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The History of Whidbey Island,
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In late May of 1792, with both ships anchored near what is now the city of Mukilteo, Whidbey took a small group of crew members, and explored two northern openings. The first opening was the passage separating Camano Island from the mainland, which became known as Port Susan. The second opening, named Saratoga Passage, was found to run between Camano and Whidbey Islands. Little did they know they were writing the history of Whidbey Island as they explored.
Captain Vancouver had given the landing party orders to avoid contact with large groups of the local indians. Attempting to follow these orders, the party did not land on the mainland, but instead crossed over to Camano Island. Despite their efforts, they were still welcomed by a large group of indians. The indians were seen up and down the beach, with several groups of canoes paddling towards them. The crew was greeted in a friendly manner, and the group explored further the next day.
Heading up Saratoga Passage for another eight to ten miles, the party landed on what is now Whidbey Island. Again, the indians welcomed the visitors, and offered food and water to the explorers. The indians appeared to have not seen europeans before, although they had some artifacts of european origin. It was assumed that the indians must have traded for these items, with other indians in the area.
One of the small boats ran aground, and the local chief organized some of his people to help Whidbey's crew push it back into the water. The explorer laden boats then continued up Saratoga Passage. Upon reaching the northernmost end of the passage, Whidbey and crew headed east and to explore present day Skagit Bay. Navigating the boats proved difficult in the bay, due to currents and tide, so the passage between Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands remained undiscovered.
After leaving Skagit Bay, the group returned to Whidbey Island, and met more friendly local indians. This time they landed at the area known as Penn Cove. As they explored, numerous small deserted villages were discovered, as well as groups of burial sites. This was due to the fact that the locals were dealing with repeated outbreaks of small pox.
Whidbey and the crew members returned to the ships on June 2, 1792. The ships sailed north along the west side of the island, which is now known as West Beach, until reaching the northern tip of the island. It is now June 7, and Whidbey and some crew again set out to explore once more. This time they are focusing on an eastern running inlet. The inlet was found to be a very narrow passage, with very swift currents, and numbers of large rocks just above and below the surface of the water. As they cautiously navigated the passage, they were shocked and amazed to find it led into Skagit Bay, where they had been exploring a week before. This was a very important moment in the history of Whidbey Island.
This caused both Captain Vancouver, and Master Whidbey, to determine that they had been sailing around an island, not a peninsula as they had all previously thought. Both had felt that the island had tricked them, and for this reason the inlet was named Deception Passage.
Today we islanders know it simply as "Deception Pass", or "The Pass". Due to the fact that it was Whidbey's exploring that determined it was an island, Vancouver named the land Whidbey Island, and the name has remained since that day.
History of Whidbey Island: Chapter 2
The next "visitor" to the island, Father Francis N. Blanchet, came to Whidbey Island in late May, 1840. Father Blanchet was invited to the island by the Chief Tslalakum, to perform religious services for his tribe.
As the services began, several other small groups of indians showed up, and joined in the service. It was apparent that the indians had received some religious training before, as some were able to join in the singing of hymns in their native tongue of Chinook.
Father Francis remained on the island for 11 months. He is credited with 218 baptisms, and the founding of a "mission" on the island. The indians had constructed and raised a 24 foot tall cross, in tribute to Father Francis. It is said that the cross stood in that same spot until the 1900s, when it was removed by a new settler, to provide material for a fence. Sometime later, the remains of the cross were gathered and are now in one of the blockhouses on Front Street, in Coupeville.
History of Whidbey Island: Chapter 3
Then, in 1848, the first settler on the island, Thomas Glasgow arrived. He staked a property claim just outside present day Coupeville, and began planting crops. Shortly after the planting though, one group of local indians, the Skagits, began issuing threats, and Glasgow left the island, fearing for his life.
Two years later, in 1850, Thomas Ebey decided to try settling on the island. This would became another important milestone in the history of Whidbey Island. He elected to claim the same land abandoned by Glasgow. Then thirty days later, a group of three men also took up claims on the prairie area. In 1851, Mrs. Ebey arrived with her children, and another family as well. Each year a few more settlers showed up, most of them settling in the prairie area as well. By 1856, the settlers had a community of seven "block houses", which were arranged in such a fashion to provide some protection for the women and children during attacks from the Haidah indians.
