The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1912-01-05
Among The Beautiful
San Juan Islands

Lying before us is delightfully."-
bright specia Christmas number Of
the Argus, a Seattle publication.
All its contents are OF the very high
est order. The writing is all done
by conservative men Of the widest
experience in the line Of their sub
jects and everyone of them too
honorable to shade his work by the
slightest misrepresentation. The
illustrations are the product Of the
most skillful artists, including j. A.
Mccormick, yet with all this talent
the whole glorious truth cannot be
presented. We notice the significant
fact that with a sin lc exception,
the work is confined to the immediate
locality of Seattle. The exception
is compliment to the beautiful San
Juan islands, concerning which MIR.
! Robert Moran. who owns 5000 acres
of land and lakes and running
brooks at Rosario, on Orcas island.
and is spending thousands of dollars
in improvements thereon, gives his
ideas. as follows;
with the completion of the Pan
anna Canal. which will make US
quickly accessible. by water, from
tn. entire Atlantic Coast, Puget
Sound should become the great sum-
mer resort and yachting center of
the Pacific Coast, for reason that
there is no other place that com
bines all the advantages Of land ).
water and climate, to such a marked
degree, as does the Puget Sound
Country, covering period Of six
months of the Spring, Summer and
Fall season.
Nowhere in the world will be
found a summer climate and recre-
alton ground to equal the San Juan
Islands; that beautiful archipelago
situated in the center of that grand
inland sea. formed by the Straits
lof Juan De Fuca. the CanaA De
Haro, Rosario Straits and the Gulf
of Georgia. This group of islands,
about fifty in number is located an
average distance of fifteen miles
from the mainland cf the United
States and about the same distance
from the coast of Vancouver Island
and British Columbia. There ar e
three prime pali stands in the group
of the following area: San Juan,
ffty-two square miles; Orcas, fifty
one square miles; Lopez, forty
square miles.
The snow capped mountains of
vancouver Island, the Cascade and
Olympic Mountains practically sur
round these islands. Mount Consti-
tuition, the highest one in the Puget
Sound basin. rises from Orcas Island
to an elevation of tweaty-four hum
dred feet above sea lev4 from the
! tip of which is unfolded the grand
est panoramic sea and land view
that there is on this continent
The islands are all wooded to the
waters edge. The soil is most pro-
duct:ve, particularly for fruit and
berries. The waters surrounding
and through the islands are deep
with almost innumerable harbors
and beautiful beaches.
| When / say that crops are raised
without irrigation, it Y ill indicate
that the precipitation for spring,
summer and fall months is about
right. The temperature for the
same months covering period of
the past six years is as follows:
Year 1911. Maximum tempera-
turc-April, 65; May, 68;; June. 20;
July, 81; August, rs; Sept, Il.
Minimum temperature = April, !,
80; May. 40; June, 40; July, 45;
August, AZ; Sept, 40.
Precipitation in inches - April,
1.88; May, $40; June, 80; July,
40; August lit: Sept. 3.13.
Clear days April, z; May, 10;
June. IA; July, 10; August, 17;
Sept, 10.
Cloudy days April, Il; May, g.:
June, 2; July. 5; August. 4; Sept,
IL.
Part cloudy April. n; May. IL;
June June. u =; July Z; August 10;
(Omitting the figures for the 9th
er five years, we assure our readers
that the variations are scarcely no.
ticeable. Ed.
This can be taken as absolutely
reliable as it has been recorded for
twenty years OF more by Meteorolo-
gists Willis, Of Olga, Orcas island.
This gives 4 combination Of sea.
Hand and climate that cannot be du-
plicated ia the world and, to my
mind, is one Of our greatest assets.
am we'll acquainted with the en-
! tire Atlantic coast and there IS no
j4h;rnr that oras1rnnrhns = fha@R north