Photography: Aerial Canvas
San Francisco’s best-known island is Alcatraz, the site of one of the most infamous prison breakouts in history. But other islands dot the Bay, and they have their own intriguing pasts.
Red Rock Island is the only private island in the San Francisco Bay. It spans six acres and is situated near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to the north of San Francisco. In the 19th century, the island was a site for manganese mining, and abandoned mining tunnels still exist, along with the coast guard’s old fog bell. Otherwise, the private island is undeveloped, and the reddish hunk of rock can only be accessed via boat or helicopter.
According to an agent at Private Islands Inc., the islet has been used as the Alaskan seller’s ‘family retreat’. The company is listing the San Francisco property for a whopping $25m, and there appear to be no permanent structures on the site. There are, however, plenty of hiking trails across the island, whose terrain varies from sandy beach on the east side to more rugged shoreline on the south and west sides, culminating with a grassy domed peak where mining activity took place. (The manganese mineral gives the island its distinctive reddish hue).
‘Prospective buyers have the option to maintain the island’s natural state or embark on their dream development project,’ says the agent. ‘Previous proposals have suggested conservation efforts, transforming it into a hotel, marina, residence, or even quarrying its rock for highway construction.’ What would you do?
