Orcas Island () is the largest of the

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 ...

of the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

, in northwestern

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.

History and naming of the island

The name "Orcas" is a shortened form of ''Horcasitas,'' from

Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philippi ...

, the Viceroy of New Spain who sent an exploration expedition under

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 Vancouv ...

to the Pacific Northwest in 1791. During the voyage, Eliza explored part of the San Juan Islands. He did not apply the name Orcas specifically to Orcas Island, but rather to part of the archipelago. In 1847,

Henry Kellett Vice Admiral Sir Henry Kellett, (2 November 1806 – 1 March 1875) was an Irish naval officer and explorer. Career Born at Clonacody in Tipperary County, Ireland, on 2 November 1806, Kellett joined the Royal Navy in 1822. He spent three years ...

assigned the name to Orcas Island during his reorganization of the British Admiralty charts. Kellett's work eliminated the patriotically American names that

Charles Wilkes Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship's captain, and List of explorers, explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842). During the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865 ...

had given to many features of the San Juans 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. Wilkes had named Orcas Island "Hull Island" after Commodore

Isaac Hull Commodore (rank), Commodore Isaac Hull (March 9, 1773 – February 13, 1843) was a United States Navy officer who served in the Quasi-War, Barbary Wars and War of 1812. During his military career, he commanded the warships , , , and . During the ...

. Other features of Orcas Island Wilkes named include "Ironsides Inlet" for East Sound and "Guerrier Bay" for West Sound. One of the names Wilkes gave remains: Mount Constitution. Wilkes' names follow a pattern: Hull was the commander of "Old Ironsides" (the ) and won fame after capturing the British warship HMS ''Guerriere'' in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. The islands were first claimed by Spain, then by Britain, who agreed, in the

Treaty of Ghent The Treaty of Ghent () was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. It took effect in February 1815. Both sides signed it on December 24, 1814, in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands (now in ...

signed after the War of 1812, that everything below the 49th parallel was part of the US. The Oregon territory, which then included Washington state and this island, was used jointly by the US and Britain until 1848, but border disputes specifically concerning the

, including the

Pig War (1859) The Pig War was a confrontation in 1859 between the United States and the United Kingdom over the British–U.S. border in the San Juan Islands, between Vancouver Island (present-day Canada) and the Washington Territory (present-day State of ...

, were not settled until 1871.

Geography

With an area of and a population of 6000 ( 2020 census), Orcas Island is slightly larger, and less populous, than neighboring

San Juan Island San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington, United States. It has a land area of 142.59 km2 (55.053 sq mi) and a population of 8,632 as of the 2020 census. Washington State F ...

. It is shaped like a pair of saddlebags, separated by

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

-like Eastsound, and two prominent bays, Westsound and Deer Harbor, on the southwest side. At the island's northern end is the village of Eastsound, the largest population center on Orcas and the second largest in San Juan County. Other, smaller hamlets on the island include Orcas Landing (where the inter-island/mainland ferry lands), West Sound (with Eastsound addresses), Deer Harbor, Rosario (with Eastsound addresses),

Olga Olga may refer to: People and fictional characters * Olga (name), a given name, including a list of people and fictional characters named Olga or Olha * Michael Algar (born 1962), English singer also known as "Olga" Places Russia * Olga, Russia ...

and Doe Bay.

Island access

The state supports island access through the

Washington State Ferries Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a public ferry system in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and operates 10 routes serving 20 terminals within Puget ...

system. In addition, the island can be accessed through a variety of air, seaplane and sea charter services. Private watercraft can use public docks located near the villages around the island, and various public shoreline access points. During the summer season, there is an island shuttle van that runs from the ferry landing to Eastsound and other points.

Arts and culture

Historic sites

The island is home to two museums. The Orcas Island Historical Museum is located in downtown Eastsound and is the only object-based, interpretive heritage facility for the island, with a permanent collection containing approximately 6000 objects, paper documents and photographs. Crow Valley School Museum is a

one-room school house One-room schoolhouses, or One-room schools, have been commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, and Spa ...

built in 1888, open by appointment only. Rosario Resort was built beginning in 1906 by Robert Moran, a former mayor of Seattle and a shipbuilder. Constructed in an

Arts & Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

style, the 5-story resort was named after the Rosario Strait and contains a two-story German-style organ, operational since 1913, consisting of over 1,900 pipes. Also known as the Rosario Resort and Spa, it opened as such in 1960 and the hotel was also designed with a nautical style, containing stained glass windows, a Tiffany chandelier, and two libraries. The grounds were designed with paths and water features. Moran sold the resort in 1938 and several owners have overseen operations since. Orcas Island is also home to

YMCA Camp Orkila Camp Orkila is on the northwest shoulder of Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington (state), Washington, overlooking Presidents Channel, and the Canadian Gulf Islands. It has been in operation since 1906. It is operated by the Greate ...

