James Island (La Push, Washington)

James Island as seen from First Beach at La Push

James Island (Quileute: A-ka-lat - "Top of the Rock") is at the mouth of the Quillayute River near La Push, Washington. Local historians say it is named for Francis Wilcox James, a lighthouse keeper and friend of the Quileute Indians there,^[1] though the Origin of Washington Geographic Names attributes the name to Jimmie Howeshatta, a Quileute chief.^[2]^[3]

A fortified village was on the island until the second half of the 19th century. After this it was farmed by mainland residents and tribal chiefs were buried there. At 160 feet (49 m) in height, the island has also been a lookout to spot whales. The island was once a sea stack, connected to the mainland. The US Army Corps of Engineers separated it by rerouting the Quillayute River. Today, the US Coast Guard operates an automated lighthouse and foghorn for boats using the harbor.

In 1966, James Island was removed from the Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Interior Department returned the island to the Quileute people because it was in the historic Quileute Indian Reservation.^[4] No people outside of the Quileute tribe are allowed on the island.

References

^ "A survey of Port Townsend's Ghost Signs & Murals" (PDF). Jefferson County Historical Society. Retrieved 14 July 2018. Francis Wilcox James, a native of England, arrived in Port Townsend in 1853. In 1855 he went to La Push as an Indian Agent and Assistant Lighthouse Keeper at Cape Flattery. While at La Push he became wellliked by the Quileute Indians and, as an honoring gesture, they named James Island after him.
^ Meany, Edmond S. (1923). Origin of Washington Geographic Names. University of Washington Press. p. 122. Retrieved 14 July 2018. JAMES ISLAND, a small island a little south of the mouth of the Quillayute River, in the southwestern part of Clallam County. It was named in honor of Chief Jimmy of the Quillayute Indians. (Fannie Taylor, Mora, in Names MSS., Letter 807.)
^ Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-918664-00-6.
^ Removed by Public Land Order 4095, September 19, 1966, according to Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Assessment, Chapter 1, page 1-8.

47°54′20.72″N 124°38′52.04″W / 47.9057556°N 124.6477889°W / 47.9057556; -124.6477889

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[1] "A survey of Port Townsend's Ghost Signs & Murals" (PDF). Jefferson County Historical Society. Retrieved 14 July 2018. Francis Wilcox James, a native of England, arrived in Port Townsend in 1853. In 1855 he went to La Push as an Indian Agent and Assistant Lighthouse Keeper at Cape Flattery. While at La Push he became wellliked by the Quileute Indians and, as an honoring gesture, they named James Island after him.

[2] Meany, Edmond S. (1923). Origin of Washington Geographic Names. University of Washington Press. p. 122. Retrieved 14 July 2018. JAMES ISLAND, a small island a little south of the mouth of the Quillayute River, in the southwestern part of Clallam County. It was named in honor of Chief Jimmy of the Quillayute Indians. (Fannie Taylor, Mora, in Names MSS., Letter 807.)

[majors-3] Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-918664-00-6.

[4] Removed by Public Land Order 4095, September 19, 1966, according to Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Assessment, Chapter 1, page 1-8.

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