San Juan Island: (Images of America)

With sheltered harbors, open prairies, and secluded woodlands, San Juan Island has been a magnet for human habitation for thousands of years. Salmon runs and rich soil promised not only an abundant food source but also a good living for those willing to work hard. But it was not until the islands became the focus of an international boundary dispute between Great Britain and the United States in the late 1850s that San Juan Island drew the attention of Europeans and Americans. These newcomers watched how Coast Salish and Northwest Coast peoples harvested natural resources and adapted their techniques. Settlers and Indians sometimes intermarried, and many of their descendants remain to this day. San Juan Islanders of all generations have worked hard to preserve their home, thus maintaining a sense of place that is as evident today as it was when the first canoes came ashore.

About the Author :
The San Juan Historical Society operates the San Juan Historical Museum, a restored homestead in Friday Harbor, Washington. The images in this volume were selected from the society's collection of nearly 2,000 historical photographs. Historian Mike Vouri has authored four previous works on the Pig War. Julia Vouri has been a writer and editor specializing in gardening, nature, and health for more than 30 years. The Vouris coauthored the book Friday Harbor in 2009.

Review :
Title: Stuff your mind (and your gift list) with these local history books Author: Richard Walker Publisher: Journal of the San Juans Date: 12/8/2010 2010 was a prolific year for authors from the San Juan Islands. And history was the hot topic. Authors on San Juan and Lopez islands revisited the development of our local communities and the characters who added flavor to island life. Wolf Bauer, whose first job out of college was as an engineer at Roche Harbor Lime & Cement Co. in the late 1930s, wrote an entertaining autobiography about his experiences as a conservationist and outdoorsman. A book by Joseph R. Ornig chronicles the South American expedition of America's greatest adventurer-president, whose legacy includes our system of national parks and wildlife refuges. There are more. Here's a list of new local books worth curling up with during the holiday break - and worth considering as holiday gifts. -- "San Juan Island," by Mike and Julia Vouri and the San Juan Historical Society (Arcadia, 128 pages). This book is a second for the Vouris and the historical society; they co-authored "Friday Harbor" last year, in time for the town's centennial. For the latest book, the Vouris selected and conducted research on more than 200 photos from the historical society's collection of nearly 2,000 photographs, as well as photos from private collections. The cover features a photograph from the 1890s of the American Camp prairie. In the photo, workers gather cut grain for bundling, in preparation for threshing. Mount Finlayson rises in the background with the Jakle homestead on its lower slope. "With sheltered harbors, open prairies, and secluded woodlands, San Juan Island has been a magnet for human habitation for thousands of years," the book description states. "Salmon runs and rich soil promised not only an abundant food source but also a good living for those willing to work hard. But it was not until the islands became the focus of an international boundary dispute between Great Britain and the United States in the late 1850s that San Juan Island drew the attention of Europeans and Americans. These newcomers watched how Coast Salish and Northwest Coast peoples harvested natural resources and adapted their techniques. Settlers and Indians sometimes intermarried, and many of their descendants remain to this day. "San Juan Islanders of all generations have worked hard to preserve their home, thus maintaining a sense of place that is as evident today as it was when the first canoes came ashore." "San Juan Island" is available at the historical museum and in local bookstores.