Welcome once more! Here is some background on how I became involved in exploring the original sources on Daniel J. Harris. After moving to Bellingham’s Fairhaven Neighborhood in late 2001, I became interested in the history of the section of the waterfront that my apartment overlooks. I quickly learned that during the period from 1900 to 1980 the Fairhaven shore- line east and north of Padden Creek had been home to a series of lumber milling, logging and boatbuilding operations, several of them being world-class enterprises. All were located on land once owned by Dan Harris, a legendary folk character around whom many unsubstiantiated stories have arisen.

       Consequently, I realized that my research must begin with Dan Harris’s real estate acquisitions and sales as found in land and court records in both Washington and California. This led to an exhaustive search of newspaper references to Dan Harris during his lifetime and shortly after his death. Finally, I turned the ships' logs from the whaling voyages in which Dan Harris participated. Research of Washington sources is virtually completed and investigation of sources on Long Island, NY, where Dan was Born, and in Southern California, where he died, is well underway. Because of the time-consuming nature of this research effort, I decided to post the results serially online and to publish them in booklet form as funds permit.