Bachelor Island is an island in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
.
It is located in the
Columbia River near
Ridgefield, just south of the mouth of the
Lewis River and a few miles north of the mouth of the
Willamette River
The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...
. The island stretches from Columbia
river mile
A river mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the river kilometer. They are analogous to vehicle roa ...
. The northern end of
Sauvie Island
Sauvie Island, in the U.S. state of Oregon, originally Wapato Island or Wappatoo Island, is the largest island along the Columbia River, at , and one of the largest river islands in the United States. It lies approximately ten miles northwest o ...
lies across the Columbia from Bachelor Island.
Bachelor Island is separated from the mainland by Bachelor Island Slough and
Lake River. Bachelor Island Slough separates from the Columbia River at Bachelor Point and the southern end of Bachelor Island. The slough joins Lake River, which empties into the Columbia River at the northern end of Bachelor Island.
Most of Bachelor Island is part of the
Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge, one of the national wildlife refuges operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, located in the westernmost part of Clark County, Washington. The refuge protects more than o ...
.
History
Lewis and Clark first called the island "Green Bryor Isd," when they passed it while traveled downriver in 1805. They changed the name to "Quathlahpotle Island" in 1806, during their return voyage upriver. The name honored a large village, "Quathlahpotle", of 14
wooden houses
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin tha ...
and 900 inhabitants on the mainland nearby.
In 1841
Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship's captain, and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842).
During the American Civil War (1861–1865), he commanded ' during the ...
of the
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...
named the island "Pasainks Island". Bachelor Island Slough he called "Piscou Creek". It was sometimes called Columbia Island during the 19th century.
In 1849 or 1850 three bachelors took
donation claims and settled on the island, giving rise to its present name, Bachelor Island.
See also
* ''
''
* ''
''
References
Landforms of Clark County, Washington
Islands of the Columbia River in Washington (state)
{{ClarkCountyWA-geo-stub