Lopez San Juan County, Washington
Mapped Location
Lopez: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on Lopez
- Feature Type: Place
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Lopez
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Lopez | Official |
Origin Notes and History of Lopez
References to Lopez that document the origin of its place name
LOPEZ ISLAND, in San Juan County. The Spaniards in 1791 included this island in their Isla y Archipelago de San Juan. (See pages 120-121.) The Wilkes Expedition, 1841, charted it as "Chauncys Island." (Volume XXIII, Hydrography, chart 77.) This was an honor for Captain Isaac Chauncy, a hero of the United States Navy. Captain Henry Kellett, of the British Navy restored a Spanish name in 1847 using part of the name of Lopez Gonzales de Haro, reputed to have been the first discoverer of the archipelago. (J. G. Kohl in Pacific Railroad Reports, Volume XII., Part I., page 298.) The name Lopez has since been attached to a number of other geographic features.
Related Catalog Titles
A Bibliography for Lopez, San Juan County, Washington
Lopez Island by Susan Lehne Ferguson, Lopez Island Historical Society and Museum (Lopez Island, Wash)
The story of Lopez Island is a story of community. Skilled, brave, generous people like Sampson Chadwick, Mother Brown, Captain Barlow, and Amelia Davis carved a spirited, nurturing community out of seaside wilderness. Homesteaders cleared forests, built farms, grew food, and raised large families, surviving then thriving together. The hamlets of Port Stanley, Richardson, and Lopez emerged, creating hubs with stores, post offices, and schools as well as thriving fishing, canning, and shipping industries. The community fostered education, music, writing, dances, chivarees, baseball, quilting, a birthday club, and grand Fourth of July celebrations. Living self-reliant lives while helping friends, neighbors, and newcomers, Lopezians created a unique community character that abides today
127 pages : chiefly illustrations, map ; 24 cm.
CIRC [ 1 ]
Related Online Resources
Island Histories: Stories of the San Juans
San Juans Explorer is a digital guide to the history, natural history, and culture of the San Juan Islands. A project of the Public History Program at Eastern Washington University, the geolocated stories on San Juans Explorer were created by student
WEB LINK
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