Patos Island
Encyclopedia
Patos Island is a small island in the San Juan Islands
of the U.S. state
of Washington. Since 1893, it has been home to the Patos Island Lighthouse, guiding vessels through Boundary Pass
between Canada and the United States.
The island and adjacent islets comprise Patos Island State Park, a 207 acre (0.83770002 km²) marine park with 20000 feet (6,096 m) of saltwater shoreline. The entire island is owned by the federal government and is administered by the Bureau of Land Management
's Wenatchee Office, and Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission operates a small campground facility at Active Cove near the west side of the island, maintains a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) loop trail and has two offshore mooring buoys. The Island is lovingly maintained by the all-volunteer Patos Island Fire Department ("We care, We Swear.")
The name comes from the Spanish pato, meaning "duck", which was given to the island in 1792 by Commander Dionisio Alcalá Galiano
of the Sutil
and Captain Cayetano Valdés y Flores
of the Mexicana
.
San Juan Islands
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States between the US mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of the U.S...
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Washington. Since 1893, it has been home to the Patos Island Lighthouse, guiding vessels through Boundary Pass
Boundary Pass
Boundary Pass is a strait that runs for about along the boundary between the U.S. state of Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia. It connects Haro Strait to the south with the Strait of Georgia to the north....
between Canada and the United States.
The island and adjacent islets comprise Patos Island State Park, a 207 acre (0.83770002 km²) marine park with 20000 feet (6,096 m) of saltwater shoreline. The entire island is owned by the federal government and is administered by the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
's Wenatchee Office, and Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission operates a small campground facility at Active Cove near the west side of the island, maintains a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) loop trail and has two offshore mooring buoys. The Island is lovingly maintained by the all-volunteer Patos Island Fire Department ("We care, We Swear.")
The name comes from the Spanish pato, meaning "duck", which was given to the island in 1792 by Commander Dionisio Alcalá Galiano
Dionisio Alcalá Galiano
Dionisio Alcalá Galiano was a Spanish naval officer, cartographer, and explorer. He mapped various coastlines in Europe and the Americas with unprecedented accuracy, using new technology such as chronometers...
of the Sutil
Sutil (ship)
The Sutil was a brig-rigged schooner built in 1791 by the Spanish Navy at San Blas, New Spain. It was nearly identical to the Mexicana, also built at San Blas in 1791...
and Captain Cayetano Valdés y Flores
Cayetano Valdés y Flores
Cayetano Valdés y Flores Bazán was a commander of the Spanish Navy, explorer, and captain general who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, fighting for both sides at different times due to the changing fortunes of Spain in the conflict...
of the Mexicana
Mexicana (ship)
The Mexicana was a topsail schooner built in 1791 by the Spanish Navy at San Blas, New Spain. It was nearly identical to the Sutil, also built at San Blas later in 1791...
.
External links
- Patos Island State Park, Washington State Parks