Legend has it that even in the early days, when the peace-loving Lummis inhabited the island, Indians canoed over to the island simply to relax. Gradually, fishing and agriculture have faded away, and tourism has come to dominate the island economy. In 1997, almost 62 percent of the county's labor force worked in tourism-related services and trade sectors. When the ferry Elwha crashed into the Orcas landing dock on Sept. 8, limiting ferry service to a few stops a day, the economy began to implode. Even if repairs on the dock are completed this week as scheduled, September will be a bust.
Indian summer is our second season.
It's where you make the profit to get through the winter. This is really going to hurt. Still, many locals celebrated getting their island back. We have to take care of each other a bit more. Fabulous big city stuff.