NATURAL HISTORY
he San Juan Archipelago lies within the active tectonic setting of the Cascadia Thrust fault zone where the Juan de Fuca Plate is diving beneath the North American Pacific Plate. Rock formations that comprise the archipelago are exotic in the sense that they have been transported great distances, carried down the Cascadia thrust zone, and uplifted to their present location to form over 700 islands, islets, and wave washed rocky reefs. In the past several hundred thousands of years these rocks have been scoured and sculpted by glaciers to form the deep passes, straights, and channels that compose the many waterways of the region. During the Vashon glacial period (14,000 years ago), a 5000 foot thick ice sheet covered the area. As the ice melted, waters from the Pacific Ocean invaded the ice carved lowlands forming what is now kown as the Salish Sea, with high areas remaining above sea level forming the islands that we see today.
The diversity of submarine morphology and the many miles of island coastline is an attraction to wildlife and human beings alike. Twice daily tides introduce cold nutrient-rich Pacific Ocean waters into the Sea through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This combined with nutrient-rich freshwater from mainland rivers produces incredibly productive waters that support a wide rants of marine life. Numerous marine mammals, including minke, humpback, gray whales and orcas frequent the area in pursuit of the abundant fish and plankton. Ongoing research and mapping of the varied seafloor habitats of the waters surrounding the islands contribute to our understanding of marine mammal and fish populations, and the impacts of human activities.
HISTORY
Native Americans visited the San Juans as long as 1,500 years ago. In 1791, a Spanish officer on a ship reconnoitering the area, named San Juan Island after the Viceroy of New Spain, and in 1792, the British arrived.
In 1853, the Hudson’s Bay Company created Bellevue Farm on San Juan Island. Tensions between the British and the Americans increased, both believing the San Juans to be their own. The Americans responded by sending troops, who set up camp, complete with tents and field artillery – to which the British retaliated with their own men and firepower. No battles were fought during the 12-year Pig War, although evidence of target practice turns up on Orcas from time to time. These cannonballs were likely the only shots fired. In 1872 Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany, acting as a disinterested arbiter, decided that the Americans had a stronger claim to the islands.
Lopez Island was developed more slowly than the Orcas and San Juan Island. The first Americans visited around 1850 to cut timber to send to San Francisco. Actual settlers didn’t arrive for another 15 years, and in 1870 the first trading post was built.
The early part of this century was one of growth in San Juan County. By the 1930s, though, everyone was feeling the Depression. Growth didn’t really start again until the late 1950s. Retirees who liked the sunny weather and the recreation began to “homestead.” Today, tourism and construction are still the largest growth industries in the county.
