Samish Island During World War II & Early Cold War Era

1941 - 1958: Samish Island during WWII: A contingent of soldiers arrived in their jeeps to perform land/air/sea patrol for the duration of the war. A wooden observation structure was constructed along south-facing Samish Island Road. It was a small, rustic cabin on stilts surrounded by a narrow deck, rising some 16 feet off the ground and manned round-the-clock by volunteers. They were looking for enemy planes, on the chance that one might evade the large army installations near Port Townsend. Samish Islanders were mobilized to man the Ground Observer Corps.

Danny Moore, the young boy with the dog in the photo on the right, remembers that he and his mother spent many nights in the observation tower. When a plane would fly over, they would record and report to the Whidbey Naval Air Station the type of plane, configuration of the lights, and the sound of the plane's engines, direction and course. He recalls that his mom was a ground observer when the Russian Sputnik (October 4, 1957) was launched and they watched it, as well.

The Spotting Station no longer exists on Samish Island, but was located along Samish Island Road, at the corner of Vicmar Road, on the current Langley Property during the 1940's and 1950's. The maple tree in the photo on the left of the post was removed in 1990's. View other Samish Island Historic Photos.

Click on photos to enlarge them. Help us identify the unknown residents, or correct spellings or full names if you know them.

The Samish Island Post Ground Observer Corps, 1957. Raising the Flag for "Post of the Month." Left to Right:Col. Ted Walford, Supervisor; Ann Walford, Chief Observer; Major Floyd McConnel, USAFR; Joan Baker, McKinley (Mac) Baker; Jimmy Vercoe; Mildred Hopley.		The Samish Island Post Ground Observer Corps, 1957. Left side back, l-r: Col. Ted Walford, Supervisor, unknown, unknown Left side front: Esther Lee Moore (Bowen) Right side back, l-r: unknown, Mildred Hopley with daughter Nancy Hopley, Jimmy Vercoe, Bertha Norris, Joan Baker (Bertha's daughter, Mac Baker's wife), McKinley (Mac) Baker, who scheduled the watches. Right Side front, l-r: Daniel (Danny) Moore and his dog; unknown; Ann Walford; Major Floyd McConnel, USAFR. If you recognize any of the unidentified members of the Corps (marked unknown), please let us know. (info@samishisland.net)