PATOS ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER

Harold Faust was a 28 year old Coast Guardsman when he was assigned to Patos Island as a lighthouse keeper.  His wife Helen described it as a scary time.  Their son, Mike, had been born just 6 weeks before.   Daughter, Kathy, was 3 years old.  The year was 1960. Dwight Eisenhower was president, and the cold war was running hot.

Just 8 years earlier, during the Korean conflict, Harold had made a choice on which his future life would pivot.  Raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, he had strong childhood memories of WWII.  The Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard (the 32^nd Division) had amassed more days in combat than any other division during the war and the community of Green Bay paid a terrible price.    

Drawing a low draft number in 1952 Harold had to make a choice of which service in which to enlist.  Four years were required by the Army and Navy.  Same for Marines.  When making his rounds of the services, young Harold Faust had his first and only question ready for the Coast Guard.  “How many years”.   The response was “three”.  Done.  Harold made his decision.  Little did he know then he would stay in for the next 26 years.

Present day Patos Island Lighthouse

Accepting a position on this lonesome island bore heavy responsibility both personally and professionally.  Remote and isolated, Patos Island is the northernmost island in the San Juans.  Harold and Helen, along with 3 other families, would have to be largely self-sufficient as they maintained both a young family and the infrastructure to keep the lighthouse operational.

The Lighthouse, along with its companion on the southern end of Saturna, marks the transition between the Strait of Georgia and Boundary Pass.  Currents can swirl through and the sailing directions warn of strong tide rips and eddies.  

By the time Harold and Helen arrived, navigators had depended on the lighthouse for over 60 years.   The lighthouse itself was approved in 1893.  Most shipping between Seattle and communities on the inside passage to Alaska passed through this channel and between currents, fog, and reefs navigators needed the lighthouse to ensure safe passage.

Patos from the air in 1940

In the early years the lighthouse was run by the US lighthouse service.  Patos island had several lighthouse keepers beginning in 1893,  but one lighthouse keeper in particular, Edward Durgan, had the extraordinary good  luck of having a writer in his family.  Helen Durgan Glidden wrote a delightful book entitled ‘The Light on the Island’.  First published in 1951, it recalled her early life on Patos between 1905 and 1913.  While all lighthouse keepers performed similar tasks, Helen’s colorful recollections have had a lasting legacy.  Her book has spawned hundreds of visits to the island over the years.

In 1939, the Lighthouse Service merged with the Coast Guard with the Guard talking over maintenance and operation for all Lighthouses.  In 1958, the original keeper’s house on Patos island was taken down and the replacement housing had begun.  Harold and Helen arrived in 1960 and added one additional year to their original 2 year assignment when Kathy tested out of kindergarten.

Fast forward to August of 2016 when I was lucky enough to accompany a spry Harold Faust, along with Helen and two of their children and their spouses visit the island on the 123^rd birthday party for the lighthouse.

Management of present day Patos island done by an interesting blend of government organizations along with a nonprofit.  The Federal government owns Patos and is administered by the  Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  As such, Patos is part of the newly created San Juan Island National Monument.  Washington State Parks and Recreation commission operates the campsites on Patos as well as supposedly two mooring buoys.  As of this writing there’s only one. The Coast Guard maintains the light and horn at the lighthouse.  The lighthouse itself is maintained by a non profit, the ‘Keepers of the Patos Light’. 

The 123^rd birthday party was organized by the ‘Keepers’ group and Marcia deChadenedes  (Manager of the San Juan Island National Monument) along with BLM Recreation Specialist Nick Teague were among the 25 or so people who attended the event.  Kathy (Faust) Long and her husband Bruce accompanied her brother Greg and sister in law along with the senior Fausts. 

The trip started out with some uncertainty.  Predicted winds had arrived and the ‘Blackfish III’, the aluminum tour boat chartered to get the group from Eastsound to Patos, was retrieving a kayak party who had experienced distress owing to rips and wind driven waves.  While well within the boats capabilities, there was some nervousness amongst the group venturing out on a modestly blustery day.

