![]() ![]() In 1792, Peter Puget's longboat crew camped at Oso Bay on the third night of their survey of the southern Sound, dining on wild raspberry shoots and salmon provided by the local tribes. Members of the Wilkes expedition were not the first white visitors, however. Wilkes also named the island geography of Oro Bay, Yoman Point, and Otso Point. ![]() ![]() Charles Wilkes (1798-1877), captain of the eponymous expedition and a prolific namer of places, called it Anderson in honor of Alexander Anderson (1814-1884), a Hudson's Bay trader at Fort Nisqually who had been helpful to him. It was settled originally mostly by Scandinavian immigrants, who saw it as a place to pursue familiar trades in the woods and on the water, and it remains a literally insular community, self reliant and low key, with a strong interest in its agrarian past.Īnderson Island first entered the historical record in 1841, when American Lt. Although increased ferry service and remote work opportunities have attracted more commuters and younger families, it is best known as a retirement community. The year-round population is something over 1,000 as of 2020, growing to around 4,000 in the summers. A ferry connects it to Steilacoom, 3-1/2 miles to the east, and passengers looking north can see the arches of the Narrows bridges, 8 miles to the northeast. Drayton Passage separates it from the Key Peninsula to the northwest and the Nisqually Flats lie just below its southernmost tip. It comprises 7.75 square miles, with about 14 miles of convoluted shoreline. The southernmost island in Puget Sound, Anderson Island has forged its identity in the background of its better-known neighbor, McNeil. ![]()
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