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A BIT OF NATURAL, GEOLOGIC, & CULTURAL HISTORY OF THE SAN JUAN ARCHIPELAGO

The San Juan Islands are a mystical place, carved from massive tectonic events, several ice ages, and the daily weathering of wind and water. Their beauty is unsurpassed and leaves one feeling as if they have traveled to a place which exists outside the rules of the rest of the world. The San Juan Islands have a well deserved reputation as being one of the most spectacular places in the world to sea kayak.

The San Juan Islands are located in a very unique geographical location. Though most of Western Washington has a reputation for rainy, gray weather, 3 the Olympic mountains provide a rain shadow for the San Juans. The "banana belt of Western Washington, San Juan Island receives about half the annual rainfall of Seattle, WA. Often the San Juans are sunny and warm while the rest of the Pacific Northwest is socked in with clouds or fog. On clear summer days views of the Olympics, Cascades, Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, Haro Strait, Juan de Fuca Strait, Vancouver Island, and the surrounding archipelago truly make one's jaw drop in awe.

The land which makes up the islands is much older than the mainland. In fact, it is what geologists term a terrain: a small chunk of an ancient continent which accreted itself to the mainland millions of years ago.

Geologically, the islands are in the tectonic zone called a "fore-arc basin, which is essentially a large downward fold in the earth's crust caused by the collision of the oceanic and continental plates. The islands are slowly being refolded upward as the oceanic plate crushes against and under the continental plate. The islands were also not immune to the presence of several ice ages. At one point over 5000 vertical feet of ice covered the region. The shear mass of this ice literally carved pieces of the land, such as Haro Strait which extends more than 500 feet below sea level.

Life in the San Juan Islands has long revolved around its surrounding waterways. The San Juan Islands belong to a greater watershed known as the Salish Sea, which stretches from the base of the Olympic mountains to Georgia Strait in British Columbia. This unique inland water experiences a large amount of flushing as oceanic tides rise and fall, pulling the water through the narrow island passages. This produces an incredibly lush marine environment from the bottom of the food chain up.

Native Americans from the surrounding areas used the islands as summer camps to fish for salmon, their primary source of food. Today you can still see a version of the traditional means of fishing (called reefnetting) at work on some of the smaller islands. The abundance of salmon was as well known to the Native Americans as the resident orca whales who also frequent the coast in search of migrating salmon which are pushed against the islands by the tide. Salmon and orcas both have important roles in the Native cultures of the Salish Sea.

Cedar canoes were the primary mode of transportation for the Native Americans. The canoes were carefully crafted to handle multiple passengers and long trips over open water. Today kayaks offer a similar mode of human powered transportation placing you right on the level of the water. The maneuverability and stability of kayaks creates a magical connection between participants and the sea. Traditional sea kayaks were developed in northern climes such as Southern Alaska and Greenland where the scarcity of standing timber prompted them to be constructed of pieces of driftwood and stretched seal skins. There are several native stories of tribesmen who turned into orcas as they paddled out to sea. On a foggy day it is easy to see the root of these tales as kayakers fade into the mist looking mysteriously like orcas rising from the water.

The Lummi Indians were the first inhabitants of San Juan Island. They lived on the North side of the island before migrating to Orcas Island and later Gooseberry Point near the city of Bellingham today. Not much is known about the lifestyle of the Natives in the islands before the colonization period. Epidemics of smallpox and other European diseases to which they had no natural immunity either coincided or closely predated the physical arrival of Europeans. Smallpox Bay at San Juan County Park received its name from the Native Americans who dove into the frigid waters in attempts to rid themselves of the high fevers associated with smallpox. By the time Europeans were actively colonizing the Islands most of the Native population had already been decimated. San Juan County Park, where most of our trips launch from, was used as a campground during the annual summer salmon migration for hundreds of years prior to colonization. Today it is listed as an archaeological site.

