Old Maj. Snow had a store, which we visited and where we met a Dr. Vincent and a Mr. Howe. Their trade supplies, however, came from the mainland, which can only be reached by boat. The [Penn] cove is a deep indentation in the [Whidbey] island, about two miles wide and six miles long. It is a beautiful bay and thoroughly protected, but it can only be approached by large ships from the south around Skagit head, a circumlocution of great length.
Island County’s first Commissioners’ meeting takes place in Coveland on April 4, 1853. (historylink.org)On April 4, 1853, the first Island County Commissioners’ meeting takes place in Coveland, the newly designated county seat, located on Penn’s Cove northwest of Coupeville on Whidbey Island’s east coast. The meeting is held at the home of Commissioner John Alexander. The other two commissioners attending are John Crocket and Samuel D. Howe.