Maury Island
|
|
Maury Island is a former island (now an isthmus) in Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is connected to Vashon Island by a isthmus built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Prior to construction of the isthmus, Maury was connected to Vashon only during low tide.
The island is rural with large areas of farm land, forest, and relatively undeveloped shoreline. Currently, South Maury Island environmental issues are under considerable scrutiny.
It was the site of the Maury Island Incident, an unusual case of an alleged encounter with a UFO and the so-called Men in Black. The actor John Ratzenberger lived on Maury Island until recently.
Maury Island, as well as Vashon Island, is led by the Vashon-Maury Island Community Council. In the 1940’s, Vashon Island had an organization called the chamber of commerce which acted more like a community council than a traditional chamber. By the 1950’s, the precursor to today’s community council was organized and called itself the “Civic Assembly.” Today, the Community Council is charged with working to preserve the rural nature of Vashon-Maury Island.