Hat Island, Washington

For thousands of years, Hat Island (known as {{Langx|lut|č̓əč̓əsəliʔ|label=none}} in the Lushootseed language){{cite book |last1=Bates |first1=Dawn |title=Lushootseed Dictionary |last2=Hess |first2=Thom |last3=Hilbert |first3=Vi |publisher=University of Washington Press |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-295-97323-4 |location=Seattle |pages=71 |oclc=29877333 |author-link3=Vi Hilbert}} was the site of a village of the Snohomish people. Their territory extended over the Snohomish River, as well as parts of Camano and Whidbey islands. The village was located on the north side of the island on a spit, near a spring. There were several longhouses.{{Cite book |last=Tweddell |first=Colin E. |title=A Historical and Ethnological Study of the Snohomish Indian People: A Report Specifically Covering Their Aboriginal and Continued Existence, and Their Effective Occupation of a Definable Territory |date=August 1953 |publisher=Garland Publishing |series=Coast Salish and Western Washington Indians |volume=II |location=New York & London |publication-date=1974 |pages=157–158}}

Hat Island was first mentioned in the historical record by naturalist Archibald Menzies of the Vancouver Expedition in 1792.{{Cite web |last=Brunjes |first=Robert A. |title=Hat Island History |url=https://www.hatisland.org/wp-content/uploads/library/scrapbook/hat_island_history.pdf}}{{Self-published inline|date=February 2024|certain=y}} In the 1820s, a large landslide at Camano Head created a tidal wave which crashed into Hat Island. The wave wiped out the village, save for a few survivors. From that point on, the island was only used by the Snohomish as a temporary camping ground when clamming, never as a permanent living site. People who returned occasionally found human remains or parts of the destroyed village.{{Sfn|Tweddell|1953|p=66-69}}

The island was named in English by Charles Wilkes in 1841; although other sources say it was for John B. Gedney{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CoWrPQAACAAJ|title=Exploring Washington|last=Majors|first=Harry M.|publisher=Van Winkle Publishing Co|year=1975|isbn=978-0-918664-00-6|page=21}} or Jonathon Haight Gedney, Wilkes's memoirs say he named it for Lt Thomas R. Gedney. The name Hat is for the shape of a beach and treeless ledge, first used in 1870. Since 1980 the island would be called Gedney Island (Hat).{{Self-published inline|date=February 2024|certain=y}}

There is currently one walk-on ferry named the Hat Express which transports walk-on passengers to and from the island. The maximum capacity of the ferry is 88 passengers. It runs a limited schedule on Thursdays, Friday evenings, and weekends between the Everett Yacht Club on the west end of 13th Street in Everett, and the Hat Island Marina.{{cite web|title=Ferry Info|url=http://www.hatisland.org/ferry.htm|publisher=Hat Island Community Association|access-date=8 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130417064104/http://www.hatisland.org/ferry.htm|archive-date=17 April 2013|url-status=dead}}

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.692 square miles (1.79 km{{sup|2}}), of which, 0.688 square miles (1.78 km{{sup|2}}) of it is land and 0.004 square miles (0.01 km{{sup|2}}) of it (0.58%) is water.

Hat Island is also the name of an uninhabited island in Padilla Bay, Skagit County.{{cite web |url=https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=138:3:0::NO:3:P3_FID,P3_TITLE:1505413,Hat%20Island |title=GNIS Detail - Hat Island |publisher=USGS |access-date=2020-02-17}}{{cite web |url=https://www.dnr.wa.gov/hat-island-natural-resources-conservation-area |title=Hat Island Natural Resources Conservation Area |publisher=Washington State Department of Natural Resources |access-date=2020-02-17}}

Hat Island has a marina with 127 slips and a golf course, both maintained by the Hat Island Community Association.{{cite news |last=Muhlstein |first=Julie |date=July 31, 2018 |title=Hat Island: The somewhat secret, other-worldy Northwest gem |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/close-yet-another-world-its-quite-a-voyage-to-hat-island/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=August 5, 2021}}

The community is served by the Mukilteo School District.{{cite map |author=U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division |date=January 14, 2021 |title=2020 Census – School District Reference Map: Snohomish County, WA |page=4 |scale=1:80,000 |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st53_wa/schooldistrict_maps/c53061_snohomish/DC20SD_C53061.pdf |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=March 16, 2025}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.hatisland.org/ Hat Island Community Association]

{{Snohomish County, Washington}}

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Category:Census-designated places in Washington (state)

Category:Census-designated places in Snohomish County, Washington