Disclaimer: This is an encore presentation of this program.
Update: The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the temporary closure of all state-managed parks, wildlife areas, and water-access areas starting Wednesday, March 25.
Accessible only by boat, Stuart Island is one of the hidden treasures of the San Juan Island.
Boaters have two places to tie up. There's Prevost Harbor on the north side of the island, and Reid Harbor to the south. Both have access to Stuart Island Marine State Park; a 433-acre marine camping area with over 33-thousand feet of shoreline to explore.
"It's one of the few places in the San Juan Islands where you can tie up your boat, walk somewhere and when you get there there's something to see," said Bill Berquest, a Stuart Island resident.
Jim and his wife Linda Berquest's are 2 of the 20 or so full-time residents who call the island home. Linda's family has lived on and off Stuart for well over a century.
"My grandmother's brother was a lightkeeper so he came and helped build the lighthouse in 1893," Said Linda Bergquist.
Turn Point Lighthouse was a beacon for ships traveling between the waters of Washington and Canada. Locals like the Berquest's have helped preserve the station for others to enjoy.
"This is the building that housed the lightkeepers and the assistant lightkeeper and their families," said Jim.
Closer to shore, the original keeper's house is now home to pictures and artifacts from Turn Point's past.
"We had a lightkeeper here from 1902 to 1923 and when he came he brought his fancy camera and he took about 2000 pictures and we've been able to access almost all of those pictures. It's a pretty nice little setup."
Another place to see on Stuart is the old one-room schoolhouse built-in 1904.
"It's a library now. It's open to people to read a book if they're on their boat,” Said Loie Benson, another long-time island resident. "The smaller building, that is delightful, that's a museum. We've tried to capture the history of the island."
Stuart may not be as well-known as the other islands in the San Juan’s,
but its history and beauty are as deep as the waters that surround it.
Benson said, "It's our hope that people who come and see the beauty of this island will also have an appreciation of the history of it and all that went into what it is today."
Disclaimer: This is an encore presentation of this program.
Update: The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the temporary closure of all state-managed parks, wildlife areas, and water-access areas starting Wednesday, March 25.
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