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Fox Island
 Native
Americans called the
island Bu-ta-u for a
daughter of a Nisqually
Indian chief. The present
name of the island was
established during the
1841 Wilkes Expedition
after an assistant surgeon
on the crew named Fox.
Native Americans used
the island for seasonal
gatherings and fishing
and Tanglewood Island
was used as a Native
American burial ground.
During the Indian uprisings
of the 1850s, Fox Island
was designated as a
reservation for friendly
Indians, and for a few
years prior to resettlement
to other reservations,
there were some 800
Puyallups and Nisquallys
living on the island.
European-American settlement
began in the 1850s.
A number of activities
had been established
on the island at various
times, including fishing,
oysters gathering, fish
processing, logging,
farming, and the manufacturing
of bricks, sleds, wheelbarrows
and baby carriages.
In the 1860s the dogfish
and oyster industry
was developed with Native
Americas employed. Prunes
were grown and a prune
dryer was employed to
process prunes for shipping
starting in the 1890s.
A flower industry was
established in 1904
with bulbs brought from
Iowa. The Brick and
Clay Works Company stated
on the south side of
the island in the late
1880s. The company utilized
the local clay deposits
to manufacture pipes,
bricks, and tiles, shipping
the products to Tacoma
on the streamer, Susie.
The plant closed by
1910 with the depletion
of the clay deposits.
The post office, schools,
stores, and churches
formed the early centers
of community life. The
Fox Island Bridge was
built in 1954.
Fox Island Homes for
Sale
Fox Island Waterfront
Homes for Sale
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