Flower Island

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  Gopher Baroque (guest)

  In 1930, when Floyd Schmoe (1895-2001) began summer studies at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, he, his wife Ruth, and their children fell in love with tiny Flower Island, located just off Lopez Island's Spencer Spit and easily visible from passing ferries. The island was not on the tax rolls or the assessor's map. A clerk advised the Schmoes that they could occupy it claiming "squatters' rights," and they did so, making it their home for two summers. Flower Island is now part of the San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

  18 years ago | reply | hide comment