Can you picture Ship Harbor before people arrived, when the glacial ice had retreated to Canada? Picture sandy tree-lined beaches. Open skies above. Open waters leading to emerald islands beyond. Songbirds and others fly among the reeds, the cattails and willows, the roses and firs, content to find seeds and insects and other simple foods. A heron wades in the harbor, patient in finding foods beneath the shallow bay. Gulls mingle with crows to find detritus and other foods along the wrack line as the tide returns. Above them, an osprey searches for fish beneath the surface. Picture the first peoples arriving here, discovering the waters rich with salmon and shellfish, the forests full of cedar, fields flowering with camas. They built homes along the beach, and plied the waters with dugout canoes, bringing in rich harvests of marine life and more. Children played along the shoreline as the communities grew. Eagles and ravens, otters and others shared the land and seashore. Picture the first European explorers sailing into these waters in the 1790s, finding flourishing communities and abundant natural resources. Picture a hundred years ago, when the shores of Ship Harbor were covered with canneries and docks, piers and pilings, machinery throbbing and humming throughout the day and night as fishing boats brought in salmon and other fish to be canned. Mess halls, bunk houses, carpenter shops and offices filled the backshore. Chinese and tribal workers cleaned and packed the salmon, handling thousands of tin cans made here daily. Railroad tracks circled behind it all, against the hillside. Refrigerators were still a novelty, requiring electricity, so tin cans served to preserve these precious foods. Picture twenty years later, with power lines coming into communities. Most homes exchanged their iceboxes for electric refrigerators, so the demand for canned food began to decline. The canneries of Ship Harbor were dismantled, the pilings and piles of slag the only remaining evidence at the beach. Picture the early 60s. Washington State Ferries built a ferry dock here to better serve the San Juan Islands. The westernmost point became a boat dock and car loading area. The sandy beach begins to return, with wetlands reclaiming lands once covered in canneries, shops, and houses. Picture the late 90s as city parks, tribes, schools and others sought funding to open the harbor to the public. Private developers purchased and then donated the property; together they developed an interpretive trail along the edge of the wetlands, through the former shops and home sites, and along the storied beach of Ship Harbor. Picture last weekend. Sandy tree-lined beaches. Open skies above. Open waters leading to views of emerald islands, enticing and inviting us to explore. Roiling clouds of the morning gave way to blue skies and a warming sun. Hikers come and go along the beach, moms with kids, couples of all ages, families, lovers and the lonely strolling the boardwalk. We sat on the soft sand and let it waft through our fingers and toes. We strolled the length of the beach, turning inland at the westernmost boardwalk. The cattails were silent in the afternoon sun, the wildlife waiting for the cool of the evening. The forests too were silent. I returned near sunset time. Again, it is quiet. There are hikers, some as couples, some alone, some waiting for a ferry, some just out for a walk, everyone enjoying the pleasant late-August warmth of this evening. Purple martins fly about their houses built on the ancient pilings. A heron wades in the harbor. Gulls mingle with crows to find detritus and other foods along the wrack line as the tide returns. And above them, an osprey searches for fish beneath the surface. The calm harbor waters lap at our feet. Ferries come and go, taking their riders to the emerald islands, while we walk, and watch, and remember, and dream. jack To better see the word pictures I suggest above, watch this 2:40 minute video illustrating the centuries of stories at Ship Harbor. https://youtu.be/9fBmUivrxJc Directions: From Anacortes take 12th Street west, which becomes Oakes Avenue. At the roundabout a half mile before the Washington State Ferries exit, turn right on Ship Harbor Boulevard, and then left at the "T" on Edwards Way. Follow it down to the water's edge.
By Bus: Take Skagit Transit 410 from Anacortes to the Washington State Ferry Terminal. Trails lead from the car-parking waiting area to the beach, which is the west end of Ship Harbor Trail. By Bike: The 12th Avenue/Oakes Avenue route has a lot of 30-mph traffic, but a good bike lane from "D" Avenue west. The road is gently rolling except for the last steep drop to the beach on Edwards Way. Mobility: The beach is very soft sand. The trail just above the beach is wide and finely graveled or a solid boardwalk, with one 100-foot slope at the very beginning to get down to the beach level. There is no ADA access from the ferry parking area.
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Maribeth Crandell has been a hiking guide in the Pacific NW for over 20 years. She's lived on Whidbey and Fidalgo Island for decades. As a frequent bus rider she easily makes connections between trails and transit. Archives by date
May 2024
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