Lopez Island

Lopez Island is the third largest of the U.S. San Juan Islands, and the first stop of four on the Washington State Ferries' San Juan Islands run. A normal sailing takes about 40 minutes from Anacortes to Lopez. There is a small airstrip on the island with daily commercial flights, and charter floatplanes sometimes land in Fisherman Bay. Lopez Island is 29.81 square miles (77.207 km²) in land area. The 2000 census population was 2,177.

The island is longest in the north-south direction, with the ferry landing at the extreme north end. Near the ferry is Odlin Park, and Spencer Spit State Park is also on the north end. Near the center of the island, south down the coast from Lopez Village, is Shark Reef, another park. On the south-east corner of the island is the large Sperry Peninsula, the former site of Camp Nor'wester, which was purchased in the late 1990s by Paul Allen (a founder of Microsoft) for a private retreat.

History

[
Strait of Juan de Fuca] Lopez Island was given the name "Chauncey Island", after the American naval commander Isaac Chauncey. When the British reorganized the official Admiralty naval charts in 1847, Henry Kellett systematically removed many of Wilkes' names. He gave the island the name "Lopez", for Gonzalo López de Haro, an officer of the 1791 Spanish expedition under the command of Francisco de Eliza. Although there is no known connection between Haro and Lopez Island in particular, Haro is reputed to be the first European to discover the San Juan Islands. [cite book |last= Phillips |first= James W. |title= Washington State Place Names |year= 1971 |publisher= University of Washington Press |isbn= 0-295-95158-3]

Like most of the San Juan Islands, Lopez has had rapid growth in population in the last twenty years, driving up the price of real estate to a level where many traditional residents (mainly fishermen and farmers) find it hard to pay property taxes and their children struggle to buy a piece of land. The early homesteading families are either dying away or moving off the island. The late 1970s saw a gradual influx of idealists, many of whom still live on the island, often working in the arts. Self-employment is very high; the local school district is the biggest employer on the island.

Tourism and transportation

Lopez is much flatter than most of the other major San Juan Islands, which makes it a popular destination for bicycle tourists. However, many roads are narrow, leading to occasional congestion and conflicts between car drivers and cyclists. Fact|date=October 2007 Lopez is locally famous for the longstanding custom of waving at every motorist, bicyclist, or pedestrian encountered on the island's roads.cite book|last=Pitcher|first=Don|title=San Juan Islands|publisher=Avalon Travel Publishing|chapter=Lopez Island|location=Emeryville, CA|date=June 2005|edition=2|series=Moon Handbooks|isbn=1-566591-872-3]

Lopez, along with Orcas and San Juan, has its own fireworks show every year on July 4th. The show is held at Fisherman Bay.

The Lopez Island Historical Museum collects and preserves the regional history of Lopez and the San Juan Islands. The Museum features artifacts reflecting Lopez's contributions to maritime, fishing and farming. The museum has an extensive archive of documents of local historic, and artifacts depicting late 1800s and early 1900s Lopez life. Fact|date=August 2007

Lopez is home to a large number of tourist related businesses, largely country-style bed and breakfasts, many if not most with ocean views. There is a vineyard and one hotel and resort.

Parks

*Agate Beach County Park — This picnic area and beach is at the end of MacKaye Harbor Road at the south end of the island.
* [http://www.sanjuanco.com/Parks/Lopez.aspx Odlin County Park] — This park is used for camping and picnics and has a boat launch. One of the most popular beaches on the island, Odlin Park resides just south of the Ferry Landing and is a popular stop during the summer.

*Otis Perkins Day Park — This park has one of the longest beaches in the San Juan Islands.

*Shark Reef Park — This park offers long views west over San Juan Channel. It includes a half-mile trail through some old-growth trees.

*Spencer Spit State Park — The focus of this park on the northeast side of the island is a long, low sandspit that almost connects to small Frost Island just offshore. This 130 acre (530,000 m²) park has a camping area, picnic sites and mooring buoys for boats.

*Upright Channel Park — This state-operated facility offers several picnic sites and a hike down to a sandy beach.

Notable residents

Lopez is known for its highly artistic population. Local residents include sculptors, ceramic artists, authors and more. Paul Allen of Microsoft fame has bought an entire peninsula of the island and visits on occasion. Others who have residences on Lopez include horror writer John Saul, impressionist artist Leonard Wren, and actor Tom Skerritt.

Neslund Murder Case

Lopez Island was featured on an episode of the A&E show City Confidential which details the murder case involving Rolf and Ruth Neslund which took place in their home on the island in 1980. (see A&E.com network website under shows/cityconfidential) Rolf disappeared in August of 1980 and an investigation later revealed that his third wife, Ruth had shot him and later disposed of his body with the help of her brother, Robert. Ironically, Ruth's brother Paul had stated that Ruth had killed Rolf while drinking in a local bar on the island and this story was later relayed to local police and helped to convince them to search the Neslunds' home again. These searches gave them enough evidence to charge her with the crime. Ruth Neslund was convicted of the murder in 1985 and was sentenced to life in prison. Robert was not charged for his part in the crime. Ruth died in prison at the Purdy Correctional Facility in 1993. Rolf Neslunds' remains have never been found.

References

External links

* [http://www.lopezIsland.net/ Lopez Island Online]
* [http://www.guidetosanjuans.com/ Guide to the San Juan Islands]
* [http://www.lopezisland.com/ Lopez Island Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedules/current/index.cfm?route=ana-sj&direction=west Washington State Ferries Anacortes / San Juan Schedule]
* [http://www.lopezclt.org/ Lopez Community Land Trust]
* [http://lopezmuseum.org/ Lopez Island Historical Society and Museum]
* [http://lopezlibrary.org/ Lopez Island Library]