Ryer Island History


Index Historic maps Wrong_Ryer_maps
	The links to PDF's below give some historical facts about Ryer Island and the people who reclaimed it. Maps and written accounts found in books and government records show Ryer Island started being settled during the Gold Rush days. But maps from 1850's show the lands as two distinct islands with natural levees. The islands were called Schoolhouse and Sutter. By the 1870's surveys and land grants resulted in changes to the lands, and the two islands received handmade levees by the land owners by 1890, when the maps show the name Ryer. A different smaller island to the north on Steamboat Slough was then renamed to "Sutter". Dr. Ryer from San Francisco was noted in documents as planning and building a good footing for the current-day levees of Ryer Island. The current levee was not improved to its current level until the "Project Levee" construction phase of the 1930's. See the Historic maps page. Steamboat Slough borders Ryer Island to the south, and Steamboat Slough was the main waterway route to Sacramento for many years, according to documents, maps and paintings. Ryer Island had many landings where the smaller steambhips would stop to pick up produce for market or drop off supplies. You might want to look at the "Historic Maps" page to get an idea of the number of farms and landings on Ryer and Grand Islands during this time in history. An author, Mr. Hutchings, in his 1872 publication of his travels up Steamboat Slough had a very quaint way of describing the natural setting of the Delta in that time: He spoke of tall trees along the natural levees, snug little cottages, and abundant salmon. The Hutchings sketch above right shows a steamboat just leaving Steamboat Slough to enter the main channel of "Old River"-Sacramento River. Scenes_of_Wonder_and_Curiosity_in_Califo.pdf salmon_steamboat_slough_hutching.pdf The island is reported to have flooded several times along with all of the Delta from the 1850's to the 1920's. The first flood control plan for the Sacramento Valley was developed by the state engineer Williman Hammond Hall. Dr. Ryer, Mr. Kercheival (Grand Island farmer) and others from the Delta were very active in pusing the state and federal agencies to protect fertile prime Delta farmlands. 1900 to 1909 brought several major floods to the Delta region. Thereafter, The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1937 authorized construction of the initial features of the Central Valley Project, including improvement to specific Delta islands, including Ryer. Hense you may hear there are "Project Levees" in the Delta. Ryer Island has not flooded since the levees were improved after the 1907 flood. The development of Ryer as a unique island within the California Delta can be seen by viewing the Historic Maps page or the Photos and Sketches page. Grand Island, right across the way on Steamboat Slough, was improved prior to Ryer according to historical records, and then two smaller islands call Sutter and Schoolhouse were combined to form the current Ryer Island. Thereafter another island just north along Steamboat Slough was named Sutter. At first, Ryer was known for the abundance of asperagas grown on the fertile soil. Later the farmers broadened the plantings to cherries, peaches, apples, oranges, safflower, pears, tomatos and today there are several large wine grape growers on the island. Ryer Island cherries are the BEST in the world and can usually be purchased during season at a small roadside fruit stand on East Ryer Road across from the peninsula called Snug Harbor. It may take you an hour from most bay area communities to get to these cherries...but they are worth it! Most of the large farms on Ryer Island have been in the same family for 4 to 5 generations! Ryer Island is bordered by Steamboat Slough so the reader will more likely read about the waterways with reference to the islands.
Ryer Island History Historic maps maps-other Maps of Ryer Island DRMS wrong on Ryer Delta floods Google Maps and Ryer Island Wrong_Ryer_maps Soils and Seismic data GPS Conflicts GPS - other	Many maps can been seen at http://www.deltarevision.com and go to the historical maps pages!
	Ryer Island in 1873 may have been called Merrill Island or Schoolcraft Island until Dr. Ryer started the first major reclamation effort for the island.The earliest maps indicate the island was referred to as "Merrill" and "Schoolcraft Island" at one time, but was then purchased or land granted to the Dr. Ryer family. We've also seen a non-official map that indicated the use of Sutter for a short time possibly for part of Ryer Island. Note that it is boardered by Steamboat Slough in the Sacramento Delta region, Miner's Slough and Cache Slough also called the Sacramento Deep Water channel. Over the last 150 years, Ryer Island was the site of a school district, a railroad, a fish canning operation, many types of farming, recreational resorts, housing communities, stores and restaurants, and a small RV resort called Snug Harbor, which was named the "Best Small Park of California" in 2001 by the California Travel Park Association. (Actually, Snug Harbor is technically a peninsula attached to Ryer Island and is not Ryer Island land itself) Most governmental documents and reports record that Ryer Island only flooded in 1904 and 1907, before the current levee was built. However, one recent report found says the island flooded in 1986, contrary to all local knowledge and other governmental reports. We're still trying to get the data on that one conflicting report.
	Great Ryer Island Summary: History of Ryer Island by the Sacramento River Delta Historical Society (go to page 6)
Comparison of Seismic Map Results for Ryer Island and Long Point Island Maps Ryer Island in the California Delta	United States--California--Yolo County. United States--California. 1895. United States--California. 1851. United States--California. 1888] United States--California--Yolo County. 1871 United States--California. 1851. United States--California--San Francisco. c1908. United States--Southwest, New. 1882. United States--California. 1850?] United States--California--Solano County. 1890 United States--California. [2002]	Flood history: CalFed 1998 CA_Assembly_Flood_History DWR 1975 Delta Flood records History of Ryer Island Flooding-page 6 compare some flood maps: Delta Risk Management Strategy (DRMS) 2008 Section 7, Table 7-9a and other tables or maps summarizing Delta flooding since 1900
		Sketch from 1852 of Sacramento and Steamboat Slough confluence at north end of Steamboat Slough, which gives the viewer an idea of what Ryer Island might have looked like along its banks.