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30-498: Washington State Ferries serves Friday Harbor , which is San Juan Island's major population center, the San Juan County seat , and the only incorporated town in the islands. The name "San Juan" originates from the 1791 expedition of Francisco de Eliza , who named the archipelago Isla y Archipiélago de San Juan to honor his patron sponsor, Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo . One of

60-548: A Species of Concern in 2004. In 2015, San Juan Island became a protected location under The Antiquities Act . On March 25 of that year, former President Barack Obama included San Juan Island and approximately 75 other sites located in the Salish Sea into the San Juan Islands National Monument . Lime Kiln Park is so named because it housed a lime kiln and is home to the historic Lime Kiln Light . Camping

90-590: A hospital, the Peace Health Peace Island Medical Center. Transportation to the Island is by boat, Washington State Ferries , seaplane, or by conventional aircraft. If traveling by seaplane, Friday Harbor is serviced by Northwest Seaplanes and Kenmore Air , both longtime operators in the area. The Friday Harbor Airport terminal is 1.3 miles from the Ferry Landing. Outside of Friday Harbor ,

120-484: A marine research lab and campus outside Friday Harbor. The campus has been extant since 1909 and has dormitories, a food service, and classrooms for holding lectures. The waters surrounding San Juan Island are home to a variety of species including red sea urchins and pinto abalone . Though no commercial fishing of abalone has ever been allowed in this area, recreational fishing of abalone was outlawed in 1994. The National Marine Fisheries Service listed pinto abalone as

150-400: A stone lookout with picnic tables. The park was the site of lime kilns beginning in 1860, and one kiln has been restored as a public exhibit. The park provides opportunities for picnicking, hiking, beachcombing, orca watching, and tours of the still operational Lime Kiln Light . An interpretive center has displays and activities about orcas and the area's former lime kiln industry. The park

180-517: Is MV  Wenatchee , which will be converted from 2023 to 2024. The program was originally expected to begin in 2022 with a new boat constructed by Vigor Industrial , but cost overruns and disagreements led to delays. Vigor had been the sole shipbuilder for Washington State Ferries since 1997. Bids for the hybrid-electric ferries, which will carry 164 vehicles and 1,500 passengers, were opened to non-Washingtonian shipbuilders in 2024 with invitations sent to 15 interested companies. As of 2023 , 9 of

210-501: Is a 42-acre Washington state park on the western shore of San Juan Island in the San Juan archipelago . The park is considered one of the best places in the world to view wild orcas from a land-based facility. Due to the unique bathymetric properties of the site, visitors on the shore can be within 20 feet of whales jumping out of the water ( breaching and spyhopping ). It houses one of Friday Harbor 's two lighthouses along with

240-482: Is also available around the island. There are a few small, family-run aquaculture farms in the San Juan Islands including Westcott Bay Shellfish Co, where visitors can buy oysters, clams, and mussels and see shellfish farming operations. Whale watching and night-time bioluminescence tours depart from Friday Harbor. Washington State Ferries Washington State Ferries ( WSF ) is a public ferry system in

270-521: Is the largest ferry system in the United States and the second-largest vehicular ferry system in the world behind BC Ferries . The state ferries carried an average of 59,900 per weekday in the third quarter of 2024. The ferry system has its origins in the " mosquito fleet ", a collection of small steamer lines serving the Puget Sound area during the later part of the nineteenth century and early part of

300-645: The Salish Sea in Western Washington . The busiest route is the Seattle–Bainbridge Island ferry , which carried 4.8 million total riders in 2023; the Mukilteo–Clinton ferry carried 2.1 million total vehicles in 2023, the most of any route. In 2022, Washington State Ferries had an operating budget of $ 282.5 million and spent approximately $ 16.47 per passenger trip. The system has over 1,500 employees, but had had crew shortages in

330-553: The San Juan Island School District #149 . It operates four schools: Friday Harbor Elementary School, Friday Harbor Middle School, Friday Harbor High School, Griffin Bay Schools (alternative high school, parent-partner home school program, online courses, and virtual school), and Stuart Island School (K-8). There are also two privately operated schools. The University of Washington runs Friday Harbor Laboratories ,

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360-676: The U.S. state of Washington . It is a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and operates 10 routes serving 20 terminals within Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands . The routes are designated as part of the state highway system . WSF maintains a fleet of 21 vessels that are able to carry passengers and vehicles. The ferry system carried a total of 18.66 million riders in 2023—9.69 million passengers and 8.97 million vehicles. WSF

390-561: The 2000s, WSF has sold its passenger-only ferries to other operators. Below is a list of ferries that WSF has retired since 1951. Unless otherwise noted, all vessels introduced in 1951 were acquired from the Puget Sound Navigation Company (PSN), also known as the Black Ball Line, when the state took over the company's routes and ferryboats in Puget Sound. Lime Kiln Point State Park Lime Kiln Point State Park

420-679: The 20th century. By the beginning of the 1930s, two lines remained: the Puget Sound Navigation Company (known as the Black Ball Line ) and the Kitsap County Transportation Company . A strike in 1935 caused the KCTC to close, leaving only the Black Ball Line. Toward the end of the 1940s, the Black Ball Line wanted to increase its fares, to compensate for increased wage demands from the ferry workers' unions , but

450-633: The 21 active ferries maintained by Washington State Ferries are considered to be in good condition. Cancellation of sailings due to mechanical problems and urgent maintenance increased in the 2010s and 2020s. The ferry fleet consists of the following vessels: capacity capacity 1,090 International Since the beginning of state-run ferry service in 1951, WSF has retired many vessels as they have become older, too expensive to operate or maintain, or have become too small to provide adequate ferry service. WSF owned passenger-only vessels between 1985 and 2009, but after discontinuing its two passenger-only routes in

