Ebey's Landing

https://www.nps.gov/ebla/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebey%27s_Landing_National_Historical_Reserve The Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve is a rural historic district, that preserves and protects an unbroken historical record of Puget Sound exploration and settlement from the 19th century to the present. Historic farms, still under cultivation in the prairies of Whidbey Island, reveal land use patterns unchanged since settlers claimed the land in the 1850s under the Donation Land Claim Act. The nearby seaport community of Coupeville, one of the oldest towns in Washington, is included in the reserve. Also included are both Fort Casey State Park and Fort Ebey State Park, as well as a section of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. The Central Whidbey Island Historic District, with the Sergeant Clark House and the Coupeville grain wharf, is part of the National Historical Reserve and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other protected lands within the reserve include the Admiralty Inlet Natural Area Preserve. This stunning landscape on the Salish Sea, with its rich farmland and promising seaport, lured the earliest American pioneers north of the Columbia River to Ebey’s Landing. Today Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve preserves the historical, agricultural and cultural traditions of both Native and Euro-American – while offering spectacular opportunities for recreation. Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve is on Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound. The island is easily accessible from the mainland by vehicle via Washington State Route 20 from Burlington and aboard the Washington State Ferries from either Mukilteo or Port Townsend. Fort Casey State Park Washington State Parks operates two campgrounds in the Reserve. You can find information and reservations at http://www.parks.wa.gov/. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially during the summer months. Fort Ebey State Park Washington State Parks operates two campgrounds in the Reserve. You can find information and reservations at http://www.parks.wa.gov/. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially during the summer months. View from the Bluff Overlook View from the Bluff Overlook The Bluff Overlook on the Bluff Trail offers spectacular views of the Straight of Juan de Fuca Sunrise over Admiralty Bay Sunrise over Admiralty Bay Admiralty Bay in Fort Casey State Park offers spectacular views of Mt Rainier and the Olympic Mountains. Mt Baker and the historic Smith Barn Mt Baker and the historic Smith Barn The views from the prairie overlook tell a story of farming and community that stretches back for centuries. Sunrise Over a Prairie Farm Sunrise over the prairie. Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve exists to preserve a working rural farm community. Historic Ferry House Historic Ferry House The Ferry House sits in the heart of the Reserve, a testament to the community that calls this place home. North Coast and Cascades Network Exotic Plant Management Team The North Coast and Cascades Network Exotic Plant Management Team (NCCN EPMT) manages a diverse array of exotic plants across the dramatic landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. The team works with partner parks and agencies to augment vegetation management across the network. People loading weed control equipment into the back of a vehicle NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, Washington Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve preserves and protects an unbroken historical record of Puget Sound exploration and settlement from the 19th century to the present. Located on Whidbey Island, the largest island in the conterminous United States, the reserve contains excellent examples of both glacial and post-glacial features and processes. rural park landscape Bees of the North Coast & Cascades Bees are some of the most abundant and important pollinators in the world – especially in mountainous environments. Despite the importance of bees in our natural environments, many national parks do not know what species live within their boundaries. In 2016, to celebrate the Centennial of the National Park Service, North Coast and Cascades national parks focused on inventories of pollinators, including bees. Macro photo of the metallic blue head of a mason bee 1997–1998 El Niño / 1998–1999 La Niña Wind-driven waves and abnormally high sea levels contributed to hundreds of millions of dollars in flood and storm damage in the San Francisco Bay region, including Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Pinnacles National Monument. In addition to California, the 1997–1998 El Niño and the following 1998–1999 La Niña severely impacted the Pacific Northwest, including many National Park System units. colorful ocean surface mapping image Pacific Border Province The Pacific Border straddles the boundaries between several of Earth's moving plates on the western margin of North America. This region is one of the most geologically young and tectonically active in North America. The generally rugged, mountainous landscape of this province provides evidence of ongoing mountain-building. Drakes Estero in Point Reyes National Seashore. NPS photo/Sarah Codde Bat Projects in Parks: North Coast Cascades Network Eleven bat species occur in North Coast Cascades Network Parks. Each species is unique, except that they're all facing threats of some kind in their environments. Learn more about how scientists study bats and what you can do to help. Series: Coastal Geomorphology—Storms of Record Storms can bring about significant coastal change as well as substantial economic damage and loss in the human environment. Read about a few storms of interest that have since made history due to their unique intensity, characteristics, or impacts. aerial view of a major storm along the northwest coast of the united states and canada Series: Physiographic Provinces Descriptions of the physiographic provinces of the United States, including maps, educational material, and listings of Parks for each. George B. Dorr, founder of Acadia National Park Changing Patterns of Water Availability May Change Vegetation Composition in US National Parks Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios. Green, orange, and dead grey junipers in red soil, mountains in background Travel Blog: Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve Article written by Emma Rockenbeck for "A Day in the Life of a Fellow" Article Series National Park Service - Workforce Management Fellow in Partnership with Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) The Ferry House and Strait of Juan de Fuca Shaping the System Under President Jimmy Carter President Jimmy Carter oversaw one of the largest growths in the National Park System. Explore some of the parks that are part of the legacy of the presidency of Jimmy Carter, who served as the 39th president of the United States from January 20, 1977, to January 20, 1981. Historic photo of Jimmy Carter walking through a crowd at Harpers Ferry Updated Species Database Will Help Boost Amphibian Conservation Across the National Park Service To steward amphibians effectively, managers need basic information about which species live in parks. But species lists need constant maintenance to remain accurate. Due to recent efforts, the National Park Service now has an up-to-date amphibian species checklist for almost 300 parks. This information can serve as the basis for innumerable conservation efforts across the nation. A toad sits on red sand, looking into the camera.

