Lunch Interrupted...

Oh what a perfect day this was.. Two ferry rides, wonderful walks, yummy lunch, learning history and...  The lighthouse and critters were at Fort Flagler. That fort was part of the Triangle of Fire (three forts) to protect the Puget Sound area from 1899 to 1953.

In 1846, President Polk sent officers out to find places to defend the west coast. At the time the northwest was considered to remote to defend but in 1855 with the Indian wars heating up, two forts were established at Port Townsend and Bellingham to protect local settlements. It wasn't until after the Civil War that President Johnson in 1866 set aside land for military reservations in Puget Sound. Still things seemed to costly until 1891 when the Puget Sound Naval Station in Bremerton was built. Now there was an important facility to protect. In 1896, Congress authorized the Secretary of War to defend Puget Sound but due to the Spanish - American War in 1898, nothing was really done until the sinking of the USS Maine and the loss of 252 officers and men. Now they knew they needed to defend Puget Sound from the Spanish Fleet. On July 27, 1899, Fort Flagler was officially activated. Some of the trenches in the extra. 

Friday will be a day of nothing much...