Real Places--Real People
Angel Island
"If you would escape from the
puzzling present for a while into an understandable yesterday place of romance
and ghostly beauty, [Angel Island] is for you." --Margot
Patterson Doss
Directions: Angel
Island is accessible only by private boat or public ferry. Ferry service is
available daily from San Francisco or Tiburon. From Fisherman's Wharf (Pier 43
1/2), the Blue and GoldFerry provides regular service. For ferry schedules,
call 415-773-1188. If you take CalTrain, plan one hour of brisk walking from
the depot to Fisherman's Wharf.
Grade: The trail around
Angel Island is moderate with small elevation gains. The trail to 781-foot
high Mt. Caroline Livermore is quite strenuous.
Distance: Five miles
on the Perimeter Trail.
Time: All
day.
Special Conditions:
Restrooms are available along the trail. A snack bar is at Ayala Cove. Biking
is popular on the Perimeter Trail. No dogs. Stay on trails, and avoid poison
oak.
Names of features on Angel Island begin to give
you a sense of its history: Ayala Cove; West, East and North Garrison; Camp
Reynolds and Fort McDowell; China Cove; Quarry Point; Batteries Wallace,
Ledyard, and Drew; Alcatraz Gardens; and Mt. Caroline Livermore describe real
places named after real people who left their mark on the island.
We
recommend catching the ferry at 10 a.m. to enjoy six full hours on the island.
After a 20-minute ride, the ferry circles around the western side, passing Camp
Reynolds, and soon docks at Ayala Cove.
Named
for Lt. Juan Manuel de Ayala, who brought his sailing ship, the San Carlos, to
San Francisco Bay in 1775, this area once served as a quarantine station
(Hospital Cove) where immigrants believed to be carrying infectious diseases
could be isolated. Lt. Ayala also named the island--Isla de Los Angeles (Island
of the Angels).
Take
a few minutes to explore the Visitors Center in the old hospital building near
the picnic area to review the displays and to get oriented to the history,
topography, and biology of the island. Pick up a map, and purchase one of the
small guidebooks. An excellent video will introduce you to the island's
history.
From
the Visitors Center, go uphill to Perimeter Road and turn right.
The
first significant development is West Garrison, or Camp Reynolds. Established
in 1863 as a Union depot for recruits from the East Coast being assigned in the
West, the camp was fortified to head off a possible Confederate invasion of San
Francisco Bay. The Angel Island Association has restored a building called
"Officers Quarters II" and the adjacent bake house. Nearby is a small
church that served the Fort and provided space for a day school.
Moving
on, you will soon arrive at a series of batteries--Wallace, Ledyard, and Drew.
These were built during the Spanish-American War, became operational in 1904,
and were decommissioned in 1909, never having fired a shot in anger.
Perles
Beach is worth a side trip. On a clear day, it's the ultimate view of San
Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. On the southeast side of the island is an
abandoned Nike missile site, the last military encampment on the island. When
the Army left, the entire island--except for one tiny tip used by the Coast
Guard--was given to the state of California for park purposes.
The
East Garrison (Fort McDowell) was a troop embarkation point during World War
II. The North Garrison served as an Asian immigration station in the early
1900s and was also used to detain Japanese and a few German war prisoners
during World War II.
You
can hike, jog, or bike around Angel Island in a few hours, but you need years
to really get to know it.