Orcas San Juan County, Washington
Mapped Location
Orcas: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on Orcas
- Feature Type: Place
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Orcas
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Orcas | Official |
Origin Notes and History of Orcas
References to Orcas 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.
Related Catalog Titles
A Bibliography for Orcas, San Juan County, Washington
A bit off center by Margaret Philbrick
Authored by longtime resident and community historian Margaret Philbrick, A Bit Off Center presents a personal, highly localized history of Orcas Island in Washington's San Juan archipelago. Drawing on vintage photographs, maps, and oral recollections, the book chronicles the development of local landmarks, marine transport, small cottage industries, and the eccentric characters who anchored early island life. Through intimate vignettes of community hubs like the Orcas Hotel and Grindstone Harbor, the text captures the peculiar charm and texture of self-reliant island living. A keen insight drawn from the work is how insular communities derive their unique resilience from eccentricity; by documenting the colorful, non-conformist personalities that populated the margins of society, the narrative reveals that living "off center" was not just a geographic descriptor, but a vital cultural ethos that allowed isolated pioneers to thrive.
97 pages : illustrations, maps ; 21 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: 2024-05-24