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve Washington At Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, past meets present in a working rural landscape. Created by Congress in 1978, the 17,572-acre Reserve integrates historic farms, a seaside town, native and pioneer land use traditions, and ecologically significant areas. A Trust Board manages this national park area through creative conservation and contemporary planned development. ”Almost a Paradise of Nature” Stanley Lovejoy, 1900. Grandson of a sea captain and one of Coupeville’s original settlers, Lovejoy became a ship’s pilot on Puget Sound. Maria Coupe Isaac Neff Ebey Thomas Coupe Whether you’re a resident or visitor, we invite you to join in the adventure as we chart the future while honoring the past. Samuel Black Crockett To the north down along Admiralty Inlet . . . the cultivating land is generally found confined to the valleys of streams with the exception of Whidbey’s Island . . . which is almost a paradise of nature. Good land for cultivation is abundant on this island. . . . I have taken a claim on it and am now living on the same in order to avail myself of the provisions of the Donation Law. If Rebecca, the children, and you all were here, I think I could live and die here content. —Colonel Isaac Ebey’s letter to his brother, 1851 Sam Hancock, mule team, and unidentified Chinese worker. The Hancocks were early settlers here. When settlers like the Ebeys came to central Whidbey Island in the 1850s, they met the Skagit people living in shoreline villages. The Skagit had been here for centuries, living on salmon, bottom fish, shellfish, berries, small game, deer, and waterfowl. They cultivated island prairies by selective burning, transplanting, and mulching to encourage the growth of root crops like bracken fern and camas. Capt. George Vancouver brought Whidbey Island to the attention of Europe and America Chief Charlie Snakelum (1843–1943), pictured with his wife Katie Barlow Skakelum, was a prominent Skagit tribal leader. The couple’s descendants still live in the area. in 1792. White settlers, though, did not arrive in numbers until the Donation Land Law of 1850 offered free land in the Oregon Territory to any U.S. citizen who would homestead the claim. Colonel Isaac Neff Ebey was among the first permanent settlers. Ebey and his friend Samuel Crockett came west from Missouri in search of land. Both filed donation claims on central Whidbey by spring 1851. Ebey’s family soon followed. The simple home of Isaac’s father Jacob and a blockhouse he erected to defend his claim still stand overlooking the prairie that bears the family name. Isaac became a prominent public figure, but his life was cut short in 1857. He was slain by coastal Indians in retaliation for the killing of one of their own tribal members. Fertile farmland was not the only lure. Sea captains and merchants from New England took advantage of Penn Cove’s protected harbor and the stands of tall trees perfect for Chin Toy worked on a Whidbey Island farm owned by Charles Mitchell. Chinese immigrants of the late 1800s and early 1900s often worked seasonally on farms or in fisheries or canneries. shipbuilding. One such seafarer was Capt. Thomas Coupe. In 1852 Coupe claimed 320 acres on Penn Cove, which later became the town of Coupeville. He was soon joined by his wife Maria and their children, who arrived by clipper ship via Cape Horn. Central Whidbey’s successful farming and maritime trade made Coupeville into a busy seaport. In the late 1890s the U.S. Army introduced another layer of history on the landscape with the construction of Fort Casey Military Reservation, part of a three-fort defense system protecting the entrance to Puget Sound. Fort Casey became a social center for the community, hosting ball games, dances, and other events. In the western part of the Reserve is the World War II-era Fort Ebey. An 1854 artist’s rendering depicts Skagit canoes coming ashore on Whidbey Island. For many centuries American Indian groups harvested food from the fertile island prairies. Central Whidbey abounds with place names that honor Ebey, Crockett, Libbey, Smith, Coupe, and many more of the old settlers. Their stewardship of the land continues in new ways by new generations. Front Street in Coupeville, 1890. The town was named for Capt. Thomas Coupe, who built the first frame house here in 1854. Gould Farm and surroundings ca. 1900 (above) and same view today (below). What is a National Historical Reserve? Ebey’s Landing Front Street in Coupeville today. The vistas, woodlands, and fertile prairies of the Reserve are much the same today as they were in the 1800s when New England sea captains came to Penn Cove and farmers to the island prairies. Yet the Reserve is far more than a snapshot of another time. It is a living, working, changing community. Within the 17,000-plus acres are 18 working farms. Farmers grow e