Point Pinole Regional Shoreline is a

regional park A regional park is an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government. Definition A regional park can be a special park distr ...

on the shores of the

San Pablo Bay San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of the San Francisco Bay in the East Bay and North Bay regions of the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California. Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep wate ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

(the northern arm of the

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...

), in the United States. It is approximately in area, and is operated by the

East Bay Regional Park District The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is a Special-purpose district, special district operating in Alameda County, California, Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California, within the East Bay (California), East Bay area of the San Fra ...

. It includes the

Dotson Family Marsh The Dotson Family Marsh, formerly Breuner Marsh, is a 238-acre (96 ha)Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 3, 1905, and has a Richmond, California, City Council, city council.

. It is on the site of a number of former explosives factories; the largest of these was operated by the

Giant Powder Company The Giant Powder Company was an explosives manufacturing company which operated from the mid 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, located in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. The Giant Powder Company was the first com ...

, which was relocated to this relatively remote spot following accidental explosions at its former sites in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and at

Albany Hill Albany Hill is a prominent hill along the east shore of San Francisco Bay in the city of Albany, California. Geologically, the hill is predominantly Jurassic sandstone, carried to the western edge of North America on the Pacific Plate and scr ...

. Giant had built the first

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

manufacturing plant in the United States at a site known as Glen Canyon Park, which started up on March 19, 1868. On November 26, 1869, there was an explosion that destroyed every building on the site (including the fence around the plant). The plant was forced to move farther away from heavily populated areas. Another explosion occurred at the Albany Hill plant in 1892, before Giant built its last plant in the lightly populated area of Pinole Point. Giant created a small unincorporated community, which it named Giant, California. Later, the Giant community became the established Croatian community of Sobrante."Listed California Historical Resources No. 1002-1. No. 1002-1 Site of Giant Powder Company (Point Pinole) " California State Parks. Office of Historical Preservation. 1917.
Accessed September 4, 2017."Listed California Historical Resources No. 1002." California State Parks. Office of Historical Preservation. 1917.
Accessed September 4, 2017. Although the Point Pinole factory operated until 1960, when Bethlehem Steel Company acquired the property from Atlas Powder Company, little trace of it now remains. After several years, the East Bay Regional Park District acquired the property and opened Point Pinole to the public as a park in 1973. A plaque denotes the site as a

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

. The facility's former tramway grades provide a network of nearly of gently sloping paths for

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

cycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

and

horse-riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the u ...

. The other relic of the park's industrial past is the large number of

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

glades groves which were planted around the factory site to buffer against potential explosions. The park features the promontory of Point Pinole, located where the East Bay shoreline turns from running south towards Berkeley and

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

to running eastwards, inland. Geologically, it is a result of movement on the

Hayward Fault The Hayward Fault Zone is a right-lateral strike-slip geologic fault zone capable of generating destructive earthquakes. The fault was first named in the Lawson Report of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake in recognition of its involvement in the ...

which runs along its western edge, creating a low scarp. It offers superb views across the bay in all directions, towards San Francisco to the southwest,

Mount Tamalpais Mount Tamalpais (; ; Miwok languages, Miwok: ''Támal Pájiṣ''), known locally as Mount Tam, is a mountain, peak in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Much of Mount Tama ...

and the

Marin Headlands The Marin Headlands are a hilly peninsula at the southernmost end of Marin County, California, United States, located just north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, which connects the two counties and peninsulas. The entire area is p ...

to the northwest, inland across San Pablo Bay to the north and east, and Mt. Diablo inland to the southeast. Fresh and ocean waters mix at this point, so the marine life is rich; a leisure pier has been built at the end of promontory, replacing a former jetty used by the factories, and is a popular location for

angling Angling (from Old English ''angol'', meaning "hook") is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated with a fishing rod, although rodless te ...

. The parks trails are almost level allowing for easy walks. There is a $3 parking fee and a $2 per dog fee.

In 2008 the park acquired the adjoining Breuner Marsh site and added it to the Point Pinole Regional Shoreline park. EBRPD renamed it the

Dotson Family Marsh The Dotson Family Marsh, formerly Breuner Marsh, is a 238-acre (96 ha)bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

life, including many

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

s and

shorebird 245px, A flock of Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflats in order to foraging, ...

s, and the endangered black rail. It is located on the

Pacific Flyway The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading ...

