Clark Island (Washington)

For other uses, see Clark Island.

Clark Island Marine State Park
Clark Island (right) and Barnes Island (left) viewed from Mount Constitution
Map showing the location of Clark Island Marine State Park
Map showing the location of Clark Island Marine State Park
Location in the state of Washington
Map showing the location of Clark Island Marine State Park
Map showing the location of Clark Island Marine State Park
Clark Island (Washington) (the United States)
LocationSan Juan County, Washington, United States
Coordinates48°42′05″N 122°45′52″W / 48.70139°N 122.76444°W / 48.70139; -122.76444[1]
Area55 acres (22 ha)
Elevation95 ft (29 m)[1]
DesignationWashington marine state park
Established1964[2]
AdministratorWashington State Parks and Recreation Commission
WebsiteClark Island Marine State Park

Clark Island is an island in the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest, located near Barnes Island off the northeast coast of Orcas Island. It is part of the U.S. state of Washington. Clark Island Marine State Park, which encompasses the entire 55-acre (22 ha) island,[3] has two picnicking sites, 15 primitive campsites, and nine mooring buoys.[4]

The name was given by Charles Wilkes during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838-1842, in honor of John Clark, a midshipman who was killed during the Battle of Lake Erie of the War of 1812. The island, along with nearby Barnes Island, had been named Islas de Aquays in 1792, by the Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza, in honor of Eliza's patron, the Viceroy of Mexico, Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo.[5]

Washington State Parks acquired Clark Island from the Bureau of Land Management in 1964 for $137.63.[6]

  1. ^ a b "Clark Island State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference inventory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Douglass, Don; Réanne Hemingway-Douglass (2003). Exploring the San Juan and Gulf Islands (2 ed.). p. 66. ISBN 1-932310-00-2.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference wasp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-95158-3.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference management was invoked but never defined (see the help page).