Featured Destination Story

Turn Point Lighthouse

Friday Harbor , WA

The Turn Point Light is an active aid to navigation overlooking the Haro Straits from the western tip of Stuart Island, in the San Juan Islands of Washington. With its commanding view of Haro Strait and the Canadian Gulf Islands, Turn Point offers wonderful opportunities for photographers and visitors who appreciate nature and history. The nearby Canadian and Olympic Mountains provide wonderful scenic backdrops to this special area.

Operation of the light began in 1893 with the construction of a fog signal building and a two-story keepers’ quarters. A steam-powered Daboll trumpet served as the fog signal. The fog signal was typically in operation around 200 hours each year, but in 1896, with the installation of two powerful steam engines, it ran for up to 929 hours, consuming as much as three tons of coal. In 1913, an oil house was built, and the steam engines powering the foghorn were converted to an oil engine, using just thirty gallons of oil each year.