Tiburon in Marin County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Isolating Disease

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, July 30, 2022

1. Isolating Disease Marker

Inscription. A U.S. Quarantine Station was established in this cove in 1891 to isolate people with contagious diseases. The station included more than 40 buildings such as this bachelor officers quarters as well as…
”…commanding officer’s quarters, a large building for cabin passengers, a hospital for non-contagious cases, two contagious disease compounds – for smallpox, plague, and cholera.
“There are three large barracks for steerage passengers – two Chinese and one Japanese. There are two long bathhouses – one for cabin and one for steerage passengers.”
Captain John P. Finley, 1902

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1891.

Location. 37° 51.96′ N, 122° 26.116′ W. Marker is in Tiburon, California, in Marin County. It can be reached from Angel Island. Angel Island is located north of Alcatraz Island and is the largest island in the San Francisco Bay. It is accessed by ferry, private boat, watercraft, or kayak. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Belvedere Tiburon CA 94920, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area,

in the North Coast,

and specifically on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Angel Island (within shouting distance of this marker); Ayala Cove (within shouting distance of this marker); Medical Officers at Home

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(within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Angel Island (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Protecting the Public Health (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Ayala Cove (approx. 0.2 miles away); Melting Glaciers + Rising Seas = (approx. ¼ mile away); Camp Reynolds (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tiburon.

Another marker is no longer nearby. A Golden Port (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been permanently removed).

More about this marker. The marker is mounted to a metal stand in front of the former bachelor officers quarters (now a visitor center & museum).

Regarding Isolating Disease. The entire island is a state park, except for Point Blunt on the southeastern tip, which is controlled by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Also see . . . Angel Island Quarantine Station. "In 1892, a Quarantine Station was opened at Ayala Cove (then known as Hospital Cove), where ships from foreign ports could be fumigated, and immigrants
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, July 30, 2022

2. Bachelor Officers Quarters (Visitor Center & Museum)
The marker is in front of the flagpole
suspected of carrying diseases could be kept in isolation. The warship USS Omaha was borrowed from the Navy in 1893 and its boilers used to supply superheated steam for fumigation." (Submitted on August 6, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.)

View of the Bachelor Officers Quarters from Ayala Cove image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, July 30, 2022

3. View of the Bachelor Officers Quarters from Ayala Cove

Angel Island image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, July 30, 2022

4. Angel Island

North side as seen from a departing ferry

Credits. This page was last revised on January 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 155 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 6, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.