I miss you Sam!!

I miss you Sam!!
I miss you Sam!!

Monday, December 28, 2009

That's My World -- Blake Island

That's My World is hosted each week by Klaus and the My World team, Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, Louise and myself. Each week people from all over the world share their world with us and it's a wonderful, inexpensive way to see the world! So click on the icon, sign up and share your world with us! Please do read and follow the instructions before signing in!!

My world today is Blake Island. It is a beautiful and interesting place with an interesting history. The history and photos are courtesy of Google and Wikipedia



Blake Island is an island in Washington state in the United States. It lies in the middle of Puget Sound, north of Vashon Island, south of Bainbridge Island and east of Manchester.



Blake Island is a 475 acres (1.9 km2) marine camping park with five miles of saltwater beach shoreline providing unobstructed views of the Olympic Mountains and the Seattle skyline. There is a small marina and limited mooring buoys. The park is only reachable by tour boat or private boat. On the northeast end of the island is Tillicum Village, a showcase for Northwest Coast Indian arts, culture, and food. The island is home to a variety of wildlife, including deer that sometimes swim from the mainland to the island from Manchester.

Tillicum Village





Smoking Salmon at Tillicum Village





Blake Island was used as a camping ground by the Suquamish tribe. In 1786, it was the birthplace of Chief Sealth, for whom the city of Seattle was named. The island was first noted by British explorer George Vancouver in 1792, as part of his exploration of Puget Sound, though it was not named.



In 1841, Lt. Charles Wilkes of the United States Exploring Expedition named it Blake Island for George Smith Blake, the officer in charge of the United States Coast Survey between 1837 and 1848, although it was known locally as Smuggler's Island for some time. In the mid 19th century, the island was logged for its timber.

During the Prohibition, it was frequently used as a refuge for bootleggers smuggling alcohol from Canada.

William Pitt Trimble, a Seattle millionaire, purchased Blake island, and renamed it Trimble Island for a time. By 1917 he and his family lived there in a magnificent estate.

In 1929, the Trimble family's occupation of the island came to an end when William Trimble's wife Cassandra died in an accident in Seattle. After that, the island was abandoned and the house was left to decay. Trimble sold Blake Island to an investment company in 1936, and retired in Seattle.

During World War II, a unit of the Coastal Artillery of the US Army was garrisoned in the Trimble mansion. The mansion burned during this time, leaving only the foundations visible today.

In 1959, the state of Washington made the entire island a State Park.

Blake Island Beach

31 comments:

elvira pajarola said...

Ciao Sylvia........wonderful Pics....but the BRIDGE on the SEA is MAGNIFICIENT.....
If I would write a book.....it could be the title of :

The BRIDGE of SILENCE....?

All my Compliments....this beautiful Picture makes dreaming..!!!
have a happy day!
ciao elvira

Anonymous said...

Mahalo for the beautiful tour, Sylvia!

Anonymous said...

What a place I tell ya. Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos and telling us about Blake Island. Interesting that it was used for bootleggers. Funny I only think of that in the South for some reason. I love the last photo...it just looks so serene and peaceful. Mahalo my friend :)

Photo Cache said...

That's a beautiful place and so rich in history. Glad to know it's a park.

Anonymous said...

Looks like a great spot to get away from it all. Another sparkling jewel in the crown of the Pacific North West!

Rajesh said...

Very beautiful island with an interesting history. I loved the shape of the island. The village too is lovely.

Carver said...

That's so great that it's a state park now. What a beautiful island with such an interesting history. Great post!

My name is Riet said...

What a beautiful place to be. Thank you for the explanations

lazyclick said...

Interesting history and beautiful snaps.

Anonymous said...

hi sylvia.
enjoyed the history of blake island...fascinating one!
here's to a fab 2010!

maryt/theteach said...

Just a beautiful place to visit, Sylvia! Thank you very much for the tour! Happy New Year! :)

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Sylvia: That must be a great place to visit, what neat culture for your area of the world.

Unknown said...

How wonderful that the island is now a state park! It's great when a state realizes it has something like this island that's worth preserving.

Anonymous said...

A beautiful little tour you took us on. I saw such similarities in the Tillicum artwork and that of the Maoris of New Zealand. Happy New Year, Sylvia!

Quilt Works said...

Wonderful photos! Black Island is beautiful, and that pier photo is breath taking.

Thank you for your visits and positive comments, always appreciated!


...see what is in front of my house!

Carolyn Ford said...

You have sold me! I definitely want to visit there on a trip north this summer! How beautiful it is and I love your blog, Ms. Sylvia!

Lew said...

Interesting history and beautiful shots of the island!

VioletSky said...

What a lovely spot for a State Park. And I like the idea of a showcase for Northwest Coast Indian culture.

Eden said...

Hi Sylvia!

Beautiful photos and I enjoyed reading its history. Thank you for taking us there. It's a beautiful place.

Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Island. Seems to have quite an interesting history. I've never been up to that neck of the woods, but it's on the wish list. Happy New Year.

penny said...

Blake Island sure does have an long and interesting history, Sylvia. I think it is of utmost importance to preserve such lands and make them into public parks for the people to enjoy.
Just think where our park system would be without people like John Muir.

Elizabeth Bradley said...

One island I haven't visited. Interesting history, thanks!

Hazel said...

Whoa! look at that shape of the island ... it's like a fat question mark :) I love the Tillicum Village and the Blake Island beach, and all of the shot are really interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

Interesting place to visit & Thanks for sharing the history.
Nice picture.

Wolynski said...

Wow, what a beautiful island - all those quiet, secluded places to be found in the US, if only you know where to find them.

Anonymous said...

I would like to do a kayaking tour through the islands and this would be one of the places I would go to.

magiceye said...

very interesting

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Beautiful!; we have wanted to go to Tillicum Island for years, never seemed to make it on our trips to Seattle area. So many places....

Anonymous said...

Fascinating history. And such a gorgeous island!

Arija said...

I loved the Indian artefacts, we saw some wonderful carvings on Vancouver island as well.
I bet you could sit on the end of that long, long jetty and watch orcas cavorting in the sunset.
A lovely post.

All good wishes for a wonderful New Year ahead.

XOX Arija

storyteller said...

Thanks for the 'virtual' tour ... looks like a place I'd love to visit for real. I've shared a bit of My Seasonal World one last time this week ... just because.
Hugs and blessings,

What Can I Say?

What Can I Say?
I'm interested in almost everything. Use to like to travel, but it's too expensive now. I take Tai Chi classes, swim, volunteer in a Jump-start program for pre-schoolers. I'm an avid reader and like nearly everyone these days I follow politics avidly. I'm a former teacher and Special Projects Coordinator for a Telecommunications company, Assistant to the President of a Japanese silicon wafer manufacturing company. Am now enjoying retirement -- most of the time. I have two daughters, one son-in-law and two sons scattered all over the country. No grandchildren.

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