It was natural that Ebey became a "leader" of the new settlers. He believed strongly in public service, and was always ready to offer assistance to others in trouble.
Thomas Coupe, the sea captain, staked a claim in Penn Cove and built his home. Soon after his construction was finished, others began claiming property, and the town of Coupeville was founded. Coupe is also noted as the only captain in history to sail a fully rigged ship through Deception Pass.
As more and more settlers came to the island, the indians grew alarmed of this "white invasion" into their hunting grounds, and ancestral burial sites. Some of the Skagits wanted to kill all the white settlers before their numbers grew any further. But Snaklum, a prominent Skagit chief, argued that the settlers offered some protection from the Haidah indians. If they eliminated the settlers, they would have to stand alone against the Haidahs, who were fierce in battle.
By 1857, Ebey had become the most prominent settler on the island. He was not only a farmer, but also the postmaster for the city of Port Townsend. Since there was no ferry service at the time, he would row a small boat back and forth across the inlet every day.
On August 11, 1857, Ebey was murdered by a group of Haidah indians who had traveled from Canada. They were looking for revenge of the death of a Haidah chief, killed in Port Gamble. Apparently, the indians knocked on his door, and when he opened it to answer, he was shot. Ebey then staggered outside where he was killed and beheaded. The killers then left, taking Ebey's head with them. Luckily, the head was recovered in Canada almost two years later, at which time it was buried with his remains. A memorial now stands on that spot on the family farm. Ebey's remains were later moved to the Sunnyside Cemetery, just outside of Coupeville.
By the 1870's several small, but prosperous communities had become established. Local food and services were cheap, but items that had to be imported from the mainland were very expensive. Records show that tea could cost a dollar per pound, and a barrel of flour could go for eight dollars. Pretty pricey for the time, especially when you consider that a goose could be had for 50 cents, and beef ran from 5 to 8 cents per pound.
History of Whidbey Island: Chapter 4
As more and more people moved to the island, the small communities grew into towns. Schools, churches, and civic groups were founded and expanded as well. Fort Casey was founded and built to protect the Admiralty Inlet. Most of the prairie area was being farmed, and as trees were cut to provide lumber, more farms sprang up. Agriculture was the main focus in the early 1900's. Farms produced a wide variety of products. Cattle and dairy products, grain, berries, and even poultry, were all being produced.
The Comstock family set a world record by growing and harvesting 117 1/2 bushels of wheat from just a single acre of land. Potatoes of a foot in length were common, and were shipped to the east coast. A game bird breeding farm was even set up on the island by the state of Washington.
Prosperity continued as the Deception Pass Bridge was constructed, replacing the old ferry. The state built docking facilities, and began ferry service from Keystone to Port Townsend, and also from Columbia Beach to Mukilteo. Because of the ferry service, some residents commute daily to mainland for work, or to attend school. The ferries and the Deception Pass Bridge are the only ways to access Whidbey Island, unless you elect to use the air charter service.
It is this limited access that has kept Whidbey Island the very special place that it is.
History of Whidbey Island: Chapter 5
North of Oak Harbor, is Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Commissioned on September 21, 1942 the base has been a very important part of thecommunity. The navy elected to build the base on this spot for two main reasons. The first being that 96% of the time, "favorable flying weather" exists. The second being that sunlight prevails 75% of all daylight hours. The base is the home of Patrol Squadron (VP) 46, which has the distinction of being the oldest American maritime patrol squadron, and the second oldest squadron in the US Navy.
As a result of the military presence on Whidbey Island, a few chain stores and restaurants have opened in the Oak Harbor area. This "progress" has made Oak Harbor the largest town on the island. Coupeville is the second largest, and hosts the seat of county government for Island County. It is also home to the only public hospital on the island, there is another hospital for military personnel on the base.
In spite of recent growth, the entire population of Whidbey Island is still less than most small cities on the mainland. As of the last census, there were approximately 53,000 residents on Whidbey Island. This helps to maintain the rustic, but very friendly charm of the most incredible place in the world. 
