James Island (Washington)
| James Island | ||
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| Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
| Geographical location | 47 ° 54 '22 " N , 124 ° 38' 51" W | |
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| length | 520 m | |
| width | 420 m | |
| surface | 20 ha | |
| Highest elevation | 49 m | |
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James Island is an uninhabited island off the coast of the US state of Washington . The island lies in front of the mouth of the Quillayute River at La Push and belongs to Clallam County , on the southern coast of which it lies, as well as to the Quileute Indian Reservation . Until 1931 the island was connected to the mainland by a headland, before it became an island with the construction of the port of La Push.
geography
The approximately 2 hectare large, up to 49 meters high rock island is the largest of a group of small islands and rocks off the coast of Washington. The cliffs of the horseshoe-shaped island protrude almost vertically from the sea, the summit plateau can only be reached from the northeast on a narrow path. James Island and the surrounding smaller islands consist largely of solid sandstone. From the north, a thin, softer sandstone layer extends into the center of the island, which has been eroded over the millennia by wind and waves, giving the island its horseshoe shape. The summit plateau is covered by a layer of sand, gravel and sediments that have been deposited on the island by wind and waves since the last ice age. Today the summit plateau is overgrown with fir trees.
history
In the Quileute language, the island is called Akalat , which translates as top of the rock . The Spanish explorer Bruno de Heceta named it Los Frayles in 1775 . The origin of its current name is uncertain, according to tradition it was named after James Howe , a member of the Quileute tribes, and after another after the customs inspector Francis W. James , who is said to have been the first white man to climb the rock in 1885.
The British captain John Meares reports that there was a fortified Quileute village on the island in 1788. The use of an island as a natural fortress is uncommon for the Indians, but James Island served the tribe as a natural fortress during Makah raids and other wars until the mid-19th century . The only access to the summit plateau was easy to defend, and archaeological finds unearthed fire pits where water could be brought to a boil and then poured on attackers. There were also enough boulders that could be thrown from the cliffs at attackers, and a spring ensured the supply of drinking water. In 1997, investigations discovered the remains of a cable car that was used to transport it to the summit plateau.
In addition to its function as a fortress, James Island has spiritual and cultural significance for the Quileute. Higher-ranking members of the tribe were buried in their canoes on the island after their deaths, wrapped in blankets. Due to its location off the coast you have a wide view from the summit plateau, so that the rock was also used for whale watching. During the Second World War, an observation post was established on the island to complement the observation post in La Push.
The island is now accessible via a metal ladder, but because of its history it is considered a sacred place by the Quileute and is not accessible to tourists. Since the archipelago is a dangerous obstacle to shipping when entering the port of La Push, the US Coast Guard maintains a fog horn and a signal light on the island. On July 9, 2010, a Coast Guard helicopter crashed into the sea off the island, only one of the four occupants survived the crash. As early as 1997, three members of the Coast Guard were killed when their boat sank in heavy seas off the rocky coast on February 19 of that year.
In the summer of 1997, James Island was the location and symbol of an international gathering of 23 Indian tribes from Washington and British Columbia to celebrate the resumption of traditional sea-going canoeing.
Web links
- James Island at www.quileutenation.org
- Geologic Observations and Interpretations along the Coast: First Beach, James Island and Vicinty
- James Island (Washington) in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
Individual evidence
- ↑ forks-web.com: James Island. Retrieved April 26, 2011 .
- ↑ forks-web.com: James Island. Retrieved April 26, 2011 .
- ^ Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter crashes off of James Island, Wash. Retrieved April 26, 2011 .
- ^ Quillayute River Disaster. Retrieved April 26, 2011 .