Although the Spanish explorers left their mark on the land with names like San Juan, Haro, and Sucia, the actual first settlement was primarily done by Americans and British. Possession of the islands was left unresolved following the 1846 resolution of the border dispute between Canada and the United States. Both countries had settlers on San Juan, though the British had the largest settlement at Bellevue Farm-- a farm and supply point for the Hudson Bay Company. Charles Griffin was appointed as Justice of the Peace for the islands by Governor Douglas of Vancouver Island.

An American settler named Lyman Cutlar settled near the Bellevue Farm. While this in itself was not extraordinary, his actions nearly brought on a war between the Americans and British. At the time Charles Griffin had a pig which had quite an appetite. Apparently it broke into Cutlar's garden one too many times and in moment of exasperation, he shot the pig. This is more understandable when you realize that Cutlar rowed 15 miles across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Olympic Peninsula to get the seed for his potato crop. Though Cutlar admitted to killing the pig, he refused to be brought to trial by the British and sought out protection from the United States. Tensions mounted as the countries established army garrisons on opposing ends of San Juan Island. Somehow things managed to stay in check until 1872 when a German arbitrator awarded the islands to the U.S., placing the international boundary as Haro Strait. You can visit the sites of the garrisons which are maintained by the National Park Service today.

Although the islands have a tranquil feel today, it was not always the case. Colonization occurred relatively quickly moving into the 1900's. Fishing and agriculture were the major industries, though the development of the Lime trade placed Roche Harbor on Western United States. These may have been the largest legitimate industries, but smuggling of wool, alcohol, narcotics, and aliens from Canada to the U.S. were also booming trades.

The intricate waterways of the islands made the perfect hiding place for smugglers, especially during the Prohibition period. There are popular stories of enterprising islanders who found easy ways to obtain large amounts of the illegal liquors. The islanders would sneak up on the smuggler's watchmen, knock them unconscious, and set fake signal fires which caused the smugglers to dump their hooch overboard. After the smugglers left (usually quite quickly), the islanders would run out and get a nice stash of moonshine.

Even though most of the smuggling occurred quickly, quietly, and without harming anyone, there were many notable hijackings, murders, and assaults. However, one of the more famous smugglers did claim that none of the ten commandments had any relevance to his trade. Though being a "famous smuggler was not necessarily a good thing... it simply means they were caught more often!

The first real settlement, San Juan Town on Griffin Bay, was also testament to the wildness of the times. Saloons reigned, gun toting, land grabbing, and drunkenness were the norm, women were not safe at any hour. It was a scene that would have made the frontier towns of the Old West blush. Gradually the town grew dirtier and more unkempt, until all the residents had relocated. Most moved north to Friday Harbor. San Juan Town lay nothing but a ghost town when a fire destroyed in 1890.

There are many accounts of how Friday Harbor was named, but the actual story is of the pioneer of the northwest side of the sheltered bay (site of the U.W. Labs today), a Hawaiian shepherd named Joe Friday. Ship captains knew that he was the lone inhabitant on the Northeast side of the island, so ships bound for San Juan would navigate by the tower of smoke coming from Friday's Harbor. The town grew with the help of the agricultural, fishing, and mining industries. Spring Street, which one invariably climbs after unloading the ferry, is so named for the super-prolific first source of water for the town. The flooding caused by the Spring became such a problem that it was finally capped off.

Today the San Juan Islands are home to an eclectic mix of artists, industry, and tourism...stepping off the ferry you instantly feel the age of this ancient rock; it really is a different world. Islanders have a deep appreciation for the environment which gives them such a unique quality of life. This connection to the land and water echoes of times past, but not forgotten.

The inland waters of Washington are one of the richest marine environment in the world. It has been heralded as the second most amazing place to scuba dive in the world....second only because of the chilly 48 degree waters! >From wolf eels to the largest octopus in the world, the water literally teems with life. If you visit during the summer time, be sure to take a night stroll or paddle and look for the eiry shimmer of phosphorescence glowing in the water.

Throughout the year many marine mammals frequent the islands. Some of the more common mammals include:

 

Orca Whales. Three resident pods (J, K, & L) inhabit the waters primarily from May-September as they feed on the migrating salmon populations. They are commonly spotted off the westside of San Juan Island during these months, but do inhabit the area year ,round. A sub-species of the residents, called transients, are also seen throughout the year. They are smaller in size and feed primarily on other marine mammals such as seals and porpoise.

