Vashon, Washington

Vashon is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon-Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10,624 at the 2010 census and the size is 37 square miles (96 km²), slightly larger than Manhattan. There are no bridges to connect the island with the mainland, a big factor contributing to the island's relative isolation and rural character.

History

There is evidence of human activity on Vashon Island dating back to the last 10-12,000 years. Some of the Native peoples known to have lived on Vashon Island were the Marpole from about 7,000 years ago, the Salish about 1,000 years ago and the S'Homamish starting about 500 years ago.

The island was named on May 28, 1792, by the explorer George Vancouver after his friend James Vashon of the Royal Navy. Starting in 1824, different explorer and settler groups stayed on Vashon Island. The first logging on the island began in 1852. By 1855-1856, the S'Homamish people were interned at Fox Island. European-Americans settled Vashon Island between 1865-1890. During that time the main economies on the island were fishing and logging.