Media

The ''

Islands' Sounder The ''Islands' Sounder'' is a newspaper published in Eastsound, Washington, Eastsound in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It was founded as ''The Orcas Sounder'' in 1964 by Al and Nickee Magnuson. It was expanded from 15 issues ...

'', originally named the ''Orcas Sounder'', is a

weekly newspaper Weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and electronic publishing, digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly newspap ...

published in Eastsound since 1964.

Public services

The Orcas Island School District operates three schools on a single campus: Orcas Island Elementary School housed in the island's historic Nellie S. Milton school building; Orcas Island Middle School; and Orcas Island High School. All of the island's public schools are located in Eastsound. The Orcas Island Public Library is located in Eastsound and serves a population of approximately 6,000 card holders. The Orcas Island Library District is a junior-taxing district that funds the Orcas Island Public Library's operating budget through property taxes. The annual Library Fair sells books donated by Orcas Island residents and visitors, the proceeds of which are donated back to the Library's operating budget. In 2018 Orcas Island Voters approved the creation of San Juan County Public Hospital District #3 (OIHCD) and later elected five Commissioners to the board. OIHCD funds local health care services ensuring care services to locals.

Parks

Village Green

The Village Green is located in the center of Eastsound village.

Buck Park

Buck Park is just north of the school on Mt. Baker Road.

Moran State Park

Mount Constitution Mount Constitution is a mountain on Orcas Island, the highest point in the San Juan Islands and the second highest mountain on an ocean island in the contiguous 48 states. Only Devils Peak in the Channel Islands of California is higher. Sto ...

(elevation is the highest point in the San Juan islands. The mountain is part of

Moran State Park Moran State Park is a public recreation area on Orcas Island in Puget Sound's San Juan Islands in the state of Washington, United States. The state park encompasses over 5,000 acres of various terrain including forests, wetlands, bogs, hills, an ...

, the largest public recreation area in the San Juan Islands, and the largest State Park in Washington. Moran State Park encompasses over of woodland and has several lakes, including Cascade Lake, Mountain Lake, Summit Lake, and Twin Lakes, and numerous waterfalls.

Obstruction Pass State Park

Obstruction Pass State Park is an 76-acre park with access to more than a mile of public saltwater shoreline on the south end of Orcas Island, south of Moran State Park.

Madrona Point

Madrona Point is a traditional burial ground which was controversially sold by the Cemetery Association in 1890. In 1989, the site was purchased out of private ownership for $2.2 million provided by the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relatin ...

. The site was returned to the

Lummi Lummi most commonly refers to: Lummi people *Lummi people, a Coast Salish people located in western Washington state **Lummi Nation The Lummi Nation ( ; Lummi dialect, Lummi: ' or '';'' officially known as the Lummi Tribe of the Lummi ...

Nation. The tribe agreed to manage the property as an open space open to individuals and groups under a memorandum of understanding with San Juan County. The Lummi Nation closed the site in 2007 citing disrespect to the land.

In popular culture

Two films use Orcas Island as a backdrop. The 2011 Film ''

Your Sister's Sister ''Your Sister's Sister'' is a 2011 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Lynn Shelton and starring Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Mark Duplass. The film premiered on September 11, 2011, at the Toronto International Film Festival, ...

'' starring

Emily Blunt Emily Olivia Laura Blunt (born 23 February 1983) is a British actress. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Emily Blunt, several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition t ...

was partially filmed on Orcas Island. While the 2022 Netflix Original film ''

Lou Lou may refer to: __NOTOC__ Personal name * Lou (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Lou (German singer) *Lou (French singer) * Lou (surname 娄), the 229th most common surname in China * Lou (surname 楼), the 269th most common ...

'' is set on Orcas Island, it was not filmed on the island. In ''

The Terminal List ''The Terminal List'' is an American action thriller television series created by David DiGilio, based on Jack Carr (writer), Jack Carr's 2018 novel of the same name. The series tells the story of a Navy SEAL who seeks to avenge the murder of hi ...

'', Secretary of State Lorraine Hartley's palatial

family estate An estate is a large parcel of land under single ownership, which generates income for its owner. British context In the United Kingdom, historically an estate comprises the houses, outbuildings, supporting farmland, tenanted buildings, and ...

is located on Orcas Island. The 2017 video game ''

What Remains of Edith Finch ''What Remains of Edith Finch'' is a First-person (video games), first-person adventure game, exploration video game developed by Giant Sparrow and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was released in 2017 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and ...

'' takes place on the island.