 | [ ISLAND HOPPING ]
Patos Island State Park
Patos is the northern most island in the San Juans, located six miles north of Orcas Island. This park features 7 campsites, toilet facilities and a 1.5 mile loop trail that circles this forested island. On the northern shore of the island are beaches to explore & the island is also the site of a Coast Guard lighthouse built in 1908 on the northwest tip of the island. The lighthouse was improved in 1908 with a new fog signal and a 38-foot tower, which housed a fourth order Fresnel lens. The light was automated in 1974. Today, it flashes a white light once every 6 seconds. There is no potable water available, so be sure to bring some along! |  |
Location:
Northwestern San Juan Island in Georgia Strait, 5 miles NNW of Orcas Island and 2.5 miles NW of Sucia Island, San Juan County.
Acreage:
207.4 acres with 20,000 feet of saltwater shoreline.
Acquired:
Administered under an agreement with the Federal Bureau of Land Management.
Facilities:
U.S. Coast Guard dock, lighthouse, duplex dwelling. The navigation light and fog horn structures are battery operated and have been automated. The park has 7 campsites, 1 vault toilet, 2 pit toilets, 1 bulletin board, 2 moorage buoys and a 1.5-mile loop hiking trail. No Drinking water. Garbage: pack-it-out.
Activities:
Primitive camping, picnicking, saltwater fishing, hiking and clam digging. Wildflower bloom April through June.
Of Special Interest:
Colony of prickly pear cactus was discovered on the island.
Weather:
Annual rainfall averages 29 inches, approximately half that of Seattle. In the summer months, and especially during September and early October, the islands may go for weeks without a cloud in the sky. Snowfalls occur once or twice a year and usually total only one or two inches. Northeast winds may cause temperature extremes.
Island tides range over 14 feet. The extreme low tide of 4.0 feet to the extreme high tide of over 10 feet.
Historical Background:
The island was named by the Spanish Expedition of 1792. Patos means ducks. The Wilkes Expedition renamed it Gourd Island. However, in 1874, Captain Henry Kellett restored the original name to the British Admiralty chart.
In 1792, Spanish explorers Galliano and Valdez named the northern most of the American San Juan Islands, Isla de Patos - "Island of Ducks." Its 210 acres of trees, coves, and caves soon became a favorite hideout for smugglers.
Patos Island Lighthouse sits at Alden Point on the western tip of the Island.
The original light station was a post light and third class Daboll trumpet fog signal. Beginning operation on November 30, 1893, the light was used as a navigational aid to steamships traveling from Nanaimo, British Columbia to Alaska through the Boundary Pass waterway adjacent to the island.
The best known lightkeeper, Edward Durgan, came to the island with his wife and 13 children in 1905 after serving at Turn Point Light. Patos Island was a desired station with a mild climate but profoundly isolated.
Once a month, members of the family would take a 26-mile journey over the waterways to Bellingham, Washington for supplies. The closest neighbor was the Canadian Saturna Island lightkeeper, 5 miles away.
The isolation proved devastating when 7 of the 13 children contracted smallpox. Hoping to get the attention of passing ships, Mr. Durgan flew the flag at the lighthouse upside down as a distress signal. Help did eventually arrive, but tragically 3 of the children died.
More information:
Here's a great article about the history of the islands by William Dietrich of the Seattle Times. On the Edge: Isolation shapes the land and lore | |
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