, so many migrant species are also seen. The marsh provides habitat for several creatures, including the Ridgway's rail and the

salt marsh harvest mouse The salt-marsh harvest mouse (''Reithrodontomys raviventris''), also known as the red-bellied harvest mouse, is an endangered rodent endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area salt marshes in California. Taxonomy The two distinct subspecies are both ...

. Whittell Marsh is the site of one of the few remaining Native American

shellmound A midden is an old dump for domestic waste. It may consist of animal bones, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupat ...

s in the San Francisco Bay Area."Whittell Marsh Shellmound"
Bay Area Native Sites, retrieved October 10, 2018. The park is located on the

, whose exact position is marked by monuments erected by the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

. The USGS has a seismometer posted along the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

, which divides the park from the mainland; the park is reached via a bridge across the railroad. The

San Francisco Bay Trail The San Francisco Bay Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian trail that when finished will allow continuous travel around the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. As of 2020, of the trail have been completed. When finished, the trail will be over of pa ...

runs through the park. The park can be reached by the

AC Transit AC Transit is the main Public transport bus service, bus transit operator in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, California. AC Transit is the third largest bus operator in California, serving the western portions of Alameda and C ...

bus service, by car, or by bicycle.

Pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, by wheelchair or with other mobility aids. Streets and roads often have a designated footpath for pedestrian traffic, called the '' sidewalk'' in North American English, the ''pavement'' in British En ...

and

cyclist Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

admission is free, but there is a parking fee.

Recent construction projects

Playground area

The playground at Point Pinole park was temporarily closed for construction from mid-August through October, 2017. During this time, the playground was resurfaced with wood fiber, equipment replaced with a net climber and a stand-up spinner, and a wheelchair-accessible path and picnic tables were added. All park paths remained open to the public during this work.

Atlas Road Bridge

On April 22, 2017, EBRPD dedicated the Atlas Road Bridge, a combination vehicle and wheelchair-compliant pedestrian bridge that connects to the San Francisco Bay Trail. This activity included building a new main entrance and parking area. The new entrance provides a bridge over active railroad tracks, which had been a hazard for pedestrians approaching the park from the parking lot. The project cost $11.7 million, which was largely funded by local bond Measure CC, the City of Richmond and grants from the following grantors: * California State Parks * California Natural Resources Agency * Contra Costa Transportation Authority The new bridge is part of a multi-phase project that will eventually lead to additional picnic areas, a new playground and the route to a new interpretive center for the park.

Dotson Family Marsh

At the same ceremony in April 2017, EBRPD also renamed and dedicated Breuner Marsh as the Dotson Family Marsh, honoring a family led by Reverend Richard Dotson, who had worked for many years to keep Breuner Marsh wild and open to the public, opposing several attempts to develop the tract for commercial ventures. Rev. Dotson was able to organize residents of his own neighborhood in Richmond, Parchester, reminding them that the builder of their houses had promised they would always have access to the bay. He also recruited the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

as an influential ally in the three-decade legal fight against the developers. Dotson's group prevailed, and EBRPD acquires the marsh through eminent domain in March 2008. The district then attached the marsh to Point Pinole Regional Shoreline.Alvarez, Ana M. and Erich Pfueler. "Preserving a Marsh for People and Wildlife: The Dotson Family Marsh." ''Parks & Recreation''. February 1, 2017.
Accessed September 4, 2017. Point pinole lagoon

Habitat restoration

The Dotson Marsh restoration project is intended to adapt the PPS to a self-sustaining wetland complex that will include filtering polluted run-off water. It also provides adaptations for anticipated

sea level rise The sea level has been rising from the end of the last ice age, which was around 20,000 years ago. Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by , with an increase of per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had e ...

caused by climate change. The cost of restoration is estimated at $14 million, with at least 10 different entities providing funds.

Notes

References

External links

* Rose, Evelyn.
Giant Powder Company: Historical essay
" Digital archive @ Found SF. 2007–8. Accessed July 26, 2018.
East Bay Regional Park District: official Point Pinole Regional Shoreline website

A short history of California Historical Landmarks
— including #1002
Wikimapia: aerial image of Point Pinole
{{coord, 38.0060, N, 122.3625, W, region:US-CA_dim:2000, display=title East Bay Regional Park District Parks in Richmond, California San Pablo Bay

Pinole Pinole, also called pinol, is roasted ground maize. The resulting powder is then used as a nutrient-dense ingredient to make different foods, such as cereals, baked goods, tortillas, and beverages. For example, it can be mixed with a combination ...

San Francisco Bay Trail California Historical Landmarks