The islands were apparently first given their names "Farallones" (literally, "cliffs") by Friar Antonio de la Ascencion, aboard the Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno's 1603 expedition. The name of St James is now applied to only one of the rocky islets of the North Farallons. He named them the Islands of Saint James because the day after his arrival was the feast day of St James the Great. On that day, Drake landed on the islands to collect seal meat and bird eggs for his ship. The first European to create a record of the islands that has survived was the English privateer and explorer Sir Francis Drake, on July 24, 1579. The first Europeans to see these islands were most probably the members of the Juan Cabrillo expedition of 1542, which sailed as far north as Point Reyes, but no source record of the Cabrillo expedition's actual sighting of these islands has survived. They are not believed to have traveled to the islands. The peaks of the Farallon Islands are visible from coastal areas of San Francisco and Marin County, so the Native Americans who lived in the San Francisco area were aware of them, and believed them to be an abode of the spirits of the dead. History Aerial view of the Southeast Farallon Island from the south Additionally, waters surrounding the islands are protected as part of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. In 1974, the Farallon Wilderness was established ( Public Law 93-550) and includes all islands except the Southeast Island for a total of 141 acres (57 ha). The Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge is one of 63 national wildlife refuges that have congressionally designated wilderness status. The only inhabited portion of the islands is on Southeast Farallon Island (SEFI), where researchers from Point Blue Conservation Science and the U.S. The islands are part of the City and County of San Francisco. The islands lie 30 miles (48 km) outside the Golden Gate and 20 miles (32 km) south of Point Reyes, and are visible from the mainland on clear days. The islands are also sometimes referred to by mariners as the Devil's Teeth Islands, in reference to the many treacherous underwater shoals in their vicinity. The Farallon Islands, or Farallones (from Spanish farallón 'pillar, sea cliff'), are a group of islands and sea stacks in the Gulf of the Farallones, off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States. National Register of Historic Placesįarallon Islands, with border of Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge Southeast Farallon Islands (from nautical chart of 1957) A Fata Morgana mirage of the Farallon Islands, as viewed from San Francisco
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |