The Farming Pioneer of Protection Island
A bold settler bets on agriculture in the San Juan Islands, finding a thriving home where others saw only isolation.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A large party was held yesterday for Mr. J. M. Powers, who, it will be remembered, about two years ago purchased the whole of Protection Island, containing something over two hundred acres of land. Beautifully situated at the mouth of Port Discovery Bay and commanding a view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, this island cost him a small sum together with a small amount of stock at the time of the purchase. Mr. Powers informs us that he intends to carry on an extensive farming operation there. He has 140 acres cleared, and has now about fifty head of cattle, including milch cows. This year he raised 2,000 bushels of potatoes and thirty tons of turnips. He has erected buildings on the island and lives there with his family. He says that though many would consider this location lonesome, he and his family feel perfectly contented.
“Though many would consider this location lonesome, he and his family feel perfectly contented.”
Protection Island remains a protected wildlife refuge today, a sharp contrast to the 1876 vision of a bustling agricultural homestead. This story captures the mid-19th century pioneer drive to 'subdue' the landscape, a starkly different era of land usage compared to today’s conservation-focused stewardship of the same site.
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