Decatur San Juan County, Washington
Mapped Location
Decatur: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on Decatur
- Feature Type: Place
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Decatur
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Decatur | Official |
Origin Notes and History of Decatur
References to Decatur that document the origin of its place name
DECATUR ISLAND, in San Juan County. The eastern cape of the island is named Decatur Head. When the Wilkes Expedition, 1841, charted the group of islands as "Navy Archipelago" and gave to the various islands and waterways the names of naval heroes, their ships and battles, this island received the name of Decatur. Captain Henry Kellett, 1847, in charting the same region for the British Admiralty, gave many Spanish names but did not disturb the name of Decatur Island. Stephen Decatur was born in 1779 and died in 1820. His father of the same name was also a distinguished officer in the navy. The younger Stephen Decatur had a most eventful career. His first great achievement was the "cutting out of the Philadelphia" in the Tripolitan War, 1804, which Admiral Nelson of the British Navy declared "the most daring act of the age." In the War of 1812, he fought a desperate, uneven and unsuccessful battle in the President. At the end of that war he was sent against the Barbary States of the Mediterranean and completely ended the centuries-old piracy of that region. He received the thanks of all Europe and a beautiful eulogium from President Madison in his message to Congress, December, 1815. Decatur tried honorably to avoid the duel with Commodore Barron, but finally accepted the challenge and was killed. A wave of horrified regret spread over the whole country. It is well to add that his second in the duel was his friend Commodore William Bainbridge, for whom Bainbridge Island, Kitsap County, was named, which will lend an interest to the origin of the name of Decatur Reef.
San Juan County
- Argyle
- Beach Haven
- Buckhorn
- Camp Orkila
- Decatur
- Deer Harbor
- Doe Bay
- Dolphin
- Eastsound
- Town of Friday Harbor
- Islandale
- Lakedale
- Lopez
- Olga
- Orcas
- Port Stanley
- Prevost
- Richardson
- Roche Harbor
- Rosario
- Sea Acre
- Shaw Island
- Thatcher
- Waldron
- West Beach
- West Sound
- Yacht Haven
Political Boundaries
Last updated: 2024-05-24