Minke Whales. This small baleen whale is a resident of the Salish Sea, but in the San Juans is most commonly seen during mid Summer - early Autumn.

Dalls Porpoise. Perhaps the most common mammal sighted in the islands, this is also the fastest traveling at speeds upwards of 30 mph. Look for their characteristic rooster-tail splash and triangular fin. Be careful not to mistake these for orcas....although they also have black & white coloring, they grow to six feet, but no larger!

Harbor Porpoise. This porpoise was once a bit more common in inland waters, but is quite shy of humans. They are also grow to about six feet, but are gray-brown in color and have triangular dorsal fins with a longer leading edge.

Harbor Seals. The most prolific of mammals in the islands, harbor seals are common along all coastlines. During the summer months in particular harbor seals spend a lot of time "hauled-out on rocks where they give birth to their young. Harbor seals are rather small and are spotted gray in color.

While the beauty of the waters can easily pull your eyes out to sea, do not forget to look inland as well. The islands are home to hundreds of species of birds including the largest breeding population of bald eagles in the Black-tail deer, silver-fox, raccoons, and wild turkey also frequent the islands. One of the biggest surprises is a species of prickly pear cactus which is found on the sunny southern exposures of the islands. Currently scientists theorize that river otters introduced the cactus by transporting quills in their fur all the way from the rivers of Eastern Oregon, up the coast, and into the Salish Sea. The cacti are only found as high up as the river otters haul out. To this day river otters are fairly prolific in the archipelago.

The Summer of 1998 produced several more rare sightings off of San Juan Island as well. Gray whales, a young humpback whale, northern-right whale dolphins, pilot whales, California sea lions, and transient orcas were sighted by lucky individuals who kept their eyes open. The waters and the land of the San Juans are host to an absolutely stunning array of wonders of the universe. Sea kayaking is a beautiful, unobtrusive way to meld with these wonders in their own environment.

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The San Juan Archipelago hosts over 290 different species of birds which use the islands and surrounding habitat for breeding and nesting as well as fall and winter migrations. The clear waters, strong currents, diverse intertidal zones and rocky and tree lined shore of the San Juan Islands provide excellent habitat for a wide variety of different species. The islands are also host to one of the largest bald eagle nesting populations in the continental United States.

A group of 83 islands in the archipelago are designated as National Wildlife Refuges. These islands total 454 acres and are divided into four habitat types: reefs, rocks, grassy and forested islands.

Our tours are designed to take us into close but respectful distances of these small islands The wide stable platform of a double kayak coupled with a small pair of binoculars provides our guests with a great chance to view the resident birdlife without disturbing them in their natural habitat.

While paddling on the water we'll enjoy excellent opportunities for seeing a number of different alcids or seabirds that tend to use their stubby wings to "fly" under water in search of their prey. These may include rhinoceros auklets, the occasional tufted puffin, pigeon guillemots, common murres and marbeled murrelets.

Other diving birds (that swim underwater by pushing forward, seal-like with their feet) include three species of cormorants: double crested, pelagic and brandt. Three common shorebirds seen during the summer months include black oystercatchers with its distinctive long orange bill, the killdeer and one of my personal favorites, the strikingly colored harlequin duck.

On the water or skulking among the rich feast of the intertidal are various gulls including the glaucous winged and bonaparte gulls. In the corvid family the NW crow and the ocassional raven can be seen casting about for food as well. The noisy chattering of a belted kingfisher is also a familiar sight.

The island also has its share of birds of prey. Bald eagles and osprey nest in large trees and snags close to the water's edge. The islands host between 40 to 50 breeding pairs of bald eagles. With the banning of DDT peregrine falcons are starting to make a comeback in the islands as well with 6-7 breeding pair spotted within the last year. Turkey Vultures with their distinctive silvery gray undersides can be seen lazily gliding overhead.