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca, were recognized collectively as theSalish Sea, by the United States in 2009 and by Canada in 2010.[7]
On June 7, 2024, a T-34 plane flown by former astronaut and air force pilot,Bill Anders, crashed on the San Juan Islands. Anders did not survive the crash.[8]
The islands were heavily logged in the nineteenth century, but now have an extensive second-growthcoast Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii),Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii),red alder (Alnus rubra) andbigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) forest. There are small strands of old-growth Douglas fir andwestern redcedar (Thuja plicata), mostly within long standing privately held property. In the highlands one also findsgrand fir (Abies grandis),western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and other subalpine trees.
The San Juan Islands host the greatest concentration ofbald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the contiguous United States.[9]Great blue herons (Ardea herodias),black oystercatchers (Haematopus bachman), and numerous shorebirds are found along the shore and in winter, the islands are home totrumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator),Canada geese (Branta canadensis) and other waterfowl.Peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus),northern harriers (Circus cyaneus),barred owls (Strix varia) and other birds of prey are found. In addition diving birds such asrhinoceros auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata),pigeon guillemots (Cepphus columba) and endangeredmarbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) frequent the surrounding seas.[10]Western bluebirds (Sialia mexicana), which were eliminated from the islands 50 years ago because of competition for nesting sites by non-nativeEuropean starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), were recently restored to San Juan Island thanks to the efforts of volunteers and conservation organizations.[11]
The islands are famous for their resident pods oforcas (Orcinus orca). There are three resident pods that eat salmon, but also some transient orcas that come to takeharbor seals (Phoca vitulina). Other marine mammals includeriver otters (Lontra canadensis),Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus),common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata),Dall's porpoises (Phocoenoides dalli) and othercetaceans.
Columbia black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) are the largest mammals on the San Juan Islands, which are unusual in their historic absence of large carnivores, except forwolves (Canis lupus) which wereextirpated in the 1860s.[12] Dr. Caleb B. R. Kennerly, surgeon and naturalist, collected a wolf specimen on Lopez Island, which is now in theNational Museum of Natural History, probably during theNorthwest Boundary Survey from 1857 to 1861.[13] Also, there is a specimen ofelk in theSlater Museum of Natural History at theUniversity of Puget Sound that was collected on Orcas Island, and old-timers report finding elk antlers on both Lopez and Orcas Islands.
Before 1850, most of the freshwater on the islands was held inbeaver (Castor canadensis) ponds, although the aquatic mammal was extirpated byHudson's Bay Company fur stations atFort Langley and San Juan Island. Remnants of beaver dams number in the hundreds across the archipelago. Gnawed stumps and beaver sign are now seen on Orcas and other islands, and recolonization by thiskeystone species is likely to lead to increased abundance and diversity of birds, amphibians, reptiles and plants.[14] In spring 2011 a pair of beaver appeared at Killebrew Lake on Orcas Island, but were killed to avoid flooding a phone company switch box buried under Dolphin Bay Road. These beaver likely swam from the mainland and could have recolonized the islands.
Northern sea otter (Enhydra lutis kenyoni) remains are documented onSucia Island in the San Juan Islands archipelago. In 1790, Spanish explorerManuel Quimper traded copper sheets for sea otter pelts atDiscovery Bay, for live sea otters captured north of the bay in the "interior" of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.[15] Although historical records of sea otter in the San Juan Islands are sparse, there is a sea otter specimen collected in 1897 in the "Strait of Fuca" in theNational Museum of Natural History.[16] When the sea otter finally received federal protection in 1911, Washington's sea otter had been hunted to extinction, and although a small remnant population still existed in British Columbia, it soon died out. Fifty-nine sea otters were re-introduced to the Washington coast fromAmchitka Island, Alaska, in the summers of 1969 and 1970, and these have expanded by 8% per year, mainly along the outer west and northwest coast of theOlympic Peninsula.[17] Professional marine mammal biologists verified a single sea otter observed near Cattle Point, San Juan Island, in October 1996.[15] Although the historical numbers of sea otter in the San Juan Islands is not known, the habitat for them may have once been ideal.[18]
