WA renames San Juan Islands waterway to honor Indigenous leader

A waterway in the San Juan Islands has officially been renamed to honor one of Washington’s first Indigenous elected officials.

The little-known strait of water — about a half-mile wide and 2 miles long between Orcas and Shaw islands — is now named Cayou Channel.

Previously, the channel was named Harney Channel, after Gen. William Harney, who almost started the “Pig War” and was also responsible for the slaying of Indigenous people and an enslaved woman.

Now, the channel honors Henry Cayou, who was an Orcas Island county commissioner for 29 years. Cayou was a commercial fisherman and lived his entire life on Orcas Island, from 1869 to 1959.