Lummi Island

Last updated
Lummi Island
Lummi Island locator map.svg
Lummi Island
Geography
Location Puget Sound
Coordinates 48°41′N122°40′W / 48.683°N 122.667°W / 48.683; -122.667
Area23.97 km2 (9.25 sq mi)
Administration
United States
Whatcom County, Washington
Demographics
Population905 (2019)
View from Lummi Island View from Lummi Island.jpg
View from Lummi Island

Lummi Island lies at the southwest corner of Whatcom County, Washington, United States, between the mainland part of the county and offshore San Juan County. The Lummi Indian Reservation is situated on a peninsula east of the island, but it does not include Lummi Island. The island has a land area of 23.97 square kilometres (9.25 square miles ) and had a population of 822 as of the 2000 census. The population nearly doubles in summer when second-home owners from Canada and the U.S. arrive for the summer months.

Contents

The island is accessible by a 20-car ferry, the Whatcom Chief, run by Whatcom County Public Works. [1] It is a 6-minute passage from Gooseberry Point on the mainland to the island.

Public education for island residents is provided by the Ferndale School District. It operates one elementary school (K-5) on the island, Beach Elementary School. Middle and high school students must travel to attend schools on the mainland.

Lummi Island and vicinity in Bellingham Bay.jpg
Aerial view of Lummi Island and vicinity from the east, with Eliza Island in foreground, Portage Island to the right near the Lummi Peninsula, Sinclair Island to the left, and Orcas Island behind

History

The island was originally called Sa nam a o ("High Mountain") [2] and Skallaham by the native Lummi people.

In 1792 Spanish explorers dubbed it Isla de Pacheco, and British colonists later called it McLoughlin Island. In 1853, the U.S. National Geodetic Survey charted the island as Lummi, naming it after the local tribe. Later British Canadians and Americans adopted this term. [3] Some theories suggest the name was derived from a Lummi-language word. [2]

The island's post office was established by the United States government in 1882. At that time the town and post office were named "Beach", but today island mail is addressed to "Lummi Island, Washington". The Beach School and Beach Store Cafe have retained the older name.

By 1919, the Nooksack Fish Packing Company had a cannery on the island at Sunrise Cove.

Lummi Island Quarry

A rock quarry on the island was operated intermittently, but major operations started in 1964. By 1990 the pit was 3 acres, and mining rights were sold to James and Kyle Bride of Everett, Washington. The operation became Ace Rock, LLC in 1997, with the Brides, Dick Christopherson (Bremerton, Washington), and David Grainger (British Columbia, Canada). The underlying land was sold in 1999 to the Brides and Christopherson. In 2005, Valley View Sand and Gravel, Inc. (owned by the three families) assumed ownership of the land.

The Lummi Island Quarry was operated until 2013 by Aggregates West, Inc. of Everson, owned by Grainger. Aggregates West went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, having defaulted in 2012 on $3.5 million in Frontier Bank (inherited by Union Bank) loans originated in 2005. Aggregates West offloaded barges of excavated rock at Bellingham, Anacortes, Everett, and Seattle). By 2007 only 10% of the output was used on the island.

Lummi Island Heritage Trust, a land trust, sought to purchase the land for reclamation and conservation purposes. The trust successfully purchased the 105 acres in 2015 for $1.08 million. [4] [5] The purchase was also supported by Whatcom County, Puget Sound marine and Nearshore Grant Program, and the Rose Foundation, to restore the property. Some is still covered with forests and there are 4,000 feet of shoreline. [6]

By 2019 the land trust named the area the Aiston Preserve, after an Aiston family that homesteaded the land in the 1940s. [7] [8]

Culture

Lummi Island is best known for its unique reef net salmon fishery developed by the indigenous Lummi of the area. It has an eclectic population of artists, seascapes, and rural settings. The island's narrow, scenic and winding roads are popular with bicyclers. A trail to Lummi Mountain takes hikers through the Baker Preserve to stunning high views of the San Juan and Gulf Islands. The trail is maintained by the Lummi Island Heritage Trust.

Facilities on the island include a general store, two restaurants, several bed and breakfast houses, a small library, a post office, a fire station, a church, a Salvation Army camp, and a vintage 1919 elementary school. The historic Lummi Island Congregational Church has a quiet, wooded cemetery.

The Willows Inn, opened in 1910, was upgraded to a fine dining restaurant in 2010 under chef Blaine Wetzel, who co-owns it. [9] Restaurant employees complained about workplace conditions, and in 2017 the restaurant was fined by the United States Department of Labor and required to end its internship program. [10] In late 2022, after allegations of abuse were again reported and settled, the Inn was closed and according to reports will be donated to a local non-profit. [11]

Events

The island hosts a weekly farmers' market in the spring and summer, a chili festival in mid-July, and a Christmas party for island children.

