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Shaw Island

Populated places in San Juan County, WashingtonSan Juan IslandsUnincorporated communities in Washington (state)Use mdy dates from July 2023
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Shaw Island locator map

Shaw Island is the smallest of the four San Juan Islands served by the Washington State Ferries. The island has a land area of 19.952 square kilometers (7.704 square miles) and a small year-round population of 188 (2020 census). During the summer time, weekends swell with other residents and the occasional tourist. The island is within the historical territory of the Lummi Nation. The United States obtained Shaw Island and the rest of the San Juan archipelago by treaty in 1855, but Lummi retained certain cultural and resource rights, including fishing. The Wilkes Expedition, in 1841, named the island after John Shaw, a United States Naval Officer. According to Bill Tsilixw James, hereditary chief of the Lummi Nation, the Lummi know the island as Sq'emenen. A San Juan Island resident proposed to the state Board of Geographic Names in 2015 that Squaw Bay be renamed Sq'emenen Bay; that proposal generated a compromise proposal from the Shaw Island Historical Society to rename the bay Reef Net Bay, in recognition of the reef net fishing historically and currently done there. The name "Reef Net Bay" was adopted.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Shaw Island (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Shaw Island
Blind Bay Road,

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 48.5732 ° E -122.9573 °
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Address

Blind Bay Road 2340
98286
Washington, United States
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Crane Island (Washington)

Crane Island is one of the San Juan Islands in San Juan County, Washington, United States. It lies just off the southwestern shore of Orcas Island, between it and the northwest corner of Shaw Island. Crane Island has a land area of 0.956 km² (0.369 sq mi, or 236.27 acres). The 2000 census reported a population of 20 permanent residents. As of 2010 many of the original full-time residents of Crane Island have moved off the island and have been replaced by younger, part-time residents. The number of permanent residents on Crane Island may be as few as four persons. Crane Island is the largest of a group of islands known as the Wasp Islands. The name was given by Charles Wilkes during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838-1842, in honor of the sloop Wasp, a sloop-of-war commanded by Jacob Jones during the War of 1812. The Wasp Islands are often locally called "the rock pile" due to the large number of rocks near the shorelines of the various islands. The Washington State ferry passes south of Crane Island through Wasp Passage on its trip to and from Orcas Island and San Juan Island. Crane Island was first settled in 1879 by Walter P. Cadwell, a member of a pioneer family living near Pole Pass (a passage between the eastern side of Crane Island and Orcas Island). Cadwell operated a fruit and vegetable farm on Crane Island. In 1906 Cadwell sold the island to John C. Hammond of Seattle. Other activities conducted on Crane Island in the past have included a lime quarry on the west side of the island, a pheasantry business, sheep ranching and logging activities until 1959. (from "Around and About Crane Island", 8/1989) In 1960, Island Properties began development and subdivision of Crane Island. The center of the island is largely owned by the Crane Island Nature Preserve. The majority of the homes on Crane Island are located near the island's shore line. A small, private community dock is located on the east side of the island near Pole Pass. There are no public services on Crane Island. The original development of Crane Island included the construction of an airstrip. The airstrip is a private field limited to use by the island's residences. The airstrip consists of a 1,500-foot (460 m) gravel/grass runway. Landing can be tricky because the prevailing wind is often across the runway and the wind can decrease suddenly when dropping below the tree tops.