Silcox Island

Coordinates: 47°07′44″N 122°33′53″W / 47.12889°N 122.56472°W / 47.12889; -122.56472
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Silcox Island
Silcox Island in American Lake
Silcox Island is located in Washington (state)
Silcox Island
Silcox Island
Geography
LocationLakewood, Washington
Coordinates47°07′44″N 122°33′53″W / 47.12889°N 122.56472°W / 47.12889; -122.56472
Adjacent toAmerican Lake
Administration
United States of America
StateWashington
CountyPierce
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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

  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.