Deer Harbor is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

Orcas Island Orcas Island () is the largest of the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest, in northwestern Washington, United States. History and naming of the island The name "Orcas" is a shortened form of ''Horcasitas,'' from Juan Vicente de Güemes P ...

in San Juan County,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, United States. The population of the community was 340, according to a census that took place in 2023.

History

The very first expeditions of the San Juan Islands took place in 1792, directed by the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

, during one of the

Spanish expeditions to the Pacific Northwest During the Age of Discovery, the Spanish Empire undertook several expeditions to the Pacific Northwest of North America. Spanish claims to the region date to the papal bull of 1493, and the Treaty of Tordesillas signed in 1494. In 1513, this cl ...

. When the first Europeans arrived on Orcas Island, in Deer Harbor they found a peaceful

Lummi people The Lummi (' or ') are a Central Coast Salish people Indigenous to western Washington, namely parts of the San Juan Islands and the mainland near what is now Bellingham, Washington. Name and etymology There are two names that are used by the L ...

encampment. It would take another 50 years before in the 1840s both the United States and the British Empire explored the area. The very first permanent European settlers would however only arrive in the current spot of Deer Harbor in 1852. One year later, the very first post office was established on January 14th. In 1858 the name Deer Harbor first officially appeared on British Admiralty charts of the San Juan Islands, signaling an official recognition by the British authorities of the settlements in the area. A coastal defense observation post was built behind a local Inn in 1941 in order to help with the war effort during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Culture

As with most

San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands is an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of ...

communities, Deer Harbor is known for its recreation and tourism, including kayaking, whale watching, and fishing. Many people fish for

Dungeness crab The Dungeness crab (''Metacarcinus magister'') makes up one of the most important seafood industries along the west coast of North America. Its typical range extends from Alaska's Aleutian Islands to Point Conception, near Santa Barbara, Califo ...

, rock crab, and shrimp there. Doe Bay is a community on the opposite side of the island from Deer Harbor. Deer Harbor is assigned the ZIP code 98243.

References

Unincorporated communities in San Juan County, Washington Unincorporated communities in Washington (state) {{SanJuanCountyWA-geo-stub