About Mare Island
Whether Mare Island is really an island or a peninsula is a question debated among locals. The northern area of the island is surrounded by marshes with fluctuating levels of water, which is at the crux of the debate. Regardless of whether Mare Island is an island or a peninsula one thing is agreed that it is an interesting place to live. People can explore Mare Island’s terrain for themselves at the Mare Island Historic Preserve and other trails. The trail will be open the day of the run/walk.
Mare Island has a long and interesting history. Undoubtedly the area was well known to the indigenous Cortina and Yocha Dehe tribes. The first Europeans in this area were the Spaniards. The land was deeded to General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo in 1844, hence the name Vallejo. The name Mare Island also derives from an event involving General Vallejo. Once the General was transporting his livestock on a ferry, when it sunk during a squal, among the livestock was general Vallejo’s prized white mare. He thought for sure his favorite horse was lost. Days later, the mare was found on the island, and so the island was named Isla de la Yegua, Spanish for Mare Island.
Mare Island also has strong ties to the US Navy. The land that is now Mare Island was purchased by the Navy in 1853 and ship building began under the direction of Commander David Farragut. The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy shipyard established on the Pacific Coast! It was an important submarine port and during WWII a majority of the battleships were produced right on Mare Island. More information about Mare Island’s naval history can be found at Mare Island’s Naval Historic Park which hosts exhibits for visitors. The park is open during weekdays and every third weekend of the month and will be open November 20 for the 5K. Mare Island continued to be an important shipyard, until 1993, when the entire base was closed as part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission. This closure hit the community of Vallejo hard, as the shipyard provided most of the jobs for the community and was even considered the largest industrial plant in all of California. In these hard times the community has tried to pull together and Mare Island is also home to the Vallejo People’s Garden which not only educates the community about local organic sustainable agricultures but provides produce to local homeless shelters.
Despite some bumps along the way, Mare Island not only has a strong past but a vibrant future. Over the past 18 years, Mare Island has begun to rebuild itself and currently over 70 companies and organizations are operating on Mare Island. These have produced over 1,700 new jobs for the surrounding community. One of these organizations is Touro University.
We hope on November 20th after the race you will be able to explore Mare Island and see all that it has to offer!
