Yerba Buena is a 116-acre island situated in San Francisco Bay between San Francisco and Oakland, California. Early on, the island was called by several names, including Sea Bird Island, Wood Island, and Goat Island.

The island was first intended for bay defense in 1861, when plans were made to install artillery batteries and garrison troops. However, construction was delayed until after the Civil War. Camp Yerba Buena was established in 1868 and served as a regular Army camp. It included a fog signal and an octagonal lighthouse, built in 1875, which still stands today. In 1880, the island and its improvements were transferred to the Navy Department.

Just before the turn of the 20th Century, the U.S. Navy established the first naval training station on the Pacific Coast on the island’s northeast side. In 1900, they built Quarters One, also known as the Nimitz House, as the Commandant’s residence. The training station closed in 1916.

The bay was dredged for the 1939 World’s Fair, and fills were added to the shoals on the North shore, creating “Treasure Island” as a fair site. The island then became a naval headquarters and an anchorage for the Oakland Bay Bridge. In 1996, the naval base and the Presidio de San Francisco were decommissioned and opened to public control, with certain conditions. The island today features numerous buildings that once served the U.S. military and buildings from the 1939 World’s Fair. Today, the island still serves as a Coast Guard Station.

You can reach the island from either side of San Francisco Bay by taking the Yerba Buena exit off the Oakland Bay Bridge.

 

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated September 2026.

Also See:

California Main Page

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Forts Across America

Historic California Forts

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