Tatoosh Island is a collective name for a small group of islands located one mile
off the tip of
Cape Flattery. Captain John Meares named the island Tatooche after Makah chief Tatootche.
1 “Tatoosh” is the Chinook word for
thunder bird
or
nourishing beast,
which, according to Makah legend, was the creature that inhabited the island.
2 The Cape Flattery Lighthouse was built on the main island in 1857 to guide ships
into the
Strait of Juan De Fuca.
3 Other names that have been used to describe Tatoosh Island are “Tu-tutsh”, I“sla
de Tutusi”, and “Tatouche”.
4