| Bellingham Bay | |
|---|---|
  Satellite image of Bellingham Bay | |
  Bellingham Bay  Bellingham Bay  Bellingham Bay | |
| Location | Washington, United States |
| Type | Bay |
| Part of | Salish Sea |
| Settlements | Bellingham, Washington |
Bellingham Bay is a bay of the Salish Sea located in Washington State in the United States. It is separated from the Strait of Georgia on the west by the Lummi Peninsula, Portage Island, and Lummi Island. It is bordered on the east by Bellingham, Washington, to the south-east by the Chuckanut Mountains, and to the south by Samish Bay. The Nooksack River empties into the bay, as does Whatcom Creek.
Bellingham Bay is named for Sir William Bellingham, who was controller of the storekeeper's account for the Royal Navy at the time that the Vancouver Expedition visited the bay in June 1792.[1] The first European entry of the bay was by the Spanish schooner Santa Saturnina under José María Narváez, during the 1791 expedition of Francisco de Eliza. Narváez named it Seno Gaston.[2]
- ^ Hitchman, Robert (1985). Place Names of Washington. Washington State Historical Society. p. 18. ISBN 0-917048-57-1.
- ^ Hayes, Derek (1999). Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest: Maps of exploration and Discovery. Sasquatch Books. p. 72. ISBN 1-57061-215-3.