Lummi Island is home to numerous artists. Some conduct studio tours on Memorial Day weekend, Labor Day weekend, and the second weekend in November.

Climate

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, with wet winters and dry summers. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Lummi Island has a marine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps. [12]

Transportation

The Whatcom Chief is a ferry that transports vehicles and passengers from Lummi Island to Gooseberry Point. It is run by the county government and can carry 100 passengers and 20 vehicles. [13]

In the 1950s, Whatcom County proposed the construction of a bridge to replace the ferry service. The state government also authorized Washington State Ferries to run a ferry between Lummi and Orcas islands following the completion of the bridge. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellingham, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Bellingham is the county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies 21 miles (34 km) south of the U.S.–Canada border, between Vancouver, British Columbia, 52 miles (84 km) to the northwest and Seattle 90 miles (140 km) to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whatcom County, Washington</span> County in Washington, United States

Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Lower Mainland of British Columbia to the north, Okanogan County to the east, Skagit County to the south, San Juan County across Rosario Strait to the southwest, and the Strait of Georgia to the west. Its county seat and largest population center is the coastal city of Bellingham, comprising the Bellingham, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, and as of the 2020 census, the county's population was 226,847.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lummi Nation</span> Federally-recognized tribe in Washington (state)

The LummiNation is a federally-recognized tribe of primarily Lummi people. The Lummi Nation also includes some Nooksack, Samish, and other local tribes which were removed to the reservation. It is based in the coastal area of the Pacific Northwest region of Washington state in the United States, and is located within the Bellingham Metropolitan Area

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Whatcom</span>

Lake Whatcom is located in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. It is the drinking water source for approximately 85,000 residents in the city of Bellingham as well as Whatcom County. It is approximately 10 miles (16 km) in length and 1 mile (1.6 km) in width at its widest. Lake Whatcom is located and managed within three political jurisdictions: the city of Bellingham, Whatcom County, and the Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District. The lake is a popular area for motor boating, swimming, fishing, and other recreational activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastsound, Washington</span> Unincorporated community in San Juan County, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whatcom Trail</span>

The Whatcom Trail was an overland trail from the Puget Sound area of Washington Territory during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858. The trail began on Bellingham Bay, at Fairhaven, the route used went via a route known as the Columbia Valley, which is a lowland route connecting the mid-Nooksack River area with Cultus Lake and the lower Chilliwack River in the Upper Fraser Valley, about 80 km east of today's Vancouver. In 1858, T. G. Richards built the first brick building in Washington as an outfitter for those using the Whatcom Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliza Island</span>

Eliza Island is located in the western part of Bellingham Bay in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies just east of the southern part of Lummi Island, in Whatcom County. Eliza Island has a land area of 0.571 km2. Its population was ten persons as of the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portage Island</span> Island in Whatcom County, Washington, United States

Portage Island is an island in the western part of Bellingham Bay in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. It is separated from the Lummi Peninsula by Portage Bay and from the central part of Lummi Island by Hale Passage, in Whatcom County. Portage Island has a land area of 3.803 km2. There was no resident population as of the 2000 census. According to the Whatcom County Assessors database, the land and the surrounding tide flats are owned by the Lummi Native American tribe. The island is wholly contained within the boundaries of the Lummi Indian Reservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellingham Bay</span> Bay of the Salish Sea, northwest Washington, United States

Bellingham Bay is a bay of the Salish Sea located in Washington State in the United States. It is separated from the Strait of Georgia on the west by the Lummi Peninsula, Portage Island, and Lummi Island. It is bordered on the east by Bellingham, Washington, to the south-east by the Chuckanut Mountains, and to the south by Samish Bay. The Nooksack River empties into the bay, as does Whatcom Creek.

The Bellingham Waterfront consists of the land along Bellingham Bay in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. It is mostly in Bellingham, Washington and other surrounding neighborhoods and cities. Various Bellingham neighborhoods are along the waterfront including is shared with Fairhaven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferries in Washington (state)</span> Overview of ferry transportation in the U.S. state of Washington

The U.S. state of Washington is home to a number of public and private ferry systems, most notably the state-run Washington State Ferries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snee Oosh, Washington</span> Place

Snee Oosh is a populated place on Fidalgo Island in the U.S. state of Washington, on the Swinomish Indian Reservation. The population was reported as 302 in 1999.

The history of Bellingham, Washington, as it is now known, begins with the settling of Whatcom County in the mid-to-late 19th century.

Hale Passage is the name of two different bodies of water in Puget Sound, in the U.S. state of Washington.

