Guemes Island () is a small island in western Skagit County, Washington, United States. It is located north of Fidalgo Island and the city of Anacortes, and is accessible by private boat and by the Guemes Island ferry operated by Skagit County.
Guemes Island was named by the Spanish after the Viceroy of New Spain, Juan Vicente de Güemes, who commissioned an expedition that revealed the islands to Spain in 1794.
Island life
Guemes Island has a rural character with limited facilities.
Some of the island’s beaches are public but most beaches' access is private. There are also two parks: one in the middle of the island known as Schoolhouse Park, and another, Young's Park, located on North Beach near The Guemes Island Resort.
The community located on Guemes Island is generally referred to as "Guemes".
History
Guemes Island is within the traditional territory of the Samish Indian Nation. The aboriginal Samish people had a village at , near the present ferry terminal, which existed until around 1850. The Samish language name for the island is , which means "many dogs", referring to Salish Wool Dogs.
Guemes Island was named by the Spanish explorer José María Narváez as Isla de Güemes during the 1791 expedition of Francisco de Eliza, in honor of the Viceroy of Mexico, Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo.
Around 1873, the Samish people, displaced by the U.S. government, established a new village on Guemes near Potlatch Beach.
The Samish, whose village occupied the only natural spring on the island, were forced off the island in 1912.
There were 292 households, out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 3.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 39.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.95 and the average family size was 2.38.