Yerba Buena Island
Encyclopedia
Yerba Buena Island sits in the San Francisco Bay
between San Francisco and Oakland, California
. The Yerba Buena Tunnel runs through its center and connects the western and eastern spans of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
. It has had several other names over the decades: Sea Bird Island, Wood Island, and Goat Island. The island is named after the town of Yerba Buena
, which was named for the plant of the same name that was abundant in the area. The plant's English and Spanish common name, Yerba buena
, is an alternate form of the Spanish
hierba buena (literally meaning "good herb"), generally used to describe local species of the mint family
.
The island is currently part of District 6 of the City and County of San Francisco. According to the United States Census Bureau
, Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island
together have a land area of 2.334 km2 (0.901 sq mi) with a total population of 1,453 as of the 2000 census
.
Today the land southeast of the Yerba Buena Tunnel belongs to the United States Coast Guard
(USCG). The USCG Sector San Francisco - Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) tower and traffic operations center are located on the peak of the island. USCG Sector San Francisco headquarters base is located at water-level on the southeast coast of the island. During Summer 2011 the USCG will open the new Interagency Operations Center (IOC) on the base. The IOC will house the VTS and the USCG Sector San Francisco Command Center, together in one building.
The first California legislature on February 18, 1850, passed an act establishing the boundaries of San Francisco County and naming the island after the former name of the city of San Francisco, Yerba Buena
, which was changed in 1847.
Officially, the island was Yerba Buena Island until 1895, when on a decision by the United States Board on Geographic Names
, it was changed to Goat Island. During the gold rush
, a large number of goat
s were pastured on the island, and the name "Goat Island" came into popular use. It was changed back to Yerba Buena Island on June 3, 1931.
The idea of a military post on Yerba Buena Island originated during the Civil War
, when it was feared a raiding Confederate warship could slip past Fort Point and Alcatraz
during a foggy night. However, it was not until the 1870s that Camp Yerba Buena Island was completed, including a fog signal and octagonal lighthouse
called Yerba Buena Light
(1875) that remain today. Just before the turn of the 20th century, the first U.S. Naval Training Station on the Pacific Coast was established on the north east side of the island. Quarters One, also known as the Nimitz House, was built about 1900 as the commandant's residence. Its Classic Revival style
, fashionable for private residences in the Bay Area at the time, was unusual for naval base housing. The training station closed after World War I
.
During World War II
, Yerba Buena Island fell under the jurisdiction of Treasure Island Naval Station, headquarters of the 12th Naval District. Built on the shoals of Yerba Buena Island, the 403-acre (163 ha) Treasure Island
was a Works Progress Administration
project in the 1930s. After hosting the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition
, the United States Navy
deemed Treasure Island an ideal location for transporting people and machines to the Pacific theater
, and on April 1, 1941, established Treasure Island Naval Station which also included a portion of Yerba Buena Island. Quarters One became the residence of the Commander of the Naval Base. Several other buildings used by the Naval Station during World War II also remain on the island, including the senior officers' quarters and Buildings 83, 205 and 230.
In 1996, the naval base and the Presidio of San Francisco
were decommissioned, and opened to public control, under stipulations. Quarters One is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The Tower: Atop YBI stands an old wooden tower. The tower was built circa 1917 as a signal tower for ships in the bay. Originally the tower had no roof. In the 1940s the tower was jacked up onto a new cement foundation and used by the US Navy as a control tower for seaplanes. Most recently the tower was used by the US Navy as an Officers' Club (a bar) for aviators -- The Tower Club. The Tower Club was condemned after the October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. It's stood in ruins since then. The view from the top of the tower is one of the best in the San Francisco Bay, but unfortunately it's closed to the public. The tower's destiny is unclear. It's not a registered historical landmark, so it's subject to being destroyed as YBI is redeveloped for commercial use.
) is a California Historical Landmark
.
In his book Two Years Before the Mast
, published in 1840, Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
mentioned the island and called it "Wood Island."
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
between San Francisco and Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. The Yerba Buena Tunnel runs through its center and connects the western and eastern spans of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
The San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge is a pair of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay of California, in the United States. Forming part of Interstate 80 and of the direct road route between San Francisco and Oakland, it carries approximately 270,000 vehicles per day on its two decks...
. It has had several other names over the decades: Sea Bird Island, Wood Island, and Goat Island. The island is named after the town of Yerba Buena
Yerba Buena (town)
Yerba Buena was the original name of San Francisco when in the Spanish Las Californias Province of New Spain, and then after 1822 in the Mexican territory of Alta California, until the Mexican American War ended with the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, when California became a territory of the...
, which was named for the plant of the same name that was abundant in the area. The plant's English and Spanish common name, Yerba buena
Yerba Buena
Yerba buena is a rambling aromatic herb of western and northwestern North America, ranging from maritime Alaska southwards to Baja California Sur...
, is an alternate form of the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
hierba buena (literally meaning "good herb"), generally used to describe local species of the mint family
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
.
The island is currently part of District 6 of the City and County of San Francisco. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island
Treasure Island, California
Treasure Island is an artificial island in the San Francisco Bay between San Francisco and Oakland, and an emerging neighborhood of San Francisco....
together have a land area of 2.334 km2 (0.901 sq mi) with a total population of 1,453 as of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
Today the land southeast of the Yerba Buena Tunnel belongs to the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
(USCG). The USCG Sector San Francisco - Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) tower and traffic operations center are located on the peak of the island. USCG Sector San Francisco headquarters base is located at water-level on the southeast coast of the island. During Summer 2011 the USCG will open the new Interagency Operations Center (IOC) on the base. The IOC will house the VTS and the USCG Sector San Francisco Command Center, together in one building.