In the 1890s non-nativeEuropean rabbits, anexoticinvasive species, began to infest the islands as the result of the release of domestic rabbits onSmith Island. Rabbits from the San Juan Islands were used later for several introductions of European rabbits into other, usually Midwestern, states. The rabbits are pursued by Eurasianred fox (Vulpes vulpes), another non-native species introduced intermittently through the twentieth century.[19]
On the islands is theSan Juan Islands National Monument with 75 sections.[20]
TheUnited States Geological Survey (USGS) defines the San Juan Islands as the archipelago north of theStrait of Juan de Fuca, west ofRosario Strait, east ofHaro Strait, and south ofBoundary Pass.[21] To the north lie the open waters of theStrait of Georgia. All these waters are within theSalish Sea. The USGS definition of the San Juan archipelago coincides withSan Juan County. Islands not in San Juan County are not part of the San Juan Islands, according to the USGS.NOAA notes that, while geopolitically divided, the San Juan Islands and CanadianGulf Islands geologically form part of a larger Gulf Archipelago.[22]
At mean high tide, the San Juan Islands comprise over 400 islands and rocks, 128 of which are named, and over 478 miles (769 km) of shoreline.[23]
The majority of the San Juan Islands are quite hilly, with some flat areas and valleys in between, often quite fertile. The tallest peak isMount Constitution, on Orcas Island, at an elevation of 2,407 feet (734 m).[24] The coastlines are a mix of sandy and rocky beaches, shallow inlets and deep harbors, placid coves and reef-studded bays. Gnarled, ochre-colored madrona trees[25] (Arbutus) grace much of the shorelines, while evergreen fir and pine forests cover large inland areas.[26][27]
The San Juan Islands get substantially less rainfall thanSeattle, about 65 miles (105 km) to the south, due to their location in therain shadow of theOlympic Mountains to the southwest.[28] Summertime high temperatures are around 70 °F (21 °C), while average wintertime lows are in the high 30s and low 40s Fahrenheit (around 5 degrees Celsius). Snow is infrequent in winter, except for the higher elevations, but the islands are subject to high winds at times; those from the northeast sometimes bring brief periods of freezing.[29][30]
In the present, the San Juan Islands are an important tourist destination, withsea kayaking andorca whale-watching (by boat or air tours) being two of the primary attractions. San Juan Island'sLime Kiln Point State Park is a prime whale-watching site, with knowledgeable interpreters often on site.[31][32][33][34]
Politically, the San Juan Islands comprise by definition,San Juan County, Washington.[35][36][37]
Media based in and/or concerning the islands includes theJournal of the San Juan Islands and theIslands' Sounder.
Generally speaking, the resident population of San Juan County is well educated. In the period 2016 to 2020, 51.7 percent of the resident population aged 25 and up have earned a bachelor’s degree or attained a higher level of formal education. Statewide, 36.7 percent of the adult population have a bachelor’s degree or higher.[38]
There are no bridges to the San Juan Islands; therefore, all travel from the mainland is either by water or by air.[39]
Four ferry systems serve some of the San Juan Islands.
Passenger-only ferries serve more islands. Passenger-only ferry service is usually seasonal and offered by private business.
There are a number of public and private airports and seaplane bases throughout the San Juan Islands.
Airports:
Seaplane bases:
Scheduled and on demand service to the San Juan Islands is provided by:
The San Juan Islands are surrounded by major shipping channels. Haro Strait, along with Boundary Pass, is the westernmost and most heavily used channel connecting the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia. It is the main route connecting thePort of Vancouver and other ports around the Strait of Georgia with the Pacific Ocean. Haro Strait joins Boundary Pass at Turn Point on Stuart Island, where a major navigation beacon,Turn Point Light, is located. Strong, dangerousrip tides occur near Turn Point, as well as near the northern end of Boundary Pass, betweenPatos Island Light onPatos Island and East Point onSaturna Island.[43]
Rosario Strait is also a major shipping channel. More than 500oil tankers pass through the strait each year, to and from theCherry Point Refinery and refineries near Anacortes.[44] The strait is in constant use by vessels bound for Cherry Point,Bellingham, Anacortes, and the San Juan Islands. Vessels bound for British Columbia or Alaska also frequently use it in preference to the passages farther west, when greater advantage can be taken of the tidal currents.[43]
This list includes only those islands that are part of San Juan County as defined by the USGS, bounded by theStrait of Juan de Fuca,Haro Strait,Rosario Strait,Boundary Pass, and theStrait of Georgia.[21] 2016 populations estimates for inhabited islands are in parentheses, though some have major seasonal changes.[45] Islands protected asstate parks are marked with an asterisk. Additional small rocks are listed atSan Juan Islands National Monument.
San Juan Islands travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
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48°31′55″N123°01′45″W / 48.532066°N 123.029251°W /48.532066; -123.029251
