Obstruction Island
island of the San Juan Islands in Washington state, United States
Obstruction Island is one of the San Juan Islands in San Juan County, Washington, United States. It lies off the southeast tip of Orcas Island, between it and Blakely Island. Obstruction Island has a land area of 0.882 km2 (0.3406 sq mi, or 218 acres). The 2010 United States census reported a permanent population of 14 residents.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Obstruction Island” is island of the San Juan Islands in Washington state, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Obstruction, Island and island, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “island of the San Juan Islands in Washington state, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7075549. Authority coordinates are 48.596, -122.812. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2010.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Obstruction Island”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Obstruction Island primary sources, Obstruction Island archive and Obstruction research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Obstruction Island”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Obstruction Island” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.