<i>Kulshan</i> (steamship)

Kulshan was a steamship which operated on Puget Sound from 1910 until 1929. When built, Kulshan was one of a newer type of inland steamships constructed entirely of steel, and was then considered one of the finest vessels ever to operate on Puget Sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whatcom Chief</span> Ferry serving Lummi Island, Washington, US

The Whatcom Chief is a ferry in Washington state, United States. The ferry carries both pedestrians and vehicles to Lummi Island from Gooseberry Point west of Bellingham, Washington.

<i>Carlisle II</i> Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet vessel

Carlisle II is the oldest of only two operational examples of a Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet vessel. They were once part of a large fleet of small passenger and freight carrying ships that linked the islands and ports of Puget Sound in Washington state in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Gateway Pacific Terminal was a proposed export terminal at Cherry Point in Whatcom County, Washington, along the Salish Sea shoreline. It was announced in 2011 and would have exported coal, but was opposed by local residents and the Lummi Nation, who had an ancestral village site at Cherry Point. The terminal project was rejected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2016, ruling that it would infringe on the fishing rights of the Lummi Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuckanut Bay</span>

Chuckanut Bay is a crescent-shaped bay about three miles (4.8 km) long in southwestern Whatcom County, directly south of Bellingham, Washington, United States. The bay was formed along the axis of a plunging syncline during the formation of the Chuckanut Mountains. It is situated on the eastern shore of the Salish Sea at the southeast end of Bellingham Bay. The bay was named Puerto del Socorro by Lieutenant Juan Francisco de Eliza in 1791. The present name was chosen by Captain Henry Roeder on December 1, 1852. Natural features include Pleasant Bay located south of Chuckanut Bay, Mud Bay to the north, and Chuckanut Island and Chuckanut Rocks to the west. Other natural features include Teddy Bear Cove, Governors Point and Clark Point. Several creeks drain into the bay, including Chuckanut Creek and Fragrance Lake Outlet. The bay is home to tafoni formations found in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interurban Trail (Whatcom County)</span>

The Interurban Trail is a rail trail in Whatcom County, Washington. Built for bicycle and hiking recreation, the trail runs 6.6 miles (10.6 km) between Fairhaven and Larrabee State Park in the Bellingham area.

References

  1. ↑ Lummi Island Ferry, Whatcom County Public Works, archived from the original on February 5, 2012
  2. 1 2 "Lummi Island History". Island Vacation Rentals. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005.
  3. ↑ "A Very Brief History of Lummi Island and the Islanders". Friends of Island Library. 1998. Archived from the original on July 4, 2007.
  4. ↑ Moench, Meredith (May 2013). "Aggregates West Goes Into Receivership to Avoid Bankruptcy". Whatcom Watch. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  5. ↑ Moench, Meredith (August 2014). "What's Happened to the Lummi Island Quarry?". Whatcom Watch. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  6. ↑ Relyea, Kie (October 8, 2015) [October 5, 2015]. "Land trust buys Lummi Island quarry site for $1.08 million". Bellingham Herald. Retrieved May 13, 2021. A number of other organizations are part of the project, according to trust officials. They include Whatcom County, which committed $400,000 toward the purchase; the Puget Sound Marine and Nearshore Grant Program, which donated $600,000; and the Rose Foundation, which gave $100,000 to study what can be done to restore the property.
  7. ↑ "Aiston Preserve — Lummi Island Heritage Trust". Lummi Island Heritage Trust. Retrieved 22 February 2020. Located on the southeast flank of Lummi Mountain, the property contains 105 acres of deep mossy forests and 4,000 feet of shoreline, with pocket beaches, eelgrass beds, and Smugglers Cove. In recent years, a portion of the property was used as a rock quarry.
  8. ↑ "Aiston Preserve history" (PDF). LIHT. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  9. ↑ Rex-Johnson, Braiden (September 7, 2011) [September 3, 2011]. "Dinner is superbly home grown, served at the Willows Inn". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  10. ↑ Moskin, Julia (April 29, 2021) [April 27, 2021]. "At Blaine Wetzel's Willows Inn, Employees Report Years of Workplace Abuse". The New York Times.
  11. ↑ Moskin, Julia (2022-11-29). "The Willows Inn Closes After Abuse Allegations and Lawsuits". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  12. ↑ Climate Summary for Lummi Island
  13. ↑ Mittendorf, Robert (February 13, 2022). "State may have more than $9 million for Whatcom transportation. Here's how it would be used". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  14. ↑ "State Reports on Lummi, Orcas Ferry Landing Sites". The Bellingham Herald. October 13, 1959. p. 11. Retrieved April 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.