Historical Photos of Samish Island

1964 aerial shot of Samish Island.

Clockwise: at the furthest point is Point William, the low neck of the island, north beach (long straight beach), Fish Point, Scott Point, Alice Bay/Scott Road, the diked-in farmlands & Samish Island Road, the filbert farm area, the curve back to the neck, and Camp Kirby spit.

The location of the Samish Tribal Longhouse along Alice Bay, in the Jeffcott history.

The longhouse was reputed to be over 600 feet in length, but sources vary.

The Atlanta Home Hotel existed from 1883 to 1933.

Its location was a few hundred feet west of the intersection of Seacrest Lane and Samish Island Road, according to residents who uncovered dishes & silver from the hotel when they were building homes in that area.  The hotel was destroyed by fire in 1933.

The Samish Island Post Ground Observer Corps, 1957.

Its location: at Vicmar Drive & Samish Island Road intersection.

Harry Samish (xwuhl-xwhal-tun) was a wealthy and influential Samish tribal fisherman, who owned reef-net sites on south Lopez Island.

He is buried on Samish Island.  His descendants live throughout coastal Skagit County, as members of the Samish and Swinomish Tribes.

The tombstone on Scott Point says “Harry Samish. Died June 6, 1899.  Age Unknown.” The tribal graveyard is maintained by the tribe on Camp Samish grounds.

Chuckanut Drive Photos, from the University of Washington Digital Collections –

Samish Island Aerial Photos from the Department of Ecology – Shore Lines Viewer.

Washington State Department of Ecology acquired oblique aerial photography of the state’s entire 2,500 miles of marine shoreline, to provide a valuable educational monitoring tool for coastal managers and the public.

1887 Map of Samish Island, showing the slough that made Samish an Island.

Diking happened during the 1930s and Samish Island Road was built over the dike to the island.