Fidalgo Island

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The forested western slopes of Fidalgo Island overlook Puget Sound

Fidalgo Island is an island in Skagit County, Washington, located about 78 miles (126 km) north of Seattle. To the east, it is separated from the mainland by the Swinomish Channel, and from Whidbey Island to the south by Deception Pass. Its largest city is Anacortes with a population of 14,557 according to the 2000 Census. The total population of the island was 20,700 and it has a land area of 106.684 km² (41.19 sq mi). There are ferries to Sidney, British Columbia and several ports in the San Juan Islands.

[edit] History

Southeastern Fidalgo Island with Lake Campbell (lower right) and Swinomish Indian Reservation just beyond Similk Bay (middle)

Fidalgo Island was originally inhabited by the Samish and Swinomish peoples.

Fidalgo Island is named for the Spanish explorer and cartographer Salvador Fidalgo who explored the area in 1790 with the fleet of Francisco de Eliza. Charles Wilkes discovered that it was an island rather than part of the mainland. He named it Perry Island in honor of Oliver Hazard Perry, the American commander who won the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. Following this theme, Wilkes named the island's highest point Mt. Erie. When Henry Kellett reorganized the official British Admiralty charts in 1847, he removed Wilkes' name Perry and bestowed the name Fidalgo to honor the Spanish explorer. The highest point retained the name Erie.^[1]

Settlement peaked in 1850s due to the Fraser River Gold Rush and in 1890 due to speculation that the area would become a terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Later the island became an important fishing and lumber center.