• American Camp prairie and Mount Finlayson.

    San Juan Island

    National Historical Park Washington

  • American Camp Visitor Center on Daily Schedule

    The American Camp visitor center will be open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., daily through Friday, June 2. Grounds are open sunrise to 11 p.m. The English Camp visitor center opens June 2. Grounds are open 8 a.m. to sunset. More »

Camas

Camas budding_close_up
Camas, camassia leichtinii var. suksdorfii, appears around late April at both park sites. Look for large clusters at the Redoubt at American Camp.
Mike Vouri
 

Camas
(Camassia leichtinii var. suksdorfii)

Locals celebrate the appearance of these abundant purple blooms that blanket the prairie in early spring. Multiple flowers with six points climb one- to two-foot stems.

The bulbs were highly prized by Northwest Indians for their creamy potato/baked pear taste. In fact, because this was one of the most important staple foods, battles were fought over the best growing areas, and people traveled great distances to harvest the bulbs and prepare them into thin, dry cakes. To ensure future harvests, the Indians burned the prairie regularly.

Beware: The bulbs of these prized flowers resemble those of the white poisonous Death camas (Zigadenus venenosus), which often grow nearby. Both the black-coated bulbs and foliage are poisonous.

Where in the park: Look for this prolific wildflower in spring on American Camp's prairie and the summit of Young Hill at English Camp.

Did You Know?

Capt. Lewis Cass Hunt

Capt. Lewis Cass Hunt, who squabbled with Capt. George E. Pickett over buildings on San Juan Island, was the brother of Henry Hunt, who commanded the Union artillery at the Battle of Gettysburg. Hunt's guns would largely decimate Pickett's division before they reached the Union lines.