Booming commerce in the late 19th century led to the need for the expansion of shipping facilities in both Oakland and Alameda. A shipping and tidal channel was dredged between them in 1902, extending and deepening the natural estuary joining Oakland’s harbor with the San Leandro Bay. Consequently, Alameda became an “island” as well as an important shipping port. Most of the excavated soil was used to fill sections of the nearby marsh land. View north from Alameda toward the San Antonio District and 13th Ave., with Montclair and Glenview in distance. Photograph taken prior to construction of Government Island.


Collection of the Oakland History Room, Oakland Public Library