West Sound San Juan County, Washington
Mapped Location
West Sound: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on West Sound
- Feature Type: Place
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for West Sound
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| West Sound | Official |
Origin Notes and History of West Sound
References to West Sound that document the origin of its place name
ORCAS ISLAND, in San Juan County. The Spanish chart by Galliano and Valdez, 1792, included this island in the vaguely outlined "Isla y Archipelago de Sn. Juan." (Reproduced in United States Public Documents, Serial Number 1557, chart L.) The year before, the Spanish Captain Francisco Eliza had charted Griffin Bay, or "Ontario Roads" as "Boca de Horcasitas," after a Spanish vessel by that name, from which at times the "H" was omitted. It was also a part of the long name of the Viceroy in Mexico, Senor Don Juan Vicente de Guemes Pacheco y Padilla Orcasitees y Aguayo Conde de Revilla Gigedo, which was distributed to geographic features by Captain Eliza. See, for example, Guemes Island. The Wilkes Expedition, 1841, gave the name "Hull's Island" after Commodore Isaac Hull who commanded the United State frigate 'Constitution' and captured the English vessel 'Guerriere'. To emphasize the honor bestowed Captain Wilkes named Mount Constitution and called East Sound "Ironsides Inlet" after the frigate's pet name and West Sound he called "Guerriere Bay," after the vessel captured. All these names have disappeared except that of Mount Constitution. Captain Kellett, of the British Navy, in 1847, restored many Spanish names, including the name of Orcas Island, which used only part of the original and had not been applied to the island by the Spaniards. Captain Kellett's choice of name was retained on the British Admiralty chart Number 1917 and has been used on all charts since.
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