Eliza Island is located in the western part of

Bellingham Bay Bellingham Bay is a bay of the Salish Sea located in Washington State in the United States. It is separated from the Strait of Georgia on the west by the Lummi Peninsula, Portage Island, and Lummi Island. It is bordered on the east by Bellingha ...

in the U.S. state 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 lies just east of the southern part of

Lummi Island Lummi Island lies at the southwest corner of Whatcom County, Washington, United States, between the mainland part of the county and offshore San Juan County. The Lummi Indian Reservation is situated on a peninsula east of the island, but it d ...

, in

Whatcom County Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts of British Columbia) to the north, Okanogan ...

. Eliza Island has a land area of . Its population was ten persons . The island was named by

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 ...

during the

Wilkes 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 ...

of 1838–1842. One of the few names given by Wilkes that does not honor either members of his crew or American naval officers, Eliza refers to

Francisco de Eliza Francisco de Eliza y Reventa (1759 – February 19, 1825) was a Spanish naval officer, navigator, and explorer. He is remembered mainly for his work in the Pacific Northwest. He was the commandant of the Spanish post in Nootka Sound on Vancou ...

, the Spanish commander of a 1791 expedition to the Pacific Northwest. Wilkes may have named the island for his daughter or his sister, both named Eliza. The south end of Eliza island is home to commercial and recreational crabbing. Eliza Island has a small airstrip that can only be used during daylight hours, and one dock which is used strictly for loading and unloading. There is no scheduled ferry service to the island, although private charters can be hired for residents. It is a private island with only about five people who live there year-round. Private generators provide electricity, and a communal water desalinization system is used to provide water to the residents. Only people who are 25 or older or disabled are allowed to use golf carts; although most residents travel by foot. A designated swimming beach on the south side of the island is sandy and somewhat shallow.

References

External links

Eliza Island: Blocks 1000 thru 1011, Census Tract 109, Whatcom County, Washington
United States Census Bureau
Aerial photo
{{authority control Landforms of Whatcom County, Washington Islands of Washington (state) Pacific islands of Washington (state) Private islands of Washington (state)