Shaw Island San Juan County, Washington
Mapped Location
Shaw Island: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on Shaw Island
- Feature Type: Place
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Shaw Island
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Shaw Island | Official |
Origin Notes and History of Shaw Island
References to Shaw Island that document the origin of its place name
SHAW ISLAND, in the central part of San Juan County. The Spanish Captain Eliza in 1791 included this island with others in his "Isla y Archipelago de San Juan." The present name was given by the Wilkes Expedition, 1841, in honor of Captain John D. Shaw, of the United States Navy, who had served prominently in the war against Algiers, 1815. (Hydrography, Volume XXIII., Atlas, chart 77.)
Related Catalog Titles
A Bibliography for Shaw Island, San Juan County, Washington
Shaw Island Earliest Known History to 1994 by Dorothy Powell, Fran Hilen
Shaw Island is the smallest of the ferry-served islands in the San Juan Archipelago of Washington State. It boasts a store, a school, a community building, and a wonderful, private, volunteer-run library and museum. The Shaw Island Library and Historical Society was founded in 1966. A year later, two one-acre lots were donated for a building site and the original logs of a homestead cabin were donated to serve as the future Shaw Island Museum. Many generous donations from island volunteers, families, friends, and institutions formed a collection that continues to grow, preserving the heritage of this unique island community.In 1994 Fran Hilen was serving as Curator when Dorothy Powell volunteered as Librarian for the Shaw Island Library and Historical Society. Quietly, they decided to collaborate, writing a remarkable book about the history of Shaw Island beginning in pre-history, through the time of the early settlers, to their present day in the mid-1990's. In the original introduction, the authors invite the community to "add to the history for present and future residents and friends of Shaw Island."The Historical Society, aided by a dedicated team of Shaw Island volunteers, have taken Dorothy and Fran at their word and have supplemented their text with more than 600 historic photos, maps, historic documents, and newspaper clippings. Biographies and quotes from past Shaw Islanders, some of whom left behind prolific daily journals, give us insight into events and a past way of life.
166 pages, photos
CIRC [ 1 ]
Reflections mostly true stories and occasional poems by Shaw Island Writers Group (Wash) , Judith Laurel Harkness (Illustrator)
Authored by the Shaw Island Writers Group with illustrations by Judith Laurel Harkness, Reflections: Mostly True Stories and Occasional Poems captures the intimate, quirky rhythms of life on one of San Juan County's smallest and most isolated inhabited islands. The collection weaves together personal essays, local folklore, and evocative poetry penned by residents who navigate ferry schedules, one-lane dirt roads, and a profound sense of insular community. Through these unvarnished community chronicles, the text preserves the quiet humor and daily resilience required to thrive away from mainland conveniences. A keen insight drawn from the work is how collective island storytelling acts as an essential psychological buffer against isolation; by transforming everyday domestic mishaps and environmental encounters into shared literature, small island communities forge a resilient internal culture that celebrates their deliberate detachment from the fast-paced modern world.
115 pages : illustrations ; 28 cm
CIRC [ 1 ]
Oh Shaw! and other islands by Jo Ann Morse, Jo Ann Ridley
Limited edition prose and poetry book about Shaw Island which highlights watercolors by Rex Brandt, Joan Irving, and illustrator Malcolm Cameron.
38 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
CIRC [ 1 ]
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: 2025-09-23