South Finger IslandDescription and History |
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South Finger Island ("SFI") is located in the Sucia Islands group (see aerial photos), at the northernmost end of the San Juan Islands of Washington State. These small island are in the extreme northwest corner of the United States, just a few miles from the Canadian border (see maps). The area is essentially deserted, except for boaters drawn to the Sucia Island State Park during the peak summer months. There are no year-round residents on any of the islands. The Lummi indians call the islands "Che-sha-nung"*. "Sucia" means "foul" in nautical Spanish, a reference to the many reefs in the area that threatened early explorers. SFI is almost a mile long, but never more than a few hundred feet across. It is privately owned, and divided into four lots and several common areas. Small summer homes have been built at each end of the island; the remaining two lots are undeveloped. The island offers spectacular views of the channels and adjacent islands: Sucia Island to the south and west, and North Finger Island to the north. The southeast end of the island provides gorgeous views of Matia Island, Orcas Island and the Cascade Mountain range, including Mt Baker (11,500 ft). Climate and Wild LifeThe islands' climate is mild year-round, with temperatures rarely under 25F or over 80F. Occasionally, an Arctic gale will rush down Canada's Fraser River valley and across the San Juans, bringing temperatures as low as 0F and winds as high as 95 mph. These events assure a good supply of firewood from downed trees. Annual rainfall is about 25 inches, with July and August usually dry. The islands get more sunshine than Seattle, 100 miles to the south, but winters are still quite cloudy and the days are short. SFI supports a wide variety of wildflowers, with an explosion of color every spring (see plant photos). The island is too small to support much animal life (see mammal and snake pics), but the surrounding waters are home to killer whales, porpoises and many harbor seals. Bird life includes a thriving bald eagle population, great blue herons, various hawks and woodpeckers, great horned owls, and a wide variety of smaller birds. The island is also visited by migratory rufous hummingbirds. HistorySFI has at least two middens dating back to visits by native Indians. (A "midden" is essentially a garbage dump, largely comprising old charcoal and clam shells from native meals.) Whether the Indians lived on the island year-round, or only during the summer, is unknown.
The wooded interior of the island hides the remains of a small log cabin and an even smaller outbuilding. Built with old square nails, these probably date back to the late 19th century. |
The island shows no signs of logging or other operations in the past. Adjacent Sucia Island is quite different, with its obviously sawn old-growth tree stumps, and the remains of various quarrying operations. Stone from Sucia was used for construction projects in downtown Seattle. A major wildfire in 1947 left its mark on many of SFI's older trees. In c.1924, U.S. Cadastral Engineer Floyd G. Betts wrote: "The Sucia Islands are irregular in shape and in general are rolling with steep or bluffy shores. Average elevation is about 40 feet above mean high tide. There is no running water on the islands. The only free water that is available is from a well that was dug on the Dolla Randolph claim where the improvements are on the patented area. There is a medium stand of scrub fir, cedar, pine, and madrona. The timber has no merchantable value for lumber; good for firewood. A dense growth of salal, ironwood, wild rose, wild currant, and willow abounds on all the islands. The soil is shallow, varying from the bare sandstone to about three feet deep in the low swales or depressions; composed of sand and decomposed vegetation, second and this third rate. At the
present time the islands are being used for a fox farm by the North
Pacific Fox Company, and from all indications the islands are valuable
for this purpose. Mean magnetic variation is 25 degrees East." Below is cadastral survey map from the same period. Most of Washington State was surveyed in the late 19th century, but Sucia had to wait until much later.* Interestingly, the map shows what is now Sucia Island State Park divided into a number of claims, mostly held by members of the Randolph family. It also show two "lighthouse reservations", but these structures were never built. (There is a lighthouse on Patos Island, a few miles NW of Sucia Island.) Justice IslandThe sailing article at http://www.48north.com/may_2003/sucia.htm tells us: "Justice Island, all two acres of it, is off the northwest end of South Finger Island. While the west half is private, the east half of the island became part of state parks in the 1990s as a 'gift.' Unaware it was the heart of the most popular marine park in the state, a Florida couple had purchased most of the island in the winter for use as a drug drop site. The Coast Guard and San Juan County Sheriff heard about the plan and had the island under surveillance. A large amount of baled marijuana was seized when a fishing boat near the island was boarded by Coast Guard and federal drug agents. Part of the island was seized and turned over to state parks as a wildlife area with no camping. The west half of the island is still privately owned." Useful Web LinksAn interesting history of the Sucia Island group A brief history of Sucia Island State Park ----------- |
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