History
Yerba Buena (town)
Yerba Buena was the original name of San Francisco when in the Spanish Las Californias Province of New Spain, and then after 1822 in the Mexican territory of Alta California, until the Mexican American War ended with the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, when California became a territory of the...
, which was changed in 1847.
Officially, the island was Yerba Buena Island until 1895, when on a decision by the United States Board on Geographic Names
United States Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names is a United States federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the U.S. government.-Overview:...
, it was changed to Goat Island. During the gold rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, a large number of goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s were pastured on the island, and the name "Goat Island" came into popular use. It was changed back to Yerba Buena Island on June 3, 1931.
The idea of a military post on Yerba Buena Island originated during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, when it was feared a raiding Confederate warship could slip past Fort Point and Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Often referred to as "The Rock" or simply "Traz", the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal...
during a foggy night. However, it was not until the 1870s that Camp Yerba Buena Island was completed, including a fog signal and octagonal lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
called Yerba Buena Light
Yerba Buena Light
Yerba Buena Lighthouse is a lighthouse in California,United States, in the San Francisco Bay on Yerba Buena Island, California-History:The island’s lighthouse connection began in 1873 when the Lighthouse Service moved the district's depot from Mare Island to the southeast side of Yerba Buena Island...
(1875) that remain today. Just before the turn of the 20th century, the first U.S. Naval Training Station on the Pacific Coast was established on the north east side of the island. Quarters One, also known as the Nimitz House, was built about 1900 as the commandant's residence. Its Classic Revival style
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
, fashionable for private residences in the Bay Area at the time, was unusual for naval base housing. The training station closed after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Yerba Buena Island fell under the jurisdiction of Treasure Island Naval Station, headquarters of the 12th Naval District. Built on the shoals of Yerba Buena Island, the 403-acre (163 ha) Treasure Island
Treasure Island, California
Treasure Island is an artificial island in the San Francisco Bay between San Francisco and Oakland, and an emerging neighborhood of San Francisco....
was a Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
project in the 1930s. After hosting the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition
Golden Gate International Exposition
The Golden Gate International Exposition , held at San Francisco, California's Treasure Island, was a World's Fair that celebrated, among other things, the city's two newly-built bridges. The San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge was dedicated in 1936 and the Golden Gate Bridge was dedicated in 1937...
, the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
deemed Treasure Island an ideal location for transporting people and machines to the Pacific theater
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
, and on April 1, 1941, established Treasure Island Naval Station which also included a portion of Yerba Buena Island. Quarters One became the residence of the Commander of the Naval Base. Several other buildings used by the Naval Station during World War II also remain on the island, including the senior officers' quarters and Buildings 83, 205 and 230.
In 1996, the naval base and the Presidio of San Francisco
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
were decommissioned, and opened to public control, under stipulations. Quarters One is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The Tower: Atop YBI stands an old wooden tower. The tower was built circa 1917 as a signal tower for ships in the bay. Originally the tower had no roof. In the 1940s the tower was jacked up onto a new cement foundation and used by the US Navy as a control tower for seaplanes. Most recently the tower was used by the US Navy as an Officers' Club (a bar) for aviators -- The Tower Club. The Tower Club was condemned after the October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. It's stood in ruins since then. The view from the top of the tower is one of the best in the San Francisco Bay, but unfortunately it's closed to the public. The tower's destiny is unclear. It's not a registered historical landmark, so it's subject to being destroyed as YBI is redeveloped for commercial use.
Miscellaneous
Located west of the island is Blossom Rock, a treacherous submerged stone which caused a number of shipwrecks, until ships learned to use some nearby redwood trees as a navigational aid to avoid it. The site of these trees (now located in Redwood Regional ParkRedwood Regional Park
Redwood Regional Park is a park of the East Bay Regional Parks District in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is located in the hills east of Oakland. The park contains the largest remaining natural stand of coast redwood found in the East Bay. Redwood forests are more commonly found closer to the...
) is a California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
.
In his book Two Years Before the Mast
Two Years Before the Mast
Two Years Before the Mast is a book by the American author Richard Henry Dana, Jr., published in 1840, having been written after a two-year sea voyage starting in 1834. A film adaptation under the same name was released in 1946.- Background :...
, published in 1840, Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
Richard Henry Dana Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts, a descendant of an eminent colonial family who gained renown as the author of the American classic, the memoir Two Years Before the Mast...
mentioned the island and called it "Wood Island."
See also
- Islands of San Francisco Bay
- Barnacle BillWilliam BernardWilliam Bernard was a 19th-century sailor, miner and resident of San Francisco, better known as the notorious "Barnacle Bill" of American yore whose fictional exploits are chronicled in the ribald drinking song "Barnacle Bill the Sailor" — itself adapted from "Bollocky Bill the Sailor", a...
- Treasure Island
- Treasure Island developmentTreasure Island developmentThe Treasure Island Development is a planned redevelopment on Treasure Island and parts of Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco Bay between San Francisco and Oakland within San Francisco city limits. Treasure Island's development is set to break ground during the year 2012.- Master Plan:The...
External links
- Treasure Hunting on Yerba Buena Island: San Francisco's newest neighborhood to be landscaped with locally appropriate native plants.