Come to the Islands, The Islands of San Francisco

People take for granted that the San Francisco Bay and region have many islands.  Some you can drive to, some are accessible only by ferryboats, some didn’t exist one day and did a year later, and one is entirely a Bed & Breakfast.

I’m starting with Alcatraz because that is the one island in the San Francisco Bay everyone knows.  Originally established as a military prison, it became the infamous federal prison known today in 1934.  Surprisingly it only lasted 29 years before it shut down in 1963.  But in that time its legend and legacy has made it the most popular attraction in San Francisco, attracting over a million and a half visitors a year, and becoming cultural fodder in movies and on TV. 

We all know The Birdman of Alcatraz, Escape from Alcatraz, and the Rock. But do you remember the short-lived TV series, cleverly titled, “Alcatraz” starring Jurassic Park actor Sam Neil?  There is something about the mystique of Alcatraz which draws millions of visitors a year.

Alcatraz Island

Angel island is the largest of the islands in the San Francisco Bay and has buildings that date back to the civil war, older than Alcatraz.  It has served many functions over the years, but was primarily known as the, “Ellis Island of the West.”  Angel Island was where immigrants were interned while their applications were processed. 

With the passage of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act by the US Congress, mandating a ten-year ban on all Chinese laborers coming to the United States, immigration from China slowed to a trickle.  This was the only act of congress to single out a specific ethnic group by name, by the way.

Many other nationalities were processed and allowed to enter the United States in a reasonable amount to time, but not the Chinese.  Some languished for years (yes, years) on Angel Island until they were allowed to enter this country or deported back.  The dormitory they were forced to reside in is now a museum and has displays of messages carved into the walls.  Messages Chinese immigrants sharing their experience were left for new arrivals to learn from. 

Angel Island 

Today Angel Island is a state park and offers an array of activities visitors can enjoy.  When I last visited the island, I found live music in the summer, bike rentals, tours of the island, camping, and many more fun things to do.  During the last government shut-down Alcatraz was closed as it is run by the National Park Service, but not Angel Island.  When I was a hotel concierge, it was my go-to alternative when Alcatraz was either shut down or sold out.  And for many it was the best part of their visit to San Francisco.

Yerba Buena Island which serves an anchor for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was once called Goat Island.  When California became part of the United States, several people disputed its ownership, but in 1866 the federal government appropriated the island and has been in the hands of the US government until the 1990s..  WWII admiral Chester Nimitz had a home on Yerba Buena Island and it is now used as a conference center.

Yerba Buena Island and the the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

It wasn’t until the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was completed in 1936 did Yerba Buena Island come into its current prominence.  Only three years later, San Francisco’s newest island was developed adjacent to Yerba Buena Island.

What do I mean by developed?  It took two years (again in the middle of a depression using century-old technology) during the same period San Francisco built two Transbay bridges, a modern transit center, in addition a city-sized artificial island - all at the same time!

The cleverly titled Treasure Island was built for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition World’s Fair.  Ironically the author of the book Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson, lived (and was even married) in San Francisco for a couple of years in the 1880s.

The 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition was planned to run two seasons over 1939 and 1940.  Sadly, many of the pavilions representing a number of European countries that opened the fair in1939, were closed by the time the fair shut its gates on September 29th, 1940 due to the Nazi German invasion of their borders.  One year those pavilions were open to the public, the next they were boarded up as their respective nations were invaded.

After the Golden Gate International Exposition fair ended it was planned to turn Treasure Island into an airport.  A year later, the United States found itself fighting a war on two fronts and the US Navy assumed control of Treasure Island for the next 50 years.  With the end of the Cold War the navy gave it to the city.  Since the 1990s is has been used as a film production facility, a center for at-risk youth, and soon the latest destination for high-end residential towers with stunning views of the city and bay.

The least famous, and most deserving of recognition is not even called an island, but a light station? The East Brother Light Station straddles the line between San Francisco and San Pablo Bays.  A lighthouse was built on a tiny island in 1873, and at 0.7 acres it is the smallest habitable island in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Since 1979, and with only half a dozen rooms, East Brother Light Station has become an exclusive Bed & Breakfast.