https://i.redd.it/gp2cnit675ne1.jpeg
created by gentrifiedbeaner on 06/03/2025 at 22:05 UTC
247 upvotes, 3 top-level comments (showing 3)
Comment by juxlus at 07/03/2025 at 02:24 UTC*
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Fun random bit of history behind why "Erie". Around 1840 Charles Wilkes named/renamed the San Juans and nearby islands after War of 1812 US naval victories. He named Fidalgo Island "Perry", for commander Oliver Perry who won the Battle of Lake Erie. Named the high point Erie for that reason. A few years later the British reorganized their charts of the area and removed all the US naval officer names north of Puget Sound/Admiralty Inlet, replacing most with Spanish names like Fidalgo, for explorer Salvador Fidalgo. And since the British charts were better and more available in the region for a long time, those names stuck. But they didn't rename everything. Mount Erie stayed. Same with Mt Constitution on Orcas--named for the USS *Constitution*. Wilkes renamed Orcas Island "Hull Island" after the War of 1812 commander of the *Constitution*.
A few other War of 1812 naval names survived too, like Saratoga Passage, after the warship *Saratoga*. Wilkes had named Camano Island "MacDonough" after the commander of the *Saratoga*.
He also renamed the San Juans "Navy Archipelago". Kinda glad most of these names didn't stick!
Comment by ofWildPlaces at 06/03/2025 at 22:09 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
This is great. I've never seen it from this angle before.
Comment by Illustrious_Lead4782 at 09/03/2025 at 02:27 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I live close by and the view from Mount Erie is mind blowing on a clear day!
