Spieden Island is a privately owned island in the

San Juan Archipelago The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. It has a land area of and no permanent resident population as of the 2000 census, although several structures are present on various parts of the island. The island was purchased by James Jannard, founder and major shareholder of Oakley, Inc. in 1997 through a shell company and is still owned by him as of 2019.

Geography

Approximately two miles long and 1/2 mile across at its widest point, it is less than a mile north of

San Juan Island San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington, United States. It has a land area of 142.59 km2 (55.053 sq mi) and a population of 6,822 as of the 2000 census. Washington State Fe ...

, across the Spieden Channel. The highest point of the island is approximately 374 feet above sea level. The north side is heavily forested but the south side is largely barren. The south side features many glacial erratics, large boulders deposited by glacial activity in the past.

History

Spieden Island was named by

Charles Wilkes Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship's captain, and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842). During the American Civil War (1861–1865), he commanded ' during the ...

during the

Wilkes Expedition The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...

of 1838–1842, to honor William Spieden, the

purser A purser is the person on a ship principally responsible for the handling of money on board. On modern merchant ships, the purser is the officer responsible for all administration (including the ship's cargo and passenger manifests) and supply. ...

of the expedition's ''

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...

''. In the 1970s and 1980s the island was used for big game hunting; non-native game animals such as

Mouflon sheep The mouflon (''Ovis gmelini'') is a wild sheep native to Cyprus, the Caspian region from eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. It is thought to be the ancestor of all modern domestic sheep breeds. Taxonomy ''Ovis gmelini'' was the sc ...

from Corsica,

fallow deer ''Dama'' is a genus of deer in the subfamily Cervinae, commonly referred to as fallow deer. Name The name fallow is derived from the deer's pale brown colour. The Latin word ''dāma'' or ''damma'', used for roe deer, gazelles, and antelopes ...

from Europe, and

Sika deer The sika deer (''Cervus nippon''), also known as the Northern spotted deer or the Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to other parts of the world. Previously found from northern Vietnam in the south to ...

from

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

– along with approximately 2,000 exotic birds such as african guinea fowl – were brought to the island. A hunting lodge, airstrip, and small hangar were built to accommodate visitors. The venture was short-lived, however, partially due to environmental concerns and also due to the risk of errant shots reaching nearby

, which is relatively populated. The imported species continue to survive on the island. The Island Institute, an environmental education camp run by Jane Howard, was once located on the island. It is no longer in operation.

Notes

Spieden Island: Blocks 4001 and 4002, Census Tract 9603, San Juan County, Washington
United States Census Bureau San Juan Islands Uninhabited islands of Washington (state) Private islands of Washington (state) {{SanJuanCountyWA-geo-stub