Fidalgo Island

Fidalgo Island is an island in Skagit County, Washington, located about convert|78|mi|km|0 north of Seattle. To the east, it is separated from the mainland by the Swinomish Channel, and from Whidbey Island to the south by Deception Pass. Its largest city is Anacortes with a population of 14,557 according to the 2000 Census. The total population of the island was 20,700 and it has a land area of 106.684 km² (41.19 sq mi). There are ferries to Sidney, British Columbia and several cities in the San Juan Islands.

History

Fidalgo Island was originally inhabited by the Samish and Swinomish peoples.

Fidalgo Island is named for the Spanish explorer and cartographer Salvador Fidalgo who explored the area in 1790 with the fleet of Francisco de Eliza. Charles Wilkes discovered that it was an island rather than part of the mainland. He named it "Perry Island" in honor of Oliver Hazard Perry, the American commander who won the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. Following this theme, Wilkes named the island's highest point "Mt. Erie". When Henry Kellett reorganized the official British Admiralty charts in 1847, he removed Wilkes' name "Perry" and bestowed the name "Fidalgo" to honor the Spanish explorer. The highest point retained the name "Erie". [cite book |last= Phillips |first= James W. |title= Washington State Place Names |year= 1971 |publisher= University of Washington Press |isbn= 0-295-95158-3]

Settlement peaked in 1850s due to the Fraser River Gold Rush and in 1890 due to speculation that the area would become a terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Later the island became an important fishing and lumber center.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.deceptionpassfoundation.org Deception Pass Park Foundation webpage]
* [http://www.savesouthfidalgo.com Save South Fidalgo]
* [http://www.southfidalgo.org South Fidalgo Community Council]

References

* [http://www.anacortes.org/history.cfm Early History of Fidalgo Island]