 Aerial view of Eliza Island with Lummi Island behind | |
 Interactive map of Eliza Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Salish Sea |
| Coordinates | 48°39′09″N 122°35′06″W / 48.6525°N 122.585°W / 48.6525; -122.585 |
| Area | 170 acres (69 ha) |
| Administration | |
United States | |
| State | Washington |
| County | Whatcom |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 14 (2020) |
| [1][2][3] | |
Eliza Island (Straits Salish: Texwech[4]) is located in the western part of Bellingham Bay in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies just east of the southern part of Lummi Island, in Whatcom County. Eliza Island has a land area of 170 acres (69 ha).[3] Its population was 14 in the 2020 census.[2]
Etymology
The island was named by Charles Wilkes during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838–1842. One of the few names given by Wilkes that does not honor either members of his crew or American naval officers, Eliza possibly refers to Francisco de Eliza, the Spanish commander of a 1791 expedition to the Pacific Northwest.[5] Wilkes may have named the island for his daughter or his sister, both also named Eliza.[6]
The name in Lummi dialect, Texwech, means "shaped like a bow".[4]
Geology
Eliza Island is composed primarily of glacial drift between two bedrock knobs, with a sandbar connecting to a third knob to the west.[3] The knobs are composed of rock from the Lummi Formation, largely metagreywacke.[7]
Access
Eliza Island is only accessible via private charter or plane by its residents.[8]
Eliza Rock
Eliza Rock is a rock off the south end of Eliza Island. It is 0.343 acres (1,390 m2), circular and relatively flat. A navigational aid, called the Eliza Rocks Junction Light, is on the rock. The rock is part of the San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge and is home to pigeon guillemots, harbor seals, black oystercatchers, pelagic cormorants, and Steller sea lions, with young seals and oystercatchers being present on the rock during a survey in 2009.[9]
References
Citations
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Eliza Island
- "Small area estimates program". ofm.wa.gov. Washington State Office of Financial Management. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
Selected islands (county parts)
- Calkin 1959, p. 8.
- Van Miert 2007, p. 2.
- Phillips 1971, p. 44.
- Van Miert 2007, pp. 23–24.
- Lapen, Thomas J. (December 2000), Geologic Map of the Bellingham 1:100,000 Quadrangle, Washington, Olympia, Washington: Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources
- Calkin 1959, p. 1.
- "Rocks, Reefs, and Islands Within San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge" (PDF). United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2021.
Sources
- Calkin, Parker Emerson (1959). The geology of Lummi and Eliza islands, Whatcom County, Washington (MSc thesis). University of British Columbia. doi:10.14288/1.0053033. hdl:2429/40228.
- Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press. LCCN 73159435. OCLC 1036958522. OL 5457114M.
- Van Miert, E. Rosamonde Ellis (2007). Isla de Eliza. Bellingham, Washington: Village Books. OCLC 182632903.