Beloved for its remoteness, quiet privacy, sheer physical beauty, big skies, diverse landscape, and wildlife, Mount Dallas also has a distinct sense of the past. This is a place where the natural world dominates.
The land itself shaped the events that lead to Mount Dallas as we know it today. It is the land itself which has shaped our history far more powerfully and significantly than we may realize.
So much we don’t understand about island history is simply because we don’t understand the way life was lived at that time. The early settlers came to the islands for the aura of peace and contentment that seems to be the island’s trademark then as it is now. This is especially true of Mount Dallas.
In the mid 1800’s, a family journeyed from California to Victoria, B.C. and then proceeded to paddle across the Straits in a dugout canoe to settle on the south side of Mount Dallas. One can only imagine the awe as the bold silhouette of Mount Dallas loomed before them. Perhaps without a word passing between them, their hearts knew it to be a sacred place and stilled their minds. Drawn to the luminous light, they persevered.
In the early days, those who chose to live on Mount Dallas had their share of challenges. Some built eclectic rustic cabins using materials gathered from the beach. Power was via windmill. At that time, paths and trails were transforming to primitive roads, yet they traveled by farm wagon, only in good weather, to get supplies in what is now Friday Harbor. Communications were slow. People were, by necessity, self-sufficient. Survival depended upon community; they bartered and shared.
Gradually more people were intrigued by Mount Dallas, opting to build homes there with a bit more activity emerging in the 1980’s, and then escalating after 1989 when the Mount Dallas (Road) Association was established. With an ambiance of relaxed sophistication, Mount Dallas has become a lush, uniquely private, and quiet community – a veritable haven for those looking to get away from it all, Alluring, amazing, inviting – a very special place. Whispering of earlier times, Mount Dallas has a history all its own…
Learn more about the Mount Dallas Road Association at www.MountDallas.com.