Silcox Island

Island
47°07′44″N 122°33′53″W / 47.12889°N 122.56472°W / 47.12889; -122.56472Adjacent toAmerican LakeAdministration
United States of America
StateWashingtonCountyPierce
Silcox Island seen from shore of American Lake

Silcox Island is an inhabited island in American Lake in Pierce County, Washington.[1] It is in the city of Lakewood, Washington. Although the island has had homes built on it, it is still mostly forested.[2]

History

Silcox Island is named for Albert Silcox, who originally acquired the land.[3][4] Although at first he and his family were the sole inhabitants, financial needs led him to sell to friends, beginning with George Sells and Sells' son-in-law, Earl Trowbridge.[citation needed] Over time, more and more lots were established and sold.

Until 1968, there was no electric or telephone service to the island.[5] After a cable was run from near Bill's Boathouse, most residents had their homes electrified. Although a few homes were connected to septic tanks, many used outhouses well into the 1980s.[citation needed]

Climate

The Köppen climate classification is warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb).[6] The average temperature is 9 °C (48 °F). The warmest month is July at average 20 °C (68 °F), and the coolest is December at −1 °C (30 °F).[7] Annual precipitation is 1,498 millimeters (59.0 in). The wettest month is March, with 203 millimeters (8.0 in), and the driest is July, with 25 millimeters (0.98 in).[8]

Silcox Island
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
146
 
 
4
−2
 
 
163
 
 
6
−3
 
 
203
 
 
7
−1
 
 
135
 
 
12
2
 
 
104
 
 
17
7
 
 
66
 
 
21
10
 
 
25
 
 
26
14
 
 
31
 
 
25
12
 
 
115
 
 
21
9
 
 
153
 
 
14
5
 
 
181
 
 
7
−1
 
 
177
 
 
1
−3
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm
Source: [7]
Imperial conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
5.7
 
 
39
28
 
 
6.4
 
 
43
27
 
 
8
 
 
45
30
 
 
5.3
 
 
54
36
 
 
4.1
 
 
63
45
 
 
2.6
 
 
70
50
 
 
1
 
 
79
57
 
 
1.2
 
 
77
54
 
 
4.5
 
 
70
48
 
 
6
 
 
57
41
 
 
7.1
 
 
45
30
 
 
7
 
 
34
27
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Silcox Island, Pierce County, Washington
  2. ^ AHBL Seattle (October 2011), Shoreline Restoration Plan Component of the Shoreline (PDF), City of Lakewood, retrieved 2018-09-17
  3. ^ "Lakewood Historical Society visits Silcox Island – the Suburban Times".
  4. ^ Covert, Nancy (2 September 2014). American Lake Vignettes. ISBN 9781625847546.
  5. ^ "Lakewood Historical Society visits Silcox Island – the Suburban Times".
  6. ^ Peel, M C; Finlayson, B L (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification". Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  8. ^ "NASA Earth Observations: Rainfall (1 month - TRMM)". NASA/Tropical Rainfall Monitoring Mission. Retrieved January 30, 2016.


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