Squires Lake

Location: Old Highway 99 south of Lake Samish
Size: 84 acres
Public Access: Yes
Easement granted: July 1995
Easement type: Conservation
Grantees: Whatcom Land Trust

Squires Lake is an 84-acre property that includes a 10-acre lake and a beaver pond. In 1995, Whatcom Land Trust facilitated the purchase of this property by Whatcom County Parks which continues to own and manage this low-impact, minimal infrastructure park. While the first stretch of trail is steep, the short climb is worth the effort. Loop trails wind around a lake mirroring the surrounding second-growth forest. An alternate loop leads to a beaver pond and all the lively creatures that enjoy the resulting lazy bog. Birders, dragonfly spotters, fisherfolk and simple seekers of a few hours respite from urban tempos enjoy this preserved landscape.

Situated between Bellingham and Alger, development of the surrounding hills seems inevitable. WLT was pleased to have the opportunity to preserve this sort of valuable habitat while it’s still around. In the 1890s, the Bloedel Donovan Company logged and then sold this land to Victor Squires, a railroad worker.  Squires built a log home and an earthen dam, which created the lake. In the 1920s, the dam burst, taking out the road below it.  Squires replaced the dam with the concrete one that is still
present today. Later, Ralph Squires stocked the lake with fish and muskrat, and sportsmen paid to fish and trap.  In the 1950s, Martin Squires ran a fish hatchery below the lake. In a letter to Whatcom Land Trust, sellers Martin and Margaret Squires
said, “We are extremely happy to see this come about.  And I’m sure that my mother and father, Leta and Ralph Squires, would also be pleased to see that what was once our property is now and will forever be a park that everyone can enjoy.”