Richardson Island
Aerial image of an island.
USGS aerial imagery of the former location of Richardson Island
Richardson Island is located in San Francisco Bay Area
Richardson Island
Richardson Island
Richardson Island is located in California
Richardson Island
Richardson Island
Richardson Island is located in the United States
Richardson Island
Richardson Island
Geography
LocationNorthern California
Coordinates37°56′12″N 122°31′04″W / 37.93667°N 122.51778°W / 37.93667; -122.51778 (Richardson Island)[1]
Adjacent toSan Francisco Bay
Highest elevation16 ft (4.9 m)[1]
Administration
United States
State California
CountyMarin

Richardson Island is a former marsh island in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, now completely surrounded by land. It is located in Marin County, California, in the city of Corte Madera. Its coordinates are 37°56′12″N 122°31′04″W / 37.93667°N 122.51778°W / 37.93667; -122.51778 (Richardson Island)[1], and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) gave its elevation as 16 ft (4.9 m) in 1981.[1] It appears as an island in USGS maps surveyed in 1894.[2] It is near the end of Corte Madera Creek, where it flows into San Francisco Bay.[3]

In the late 1800s, it was owned by the Corte Madera Rancho del Presidio; its proprietors were sued by the United States in 1891, alleging that they had procured the island (and other land in the area) through fraudulent means.[4] In 1908, construction of railroad track for the Green Brae–Corte Madera cutoff involved workers cutting through the southeastern end of the island;[5] by 1925, it was part of the Keever estate.[5] Henry Richardson, a member of the Amundsen polar expedition, was born on Richardson Island.[6] By 1941, USGS maps show Richardson Island as completely connected to the mainland.[7]

In 1950, the city of Corte Madera engaged in an "annexation war" with neighboring Larkspur; Richardson Island was one of several pieces of land Corte Madera attempted to annex.[8] Of four tracts, one was approved by the city to be annexed by ordinance—the "Fifer-Moore addition", located on Richardson Island.[9] Larkspur had previously attempted to block annexation of the island by "cutting it off" from Corte Madera.[8] While it is labeled in a 1954 USGS map of the region, by that point it was no longer an island.[3] By 2009, the area previously occupied by Richardson Island was part of Corte Madera, and primarily zoned for mixed-use commercial, mixed-use gateway area, and public and semi-public facilities.[10]: 27  It was classified under the "Fifer Avanue/Tamal Vista" community plan study area.[10]: 43 

References

  1. ^ a b c d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Richardson Island
  2. ^ Gannett, Henry; Goode, R.U.; Marshall, R.B. (1896). "California: Tamalpais Sheet". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b United States Geological Survey (1954). "San Rafael Quadrangle, California" (Map). United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey. 1:24000.
  4. ^ "Three islands stolen. The Corte Madera Rancho Suit Brought at Last". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. 1891-08-30. p. 9.
  5. ^ a b "The Latest By Wire". The Petaluma Daily Courier. Petaluma, California. 1908-10-29. p. 1.
  6. ^ "Corte Madera Notes". San Anselmo Herald. San Anselmo, California. 1925-06-26. p. 7.
  7. ^ "Topography, State of California: Tamalpais Quadrangle". United States Geological Survey. 1941. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Corte Madera 'Peace Feeler' Next Step In Annexation War". Daily Independent Journal. San Rafael, California. 1950-08-16. p. 1.
  9. ^ "Corte Madera OKs One Annexation, Rejects 4 Others". Daily Independent Journal. San Rafael, California. 1950-10-10. p. 1.
  10. ^ a b Town of Corte Madera (2009). "General Plan: Land Use". Retrieved 18 September 2021.
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