480-611: The HBC decided to give up the sheep farm due to disruption of HBC sheep by Americans, the subsequent demoralization of HBC employees, and lack of British government support. In 1862, Chief Trader Charles John Griffin left the island and leased the Belle Vue Sheep Farm to Robert Firth, a shepherd, from 1864 to 1873. The dispute was finally resolved in favor of the Americans in 1872. The 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic swept through

510-447: The WSF fleet that serve Puget Sound. The largest vessels in this fleet carry up to 2500 passengers and 202 vehicles. They are painted in a distinctive white and green trim paint scheme, and feature double-ended open vehicle decks and bridges at each end so that they do not need to turn around. Most of the ferries feature an outdoor deck with two "pickleforks" where passengers board and disembark

540-404: The early 2020s that have led to sailing cancellations and deferred maintenance. Onboard food service, primarily through the ship galley and vending machines , is operated by contractor Sodexo Live . The agency allows weddings and other celebrations to take place on board ferries, as well as the scattering of cremated remains with advance reservations. As of 2020 , there are 21 ferries in

570-503: The first permanent, non-native settlement on the island on December 13, 1853, in order to create a sheep farm. The Belle Vue Sheep Farm, set up by Chief Factor and Governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island, James Douglas , was intended to assert British sovereignty over the disputed San Juan Islands. Both the British and Americans asserted control of the island. A small force of American soldiers

600-498: The island to avoid publicity and to seek some peace and quiet. A pair of landmarks, the old English and American Camps, are at opposite ends of the island, which together comprise the San Juan Island National Historical Park , which commemorates the 1859 Pig War. Interpretive centers and reconstructed buildings, formal gardens, etc. recall the history of early European settlement in the area. The Island has

630-618: The officers under Eliza's command, Gonzalo López de Haro , was the first European to discover San Juan Island. During the Wilkes Expedition, American explorer Charles Wilkes renamed the island Rodgers Island ; the Spanish name remained on British nautical charts and over time became the island's official name. The island saw seasonal use for salmon fishing. The island was also occupied by Native Americans, many of whom arrived seasonally for fishing. The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) established

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660-574: The only major commercial establishment resort is the village of Roche Harbor , located on the northwest side of the island. San Juan Island has a number of weekly newspapers and two online daily news sites: the San Juan Islander and the Island Guardian. The Island is dotted with numerous farms, and is a tourist-driven economy. The island hosts two substantial marinas, one in Friday Harbor,

690-664: The other in Roche Harbor. Both count tall ships and large yachts as frequent visitors. It has several attractions including The Whale Museum; a contemporary Art Museum building completed in 2015; the San Juan Community Theatre; the Sculpture Park (near Roche Harbor); the San Juan Historical Museum; and Lime Kiln Point State Park where visitors can watch orca pods swim by. Public schools are operated by

720-504: The region, killing large numbers of indigenous people. Smallpox Bay , on the west side of San Juan Island, was named for victims of this epidemic. San Juan Island is considered a "small town" community, in that it is relatively quiet rural living with few distractions or incidents aside from tourism. One notable resident would be Lisa "Ivory" Moretti , a retired female professional wrestler of World Wrestling Entertainment fame. In addition, many Hollywood stars and celebrities spend time on

750-417: The state refused to allow this, and so the Black Ball Line shut down. In 1951, the state bought nearly all of Black Ball's ferry assets for $ 5 million (Black Ball retained five vessels of its fleet). The state government intended to run ferry service only until cross-sound bridges could be built, but these were never approved and left the ferries as the only means of crossing for vehicles. The new system

780-610: The system; the Sidney route is not expected to re-enter service until 2030. Staffing issues, particularly among ship captains and mates, continue to prevent the full restoration of service on the Seattle–Bremerton and Fauntleroy–Vashon–Southworth routes. As mitigation for the delay in restoring the Seattle–Bremerton run's second vessel, WSF funded additional trips on the parallel Kitsap Fast Ferries that serves both terminals. WSF has 10 routes that serve 20 terminals in Puget Sound and

810-539: The vessel. The fleet uses diesel fuel to power its engines and is the largest consumer of diesel fuel in the state government at 19 million gallons used annually prior to 2020; WSF plans to electrify its fleet over 20 years. By 2040, it intends to build 16 new hybrid-electric vessels and convert six others to have hybrid propulsion. This will reduce carbon emissions by up 180,000 tons annually and save $ 19 million per year in diesel fuel costs. The first vessel to undergo conversion to use hybrid-electric propulsion

840-729: Was launched in June 1974 to replace a privately-run service that had lost its franchise. During the COVID-19 pandemic , WSF reduced service on most routes and suspended trips to Sidney on the Anacortes–San Juan Islands route . The loss of workers who retired, transferred, or were fired during the pandemic caused delays and trip cancellations as service and ridership began to recover in 2021 and 2022, while vessel replacement also ran behind schedule. By early 2023, full levels of service were restored on four routes but remained limited across much of

870-580: Was operated by the Washington State Toll Bridge Authority , which ordered ten new vessels that could carry 60 to 100 vehicles. A set of revenue bonds were also issued to purchase the 16 vessels and 20 terminals of the Puget Sound Navigational Company for a total of $ 4.94 million. The ten initial routes were reduced to eight by the end of the year. A route between Port Townsend and Keystone on Whidbey Island

900-464: Was sent to the island over concern for this issue and with Native American raids on American settlers. The territorial dispute over this island and the rest of the San Juan Islands heightened when an American settler shot an HBC pig, starting the Pig War in 1859. By November 1859, an agreement was reached for a joint British–American control of the island until the matter was resolved by negotiation. In 1861,

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