Harbor Island - Definition and Overview

Harbor Island is a man-made island in the mouth of Seattle, Washington's Duwamish Waterway where it empties into Elliot Bay. Built by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company, Harbor Island was completed in 1909, and at the time was the largest man-made island in the world, at 350 acres (1.4 km²). Since 1912, the island has been used for commercial and industrial activities, including secondary lead smelting, shipbuilding and repair, bulk petroleum storage, metal fabrication, and containerized cargo shipping. Warehouses, laboratories, and other buildings are located on the island. Fishermen use the waters around Harbor Island for shellfishing, crabbing, and fishing.

Harbor Island was made from 24 million yd³ (18 million m³) of earth removed in the Jackson and Dearborn Street regrades and dredged from the bed of the Duwamish River.

Harbor Island lost its title as the world's largest artificial island in 1938 with the completion of Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, at 395 acres (1.60 km²). It regained the title in 1967, at which time its area had increased to nearly 397 acres (1.61 km²), but has been far surpassed in area since; as of 2004 Rokko Island in Kobe harbor in Japan is over 3.5 times larger.

Todd Pacific Shipyards is based on the island, which is also home to some of the Port of Seattle's terminals.