Friday Harbor, WA to Roche Harbor, WA — INDEPENDENCE CHRONICLES

A sunny and calm short transit through the San Juan Channel brought us to the sweet little Roche Harbor (3NM) at the Northern end of San Juan Island. In the 1800’s many Coast Salish natives and other indigenous cultures lived on the island. The Treaty of Point Elliot in 1855 made the land available to outsiders. First People do now retain certain resource rights. British Marines established themselves here in 1860 after the Pig was shot (see Larry’s commentary in our previous post). The British quarried and processed limestone but after the land dispute was settled in 1872 in favor of the U.S., Roche Harbor was homesteaded by Joseph Ruff, then a series of others. During this time limestone was quarried, delivered by rail to chutes and dropped into the kilns in the harbor (picture below) where it was processed, then bagged/barreled on the wharf and readied for shipment. Eventually, a Tacoma lawyer John S. McMillin purchased the business and land in 1886. McMillin built most of the town we now see; the Hotel de Haro, the church, and much more that didn’t survive. McMillin’s son sold Roche Harbor to the Tarte family in the mid 1950’s. Tarte restored the hotel and warehouse on the wharf and turned the area into the beautiful resort it is now. Currently, Roche Harbor is owned by Komen an Illihe of Seattle, WA. (Info courtesy of Roche Harbor History & Wikipedia)