Shaw Island

Not to be confused with Shaw Islands.

Shaw

File:Shaw Island locator map.svg Location of Shaw Island in the San Juans
Shaw Island (Washington)
Geography
Location	Pacific Northwest
Coordinates
Archipelago	San Juan Islands
Area
Country
United States
State	Washington
County	San Juan County
Demographics
Population	240 (as of 2010)

File:Shaw Island.jpg

Most of the southern half of Shaw Island (looking to the east), with the much smaller Canoe Island immediately past it, then Lopez Island most prominent in the background

File:Shaw Landing.jpg

The ferry dock at Blind Bay. This terminal has a native Orca petroglyph carving sign unlike the other San Juans with the generic island name signs

File:Old Shaw School.jpg

The first Shaw school located on Reef Net Point adjacent Shaw Island County Park

File:Old Shaw Signs.jpg

The trademark road signs

File:Little Red Schoolhouse.jpg

Historic "little red schoolhouse"

Shaw Island is the smallest of the four San Juan Islands served by the Washington State Ferries. The island has a land area of 19.952 km² (7.7037 sq mi) and a small year-round population of 240 (2010 census). Summer time weekends swell with other residents and the occasional tourist. The Wilkes Expedition, in 1841, named the island after John Shaw, a United States Naval Officer.

Amenities, roads and public facilities

Shaw Island has a County park, a historic general store, and a post office at the ferry landing. A library and museum are located near the middle of the island.

The University of Washington also owns property throughout the island, notably the Cedar Rock Reserve on the south side of the island. The stated vision for these properties are "to maintain and restore native biodiversity and ecosystem function and to facilitate education and research that is consistent with these goals" and "to maintain important parts of the cultural landscape."

Shoreline access is best at the Shaw County Park. There are 11.5 miles (18.5 km) of asphalt and 2.37 miles (3.81 km) of gravel public roads on Shaw. The primary roads are three loops in the interior of the island, with branches to the ferry dock, Shaw Island County Park, Neck Point, and Broken Point.

Nuns

There are two Catholic religious institutes of nuns on Shaw Island. Benedictine nuns established a monastery on 150 acres in the 1970s; while the Sisters of Mercy have owned an unofficial retreat on the island since the 1980s. Nuns of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist run the island's only store and the ferry terminal for more than 3 decades.

Historical structures

Shaw Island has an operational historic one-room school (although a second room was later added), with classes for elementary and middle school students. Known as the Little Red Schoolhouse, it has been in continuous use since it was built in 1890 and is the longest- running school in the state of Washington. The building is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Shaw Island also has a small library and historical museum.

Popular culture

Shaw Island was featured during the fifth season episode "Access" of the political drama The West Wing as the site of a standoff between terrorist suspects and the US government, similar to the Waco, Texas Branch Davidian standoff.

External links

• Official Guide to the San Juan Islands
• Non-profit island improvement organization
• Facts and pictures (pre-sale-of-store)
• Franciscan Sisters' Shaw Island page (pre-sale-of-store)