The Brothers are a pair of small
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
s,
East Brother and West Brother, located in the
San Rafael Bay embayment of
San Pablo Bay
San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in the East Bay and North Bay regions of the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California.
Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep water c ...
, these roughly west of
Point San Pablo in
Contra Costa County, California
) of the San Francisco Bay
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1 = State
, subdivision_name1 = California
, subdivision_type2 ...
.
History
The 19th century Mexican ''Diseño del Rancho de San Pablo'', (diseño: a plat map typically used to indicate
rancho land grant boundaries in
Alta California), names East Brother Island as ''Isla de Pajaros'' or "Bird Island." They are shown, labeled "The Brothers", on an 1850 survey map of the
San Francisco Bay area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
made by
Cadwalader Ringgold
Cadwalader Ringgold (August 20, 1802 – April 29, 1867) was an officer in the United States Navy who served in the United States Exploring Expedition, later headed an expedition to the Northwest and, after initially retiring, returned to service ...
.
The Brothers, along with
The Sisters (two exposed rocks north of the
Marin Islands
The Marin Islands are two small islands, named East Marin and West Marin, in San Rafael Bay, an embayment of San Pablo Bay in Marin County, California.
Geography
The Marin Islands are located offshore from the city of San Rafael, in the north ...
, just off Point San Pedro) on the opposite side of San Pablo
Strait, were originally reserved for
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
purposes by order of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Andrew Johnson in 1867. After many a court battle, the plans were scrapped.
East Brother Island is home to the
East Brother Island Light, a
light house
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
and a
Victorian house
In Great Britain and former British colonies, a Victorian house generally means any house built during the reign of Queen Victoria. During the Industrial Revolution, successive housing booms resulted in the building of many millions of Victorian ...
, that is a present-day
bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...
.
See also
*
*
List of islands of California
This list of islands of California is organized into sections, generally arranged from north to south. The islands within each section are listed in alphabetical order.
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) lists 527 named islands in the ...
References
External links
East Brother Light Station
Islands of Contra Costa County, California
Islands of San Francisco Bay
Islands of Northern California
San Pablo Bay
Geography of Richmond, California
Tourist attractions in Richmond, California
{{ContraCostaCountyCA-geo-stub