Samish Island, Washington facts for kids
Samish Island is a small community located in Skagit County, Washington, United States. It sits on an island with the same name, found off the northwest coast of the Washington mainland. Even though it's called an island, it's actually connected to the mainland. This connection was made possible by building special walls called dikes in the early 1900s.
History of Samish Island
Samish Island gets its name from the Samish people. They are a group of Coast Salish people who have lived in the Pacific Northwest for a very long time. Both the Samish people and another group called the Nuwaha (who were ancestors of the Upper Skagit) used Samish Island as part of their traditional lands.
Native American Names for the Island
The Samish people and other local tribes had special names for different parts of the island.
- The western end of the island was called Xwtl’échqs in the Samish language. In the Lushootseed language, it was called sƛ̕əpqs. Both of these names mean "deepwater point." This tells us that this part of the island was near deep water.
- The eastern end of the island was named A7ts’íqen in Samish and qʷəqʷaliqs in Lushootseed.
- The narrow strip of land connecting these two areas was called bəsbəsič. This name means "thin cords," which describes how narrow that part of the island is.
Connecting the Island to the Mainland
In the late 1800s, the U.S. Navy started a big project. They began building a series of dikes and drainage ditches. Dikes are like walls that hold back water, and drainage ditches help move water away. The goal was to connect Samish Island to the mainland. This important connection was finally finished in the 1930s.