Roaring out to Patos

Looking astern from the 'Blackfish III'

At 84, Harold wasn’t too worried about the weather.   During his Coast Guard career he had served on ice breakers in both the Arctic and Antarctic.  Admittedly it was a little windy for mid-August, but he’d certainly seen far worse. Helen and daughter Kathy had not been to the island in over a half a century and Harold had not seen it for over 40 years.  Going back to the island would be nostalgic for the entire family.

Kathy and brother Mike on Patos in the early 60's

Kathy and husband Bruce on present day Patos

We approached the island, bouncing around a little but the landing at what Harold called ‘Minnie’s Beach’ went well.  The aluminum tour boat had a landing craft type bow which made for easy access to the beach.  Harold recalled that a former Patos island inhabitant was named Minnie and she loved to skinny dip in the cove.  She’d post hand written signs saying ‘MINNIE’ on the trail providing a degree of privacy for her regular dips.  Hence ‘Minnie’s beach’.

Alden point in the 60's.  None of the structures shown stand today with the exception of the cement wall in front of the house.

The family living quarters as it appeared in the 60's

The trail out to Alden Point and the lighthouse is an easy one with an unexpected paved sidewalk on the final portion of the trail.  Harold recalled laying the cement down a half century earlier and how one of his fellow guardsman’s dog ran through much of the trail leaving dog prints in the cement.   He had the crew redo the work so that no prints were visible (and none are).

Harold pointing out what wasn't there

This was a nostaligic trip for Harold and Helen.  3 years of their life had been spent here and much had changed   As we approached the lighthouse Harold pointed out what wasn’t there.  Gone were the houses they lived in, the water tower and the other out buildings.   The only structure left standing was the lighthouse itself.

Harold and Helen 53 years after their stint on the Island

One feature that remains is the low wall below what was the keeper’s house.   Harold recalled how he and his crew painted “USCG LIGHT STATION PATOS ISLAND” on the wall.   He said the most difficult part was getting the spacing right for the lettering.

Half century later Harold's work still very prominent

Monument Manager Marcia getting first hand history

Harold at the top of the lighthouse

At 84, climbing to the top of the lighthouse posed little challenge

Inside the lighthouse Harold's son Greg and daughter Kathy bracket Harold reviewing the island's history

The Fausts liked living on Patos but were worried about Kathy's schooling as time for elementary school came around.  Balancing career and family interests, Kathy was tested to see if she could bypass Kindergarten.  She passed with flying colors and the family stayed an additional year on top of their original two year commitment.

The final year was marred by a lawn mower accident with young Mike.  Just 3 years old, his leg had become snared when a maintenance worker operated the mower.  Bleeding heavily, Harold called for a helicopter.  Initially he was told the copter was not available, but when he described the severity of the injury, the flight was dispatched.  Mike nearly lost his leg in that incident but now walks without a limp.  An abrupt ending to family's time on Patos.

A family affair sharing the day with Harold and Helen Faust

Two out of three of Harold and Helen's children attended the day's event.  After growing up in a Coast Guard family, both work in Marine related industries.   Harold's long ago choice of three years for the Coast Guard influenced far more than he could have realized.

The 'Blackfish III' cutting between Patos and Little Patos

Final notes.  Patos is a gem of an island and the 'Keeper's' group well compliments the islands history. Organizing work parties and onsite docents, the Keepers maintain an historical structure.   Here's a link to their website.

I asked the Coast Guard about the future of lighthouses in general.  While there's no formal plan, there is an ongoing process of reviewing all aids to navigation.  Lighthouses were built in a previous era prior to electronic navigation.  Some lighthouses still serve a valid purpose as an aid to navigation, others do not.  A light on a pole, in some locations, may now offer the same level of safety as a lighthouse.  The Coast Guard's process focuses on safety, but balances tax payer burden for maintenance.  Groups like the 'keepers' play a critical role by stepping in and maintaining and restoring historical structures that may no longer play the role they once did with navigation.

And a final note of thanks to Kathy Faust Long for including me in their families outing.  I had spent my childhood summers in the 60's on the NE side of San Juan, just over 10 nautical miles away from Patos.  Until this summer I had never visited Patos.  The island is a true gem and getting a glimpse of it from an earlier era was a rare opportunity.