Destruction Island, Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Destruction Island (also known historically as Green Island[1]) is a 30 acres (12 ha) island located approximately 3.5 miles (6 km) off the Washington coast. Home to seabirds, shorebirds, and marine mammals, it is part of the Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge[2].
Destruction Island was used as an anchorage by Spanish ships in 1775. A crew of seven men was sent to the mainland to procure supplies of wood and water, but was massacred by the local Indians, leading naval lieutenant Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra to name it the Isla de Dolores (the Island of Sorrows)[3][4]. Twelve years later, Captain Charles William Barkley, an independent English fur trader, arrived in the Austrian East India Company ship, Imperial Eagle, and sent a party ashore from the island to a similar fate. He named the river where the second massacre took place the Destruction River. Captain George Vancouver later transferred the name to the Isla de Dolores when the river was given its Indian name, the Hoh River[3][5].
The 94 foot (29 m) Destruction Island Lighthouse was built on Destruction Island in 1888-91[3][5]. It is now automated, and the site closed to the public. The island itself is accessible only by boat[4].
[edit] References
- ^ Rau, Weldon W. Geology of the Washington Coast Between Point Grenville and the Hoh River. Olympia, Washington: State of Washington Department of Natural Resources, 1973, p.40
- ^ Destruction Island, WA: Hazardous Materials and Environmental Assessment Report. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
- ^ a b c Destruction Island. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
- ^ a b Destruction Island Lighthouse. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
- ^ a b Hanable, William S. (May 24, 2004). Destruction Island Light shines for the first time on January 1, 1892. HistoryLink.org.
