Mount Constitution

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View of Mount Baker from the summit of Mount Constitution
View of Mount Baker from the summit of Mount Constitution

Mount Constitution is a 2,409 foot high (734 m) mountain on Orcas Island. It is the highest point on any of the San Juan Islands. At the summit there stands a stone observation tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936. The tower offers panoramic views of the surrounding islands, the Cascade Mountains and a variety of Canadian and American cities. On a clear day, the view encompasses locations as diverse as Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, Vancouver, Saturna Island and Victoria, British Columbia. Mt. Constitution is within the 17 km² (5,000 acre) Moran State Park.

Mount Constitution was named by Charles Wilkes during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838-1842. Wilkes' named Orcas Island "Hull Island", after Commodore Isaac Hull, the commander of the USS Constitution, who won fame after capturing the British warship Guerriere in the War of 1812. Like many of the names Wilkes' gave, the name "Hull" was replaced with "Orcas" by Henry Kellett in 1847 while reorganizing the British Admiralty charts.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-95158-3.