Brother Islands next to each other, from the water

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 ...

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

History

See also

References

External links