Sucia Island - Definition

Sucia Island is 2.5 miles north of Orcas Island in San Juan County, Washington state. It is about 2.5 miles in length and just short of a half mile wide. The island is roughly the shape of a boomerang.

Historical Background

The island's name originated with the Spanish Captain Eliza on his map of 1791. He named it "Isla Sucia". Sucia in Spanish means "dirty" or in a nautical sense "foul". This word was chosen because the shore was deemed unclean and reefy.

The isolated coves and bays of Sucia once served the Lummi Indians in their seal hunting days. They later provided excellent hideouts in the 1800s for smugglers of illegal Chinese laborers, as well as for hiding illegally imported wool and opium. Still later, the islands played a large role in rum-running during liquor prohibition of the 1920s and 1930s, and in recent years they have figured in drug-trafficking.

Activities

• camping
• bird watching
• hiking