Waldron Island Feature
Mapped Location
Waldron Island: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on Waldron Island
- Feature Type: Feature
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Waldron Island
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Waldron Island | Official |
Origin Notes and History of Waldron Island
References to Waldron Island that document the origin of its place name
WALDRON ISLAND, in the north central part of San Juan County, was named by the Wilkes Expedition, 1841. (Hydrography, Volume XXIII., Atlas chart 77.) The honor was probably intended for Thomas W. Waldron, Captain's clerk of the brig Porpoise of the Expedition. However, it is possible that two men were honored in the one name as R. R. Waldron was Purser of the Vincennes, another vessel of the Expedition. A postoffice on the southwest shore of the island has the same name.
COWLITZ BAY, on the southwest shore of Waidron Island, in San Juan County. It first appears on the British Admiralty Chart 2689, Richards, 1858-1859. As the locality is far removed from the region of the Cowlitz Indians, it is quite probable that this bay was named for the Hudson's Bay Company's vessel Cowlitz.
A Selected Bibliography of Waldron Island, Feature
A compilation of essential readings detailing the history, geography, and culture of the region.
Island ebb & flow a pioneer's journal of life on Waldron Island by Frances K. Lovering
Island Ebb & Flow: A Pioneer's Journal of Life on Waldron Island by Frances K. Lovering is a 1985 autobiographical memoir that intimately chronicles daily life on one of the most remote, non-ferry-served communities in Washington's San Juan archipelago. Spanning from the 1930s through the 1970s, the book offers a deeply personal account of the extreme self-reliance required to survive and thrive on Waldron Island, detailing the author's efforts to build cabins and barns, operate a commercial egg business, and navigate the severe logistical challenges of transportation and medical isolation. Lovering also highlights community efforts, such as maintaining the island's tiny, one-room schoolhouse. Ultimately, it serves as a valuable, grassroots record of mid-20th-century island homesteading and an engaging, humorous tribute to the resilient, independent spirit that defines the secluded pioneer communities of the Pacific Northwest.
x, 211 pages, 6 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 22 cm
Non-circulating [ 1 ]
A brief history of Waldron Island by Charles H. Ludwig
HISTORY OF A SEASONAL CAMPING SITE OF THE LUMMI INDIANS. The second edition was published in 1972 in response to requests for copies of the original mimeographed first edition. The preface to the second edition contains some comments on the more recent history of the island and Frederick Marks, one of the very early settlers on Waldron.
44 pages map, table
Desiderata
Last updated: 2025-09-23