Samish and Lummi Indians historically occupied Lopez Island prior to the early explorations of Spanish, British and U.S. parties two hundred years ago. Native Americans visited the island from the mainland during the summers to fish for salmon, hunt deer, dig clams and dig the bulb of the blue camas flower. Contact with the early explorers brought smallpox, measles and ague which quickly diminished western Washington's native population by 90 percent.
Briefly charted as Chauncey Island by Captain Charles Wilke's 1841 U.S. expedition, it was quickly renamed Lopez in 1846 by Henry Kellett, a British naval officer, for Gonzola Lopez de Haro, pilot for the 1790 Quimper Expedition.
Many of the first settlers of Lopez were sailors who, dissatisfied with life at sea, jumped ship, hiding among the islands until comfortable that their ships had traveled on. These men often stayed in the islands living with Indian women, starting homes and families.
Discovery of gold just over the Canadian border along the Fraser River in 1857 brought many disappointed California '49ers north by sailing ship to Port Townsend or Victoria. Traveling through the San Juans to the gold rush site, many later returned to the islands to settle permanently.
Settlers traveled throughout the islands by small boat, often rowing across open waters to purchase supplies in Port Townsend or Victoria. They commonly rowed to other islands for dances and social events.
As more land was claimed and cleared, it was discovered that the soil and climate were perfect for growing fruit. Transportation by boat made it easy to get the produce to market and the San Juans became recognized for their Washington apples.
At the turn of the last century, salmon fishing was a major industry in the San Juan Islands. Over I million fish were caught near Richardson in 1901, many by fishtraps, a maze of wire and pilings set along the island shorelines. By 1930 Lopez was established as a farming community with 134 well-kept fanns and the largest proportion of arable land of any of the San Juans. Lopez was called the "Guernsey Island," exporting cream, as well as eggs, poultry, veal, pork, field pea seed, vetch, oats, barley, and wheat.
Today few large farms remain - most have been sold as small acreage or lots. However, the charin of the small island connnunity remains. Lopez is known as the "friendly" island with islanders hanging on to an old custom of waving to each passing car.
Visitors are attracted to Lopez today fbr the same reasons those who first stopped along her shores were - the natural beauty, the serenity and the small island community.
1. CLAPP RANCH HOUSE (1920), originally located on Seattle's Denny Hill. The house was sold intact for $1.00 and barged to Lopez aboutl920.
2. PORT STANLEY COMMUNITY HALL (1889), is a two-story, vertical-sided building which was originally used as a community meeting place with church servicel conducted on the Ist floor and parties and dances held upstairs. Later in its history it was purportedly a "house of ill repute.
3. FRANK P. BAUM HOUSE, CA (1892), In 1892, Baum, an attorney and newspaper man in Friday Harbor, incorporated a post office, general store, and a press to publish his newspaper "The San Juan Graplic" in the house.
4. PUGET SOUND POTASH and KELP FERTILIZER CO. SITE, WWI. All that remains of a large three-story building complex is a cement fuel tank and a deteriorated cook house on the hill. California investors harvested area kelp with the vessel "Harvester King" and extracted potash for explosives during WWI.
5. CHARLES A. SWIFT HOUSE, CA late 1870's. Although very deteriorated, it is representative of the houses of early Lopez homesteaders. Swift came to Lopez in 1862. Swift's Bay carries his name today.
6. PT. STANLEY METHODIST PARSONAGE, 1893. Built in three days by a community building "bee" for minister Wm. Mallory, whowas called the "Kansas Cyclone" due to his energetic preaching style.
7. PT. STANLEY SCHOOL, 1917. Used until about 1940 as one of four regional school, houses on the island.
8. E.H. HUMMEL HOUSE, CA 1883. The house is set back from the roadon a hill overlooking the lake which carries his name today. Hummel designed a treadmill threshing machine and did most of threshing for the smaller Lopez farms.
9. WILLIAM GALLANGER HOUSE, CA 1913. The Gallanger family, who came to Lopez in 1891, raised 10 children on the island.
10. NICK DAVIDSON HOUSE, 1905. Davidson arrived on Lopez Island in the 1890's and, in exchange for labor, acquired Long Island near Richardson. He later traded the island for the property where this house stands.
11. R.W. JESPER HOUSE, CA 1912-1914. Jesper and his son, Hugh, moved to the island from Australia. The house incorporates a unique turreted bay on its north side. Jasper (sp.) Bay bears his name.
12. JOE ENDER HOUSE, 1911. Built to replace a small 1890 cabin. In 1931 the house was moved down the hill by a steam tractor and a team of horses to its present location.
