Blind Island State Park

Blind Island State Park
Washington State Park
Country United States
State Washington
County San Juan
Elevation 26 ft (8 m) [1]
Coordinates 48°35′05″N 122°56′13″W / 48.58472°N 122.93694°W / 48.58472; -122.93694Coordinates: 48°35′05″N 122°56′13″W / 48.58472°N 122.93694°W / 48.58472; -122.93694 [1]
Area 3 acres (1 ha)
Established 1970
Management Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Location in the state of Washington
Website: Blind Island State Park

Blind Island State Park is a public recreation area consisting of three-acre (1.2 ha) Blind Island in San Juan County, Washington.[2][3] The island lies off Shaw Island near the entrance to Blind Bay and is part of San Juan Islands National Monument.[4][5] It has about 1,280 feet (390 m) of saltwater shoreline and is part of the Cascadia Marine Trail, with all campsites restricted to visitors arriving in non-motorized watercraft. It became a state park in 1970 under lease from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and is cooperatively managed by the BLM and Washington State Parks.[2][5]

In the early 1900s, a man named John Fox built a small house and storage sheds on Blind Island. Fox was an immigrant from Germany, where he had made his living as a fisherman. After his divorce from Katherine Fox Dickman, he moved to the island where he lived as a fisherman and tilled a small garden spot, evidence of which still remains today. Fox was joined by his son, also named John Fox, after World War I. Fox dug several holes into the rock, evidently to be used as cisterns. The elder Fox is buried on the island. There is a small spring, around which Fox built a concrete retainer that still is in place. The water is unsafe to drink. All buildings were removed in 1972 due to their unsafe conditions.

References

  1. 1 2 "Blind Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. 1 2 "Blind Island State Park". Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Blind Island State Park". Washington Water Trails Association. March 5, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ "San Juan Islands National Monument" (PDF). Bureau of Land Management Spokane District Office. 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Blind Island". Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
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