The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-11-28
Origin Of Name
Of Friday Harbor

The BellinRham American Re-
veille. of last Sunday. declares In
large type that "Friday Harbor Wants
to Chanke Its Name" The head u:sd
is not justified BY the tale that is
told beneath it. As . matter of fact
Friday Harbor does not want to
change its name. There is practically
no sentiment here In favor Of such .
proposition and II the question Of .
change to "Corbell. or any other
name, were to be submitted to q
vote 1t is doubtful il 1t would have .
dozen supporters at the polls. Tho
Islander has interviewed q consider
able number of people on the oues-
tion during the week and finds that
public opinion is practically unani-
nous against any change. In its ar
ticle touching upon the question OF
Incorporation. as we'll as name. our
esteemed Bellinaham contemporary
says:
"a pioneer OF San Juan County says
the name Friday Harbor was given By
the Hudson Bay Company. Accord
ing to his version. one of the COM
pany's vessels landed In the bay at
that point and found one Of the COM
panys' sheep herders. Kanska, who
was imported from the Sandwich Is-
lands. az caretaksr of the sheep. Ono
Of the officers on the boa asked the
Kanaka to tell bis name. His reply
was word that sounded like "Fri-
day., and thereupon the ships crew
designated the landing place a. Fri
day Harbor. the name that It has
borne more than fifty years.
While the above story is substan-
TALLY true it is incorrect in some de-
tails. The vessel referred to AZ having
visited the harbor some fifty years
ago was q British Runboat and not .
vessel belonging to the Hudson Bay
The officer in command
asked a Kanaka known as John Fri
day. who was the only man here. the
name of the harbor. John didn't
English very we'll and
thinking that the officer inquired bis
name he told him. Many soundings
along the various island channels
and in the harbors were taken by the
British naval officers and upon the
flrst chart of the archipelago. issued
by the British admiralty. the name
Of Friday Harbor appeared. When
the boundary controversy WAS settled
and county government established,
Friday Harbor was chosen by the pio-
ne ers, at the instance of Captain War
bass, as the county seat. By reason Of
it's central and Convenient location
and fine harbor. Captain Warbass. az
the t1rst auditor of the county. took
Of Federal law which per-
mitted counties to locate and obtain
title to 100 acres of government land
for county seat purposes and filed. In
the name of the county, upon the
quarter section upon which the great
Or part of the town is built. A few
years later his successor as auditor.
Judge Bowman. purchased from the
county commissioners for 500 for
ty acres of the best land including
is now the Nichols addition and
The property along Argyle Avenue,
pay ing for it in installments out OF
his fees az auditor. Capt. Warbass
was incensed at the commissioners for
making the sale and once told tho
writer that was the reason be never
ACQUIRED so much as single lot In
he townsite. although he filed upon
L6O acres of land adjoining it on the
,ast, the greater part of which he re-
aimed up to short time before his
leath, when he sold it to Andrew
yewhall, whose elegant house now
Itands upon the site occupied for q
bird Of century by the historic
,ome of the old pioneer.