13. JAMES COUSINS FARMSTEAD, 1883. Addition, 1900. The barn, loafing barn, creamery, house, and root building provide an intact image of a San Juan County agricultural farm.
14. ERVING EATON FARMSTEAD, CA 1893-4. Although deteriorated, the property still reveals the siting of a small early century farm.
15. MUD BAY SCHOOL, 1909. The original 1884 log school was located just a few feet south of the presentbuilding. Joe Burt builder, was paid $972 for materials and labor.
16. ASTORIA PUGET SOUND CANNING CO. SITE, 1912-1930's. John Troxell, who owned a number of fishtraps around the San Juans, and Dan Campbell, who owned a cannery at Chuckanut, established docks for loading web, a bunkhouse, cookhouse, a shed for making wire netting, ways to service purse seiners in the winter, field areas for storing fishtrap pilings, and the Troxell house on the peninsula. None of the buildings remain today.
17. ROBERT JONES HOUSE, CA 1906-1907. Jones settled at Richardson in 1887, where he accumulated a great deal of property which he sold in 1906 and returned to England. He returned to Richardson the same year and built the house . Jones Bay carries his name today.
18. Richardson's Landing, 1890. Instrumental in building the first wharf at Richardson and in organizing the construction of the community hall. Together with his stepson, N.P. Hodgson, he owned the Richardson store, established a salmon salting and barreling operation and later built the Salmon Banks Cannery.
19. RICHARDSON HALL, 1895. One of the last remaining landmarks of the Richardson community. Richardson was one of the busiest ports in the San Juan Islands at the turn of the century. The hall was used for church services, Sunday school, school classes, basketball games, and club meetings. It was also popular with fishermen, who gathered there for Friday night dances.
20. RICHARDSON STORE SITE, 1890. The hub of the south end of Lopez, the general store's motto was "If you can't find it, you don't need it." Providing a century Of service to its customers, the store was stocked with everything from oxen yokes to ice cream cones. The business also ran a large salmon cannery west of the store from 1913 to 1921. In 1985 the store was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The building burned down in 1990.
21. JAMES ERNEST DAVIS HOUSE, CA 1913-1914. One of the few large, elegant farmhouses still standing on Lopez. Davis' parents came to the island in 1869. Mrs. Davis was the only white woman on the island at that time. The senior Davis imported cattle from Texas and sold meat to the British Camp on San Juan Island.
22. CENTER SCHOOL (Lopez Grange), 1908. Built as a two-room schoolhouse, it originally had a belitower mounted over the porch. In the 1940's the Grange acquired the building where it continues to hold monthly meetings.
23. JOHN WILSON HOUSE, 1905-1908, and BLACKSMITH SHOP, 1900 (across street). The small, south wing is the original house. The "classic box" main house was added three years later. At the turn of the century the blacksmith shop was a popular gathering place for Saturday night dances which were held upstairs.
24. SAN JUAN COUNTY LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE COMPANY, CA 1912. The building housed switchboards for the local telephone company. Later it was used by the Lopez Home Economic and more recently by the Arts and Crafts Association.
25. R.W. JESPER HOUSE, Cabin 1870's, Additions 1884, 1912. This classic farmhouse was constructed around an original homestead log cabin.
26. HARRY TOWELL HOUSE, 1917-1918. One of the best representations of the "craftsman style" to be found on Lopez Island.
27. CENTER CHURCH, 1887-1889 and UNION CEMETERY, 1884. Built by volunteer labor over 100 years ago, the church has been in continuous use for church services, weddings, funerals, and social gatherings for several denominations.
28. JOSEPH BURT HOUSE, 1908. One of the few examples of the large farmhouses that were built on Lopez Island at the turn of the century. It was moved west in 1979.
29. MODERN WOODMEN OF AMERICA HALL (Lopez Legion Hall), 1900. The Lopez Island Camp, as chapters of the national organization were called, was founded in 1898.
30. GEORGE BOLTON HOUSE, CA 1890-1895. Bolton, a Civil War veteran, moved to Lopez in 1890. His hillside farm included 25 acres of fruit trees. (S. of Galley)
31. LOPEZ SCHOOL (Lopez Library), CA 1894. The building originally served as one of four regional schools until 1941.
32. J.A. PAINE HOUSE, 1901. Paine was a Vermont building contractor and carpenter who moved to Lopez in 1893. His work on the Lopez Congregational Church and on his own home indicate an independent sense of design.
33. LOPEZ CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 1904. The church has seen continuous use since its construction by Lopez builder J.A. Paine.