344 - Deadman’s Point

Seattle GC9G5GE

Missing (4y 282d 13h 58m 53s) · visibility Watch (1)

Harris Ave, Fairhaven, Bellingham, WA, US

location_on N 48 43.211, W 122 30.959

This point of land has a rich history in the settlement and development of the town of Fairhaven. In 1853, Alonzo M. Poe filed a donation land claim on this property and built a cabin on top of a mound of glacial till some 80 to 90 feet high. This property became known as Poe’s Point.

A Native American raid on Whidbey Island in 1857 unsettled the local inhabitants on Bellingham Bay, and they stationed two men as lookouts on top of Poe’s Point. According to the story, the men imbibed a fair amount of whiskey, fell asleep and became victims of the marauding Northern Native Americans. This point of land hence became known as "Deadman’s Point”.

After moving to Olympia in 1858, Alonzo Poe deeded his property to his brother, Americus Poe. Dirty Dan Harris purchased 43 acres of Poe’s property that was immediately adjacent to his own land. He sold off part of the property to the County for a cemetery. The point then acquired a new name, "Graveyard Point”.

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