Tubbs Island Explained

Tubbs Island
Image Alt:A photograph of a field on an island.
Pushpin Map:United States San Francisco Bay Area#USA California#USA
Coordinates:38.1497°N -122.4242°W
Location:Northern California
Waterbody:San Pablo Bay
Area Sqft:or
Area Acre:-->
Length Ft:-->
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Elevation Ft:0
Country:United States
Country Admin Divisions Title:State
Country Admin Divisions Title 1:County
Country Admin Divisions 1:Sonoma

Tubbs Island is an island in San Pablo Bay (an embayment of San Francisco Bay). It is in Sonoma County, California, and parts of it are managed as part of the Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area. Its coordinates are 38.1497°N -122.4242°W, and the United States Geological Survey measured its elevation as in 1981. It, long with Island No. 1, Island No. 2 and Green Island, are labeled on a 1902 USGS map of the area.

Tubbs Island used to be home to a town of the same name, but now all that remains is a single outhouse visible from SR 37. The rest of the town is below the surface of the mud.[1] [2] Following the disappearance of the town, Tubbs Island was used as a gunnery range and chemical weapons testing site. The government has since invested into multiple cleanups of the island, mainly of contaminated soil, sediment, and water.[3] [4]

The point on the southwestern end of Tubbs Island is named "Midshipman Point". It was previously diked agricultural land, but has since been restored to marshland by Audubon California.[5] [6] [7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2019-02-25 . Solved: The Mystery of the Lone Toilet Bartell's Backroads . 2024-06-18 . abc10.com . en-US.
  2. Web site: The Lone Toilet - Industry News - Magazine - Movin' Out . 2024-06-18 . www.movinout.com . en.
  3. Web site: Bombs in Your Backyard: TUBBS ISLAND . 2024-06-18 . ProPublica.
  4. Web site: December 1945 . Tubbs Island Air to Ground Gunnery Range . 2024-06-18 . Military Museum.
  5. Petaluma Point Quadrangle, California. U.S. Geological Survey. 2022-01-19. 1:24,000. US Topo. 2024-06-18.
  6. Napa Quadrangle, California - 1902. U.S. Geological Survey. 1902. 1:125,000. Topographic Sheet. 2024-06-18.
  7. Web site: 2015-07-02 . Lower Tubbs Island restoration . 2024-06-18 . Audubon California . en.