Community Life

History of Camano Island

Camano Island was created when the Vashon Glacier sliced through the area about 12,000 years ago. Early animals included deer, wolves, black bears, quail, ducks, elk, coastal sea otters, and beavers. Earliest in habitants of Camano Island were the Kikalos and Snohomish Indians, who used the island for a summer dwelling while gathering seafood and berries.

In the 1700s, Europeans mapped and named many placed. The island was named for Jacinto Camano, a Spanish explorer. Captain George Vancouver sailed “Discovery” in northern Puget Sound in 1792 and charted the shoreline. Farmers like Isaac Ebey, who arrived in 1850, introduced potatoes and oats, pigs, and cattle. European settlers came to the island in 1855 and began extensive logging operations. Utsalady was the site of a lumber mill and active nineteenth century shipbuilding.

In modern times, Camano Island has become a peaceful residential community with no heavy industry.