Tranquil Blakely Island

Steep hills, forested with evergreens, surround two pristine lakes, Horseshoe Lake and Spencer Lake, nestled in the middle of this private island. Its residents, many of them pilots or skippers, enjoy the convenience of electricity, a general store, a restaurant, and a post office. They travel to and from the mainland by small airplane, private boat, or water taxis. In fact, Blakely Island, the sixth largest island in the San Juan Islands, is the only non-ferry island to maintain a private paved and lighted airstrip for its property owners. The small Blakely Island Marina, on the other hand, allows transient boaters to tie up as guests.

In the center of the above photo is Blakely Head with Mt. Baker beyond. It shelters the marina on Blakely Island’s northern shore located further right. Peavine Pass, the open channel shown, is flanked by Obstruction island at the far left. North of this island, but hidden from view in this picture, is Obstruction Pass. On rare occasions, Washington State ferry captains sail through this scenic passage, allowing passengers to exchange greetings with the surprised islanders ashore.

Charles Wilkes named Blakely Island for Johnston Blakely, a naval commander during the War of 1812, during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838-1842. Native Americans from the Samish tribe established summer villages on the island’s east side to fish, hunt, and gather berries. By the late 19th century, European settlers arrived to homestead, making their living by fishing, farming, and logging. In the photo below, Willow Island, lying offshore of Blakely Island, is part of the San Juan Island National Wildlife Refuge and is off-limits to such activities.

William H. Viereck and (William) Harrison Confelt, both of Orcas Island, built and opened a sawmill in 1879 in Thatcher Bay on the island’s west side. Theodore W. Spencer and later his sons, Ross and Ray, operated the lumber company, once the largest mill north of Seattle, from 1892 to 1942. The island had little timber left standing when the Spencer Mill Company closed. Four years later, in 1946, the Spencer family sold all of their holdings, including the mill property, to Dr. Lloyd W. Hines and his wife, Margaret, who intended to develop the 4900-acre island. The couple sold their interest in the island to Floyd Johnson on March 15, 1957, a Cessna dealership salesman in Portland, Oregon, and the president of the Columbia Aviation Country Club whose efforts helped establish San Juan Aviation and Yachting Estates on the island’s north end.

In 1976, Thomas B. Crowley, Sr. and David Syre, a well-known Northwest developer of the Trillium Company (Bellingham, Washington), acquired the remaining 3,744 upland acres. If you are curious about this complicated saga, I invite you to read JoAnn Roe’s book, Blakely-Island in Time. When the sand settled, Mr. Crowley donated 967 acres to Seattle Pacific University, a private Christian institution, for use as a biological research field station. Jon Parle, a close friend who taught evening classes to engineering students at SPU, attended a faculty retreat in this idyllic spot.

In addition to owning a residence on Blakely Island, the Crowley family operates a worldwide Harbor Ship Assist and Tanker Escort business headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. However, both Crowley Maritime Corporation and Foss Maritime station escort tugs in Anacortes. In July 2014, the Crowley company assisted in the successful removal of the infamous Costa Concordia, after the wrecked Italian cruise ship sat for two and a half years on a reef at Giglio Island near Tuscany.

The following photos were taken in Washington State. (Left photo – Wikimedia Commons)

More, did you know Washington State owns about 80 acres of land set aside on the east side of the island for a potential lighthouse? The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank now holds this property, local Blakely Island resident Lance Douglas informs me.

Speaking of conservation, Armitage Island, a small 7-acre island lying offshore of Blakely Island’s southeastern tip, was donated in 2009 by the Runstad family to the San Juan Preservation Trust. The island’s native wildflower habitat can be seen from aboard Washington State ferries transiting Thatcher Pass.

In recent years, a friend of ours has helped Blakely Island residents upgrade their community water system. And a painter we’ve hired in the past has worked for the owner of a large estate, commuting to work with other building contractors and groundskeepers by water taxi. Needless to say, they enjoyed the serene solitude and park-like atmosphere of Blakely Island.

Thank you for reading!

Blessings,
Deb Garland

Article updated in September 2026