In 1885, it came into the possession of the Corte Madera Rancho del Presidio, one of the largest ranches in Marin County at the time.[6] Its proprietors were sued by the United States in 1891, alleging that they had procured the island (among some 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of land in the area) through a "false and fraudulent plot, alleged to have been made by field notes of an actual survey".[6] In 1908, construction of railroad track for the Green Brae–Corte Madera cutoff involved workers cutting through the southeastern end of the island;[7] by 1925, it had become part of the Keever estate.[7] Henry Richardson, a member of the Amundsen polar expedition, was born on Richardson Island.[8] By 1941, USGS maps show Richardson Island as completely connected to surrounding land;[3] while the label "Richardson Island" was still shown at the location on a 1954 USGS map, by that point it was no longer an island.[5]
In 1950, the city of Corte Madera engaged in an "annexation war" with neighboring Larkspur; Richardson Island was one of several pieces of land Corte Madera attempted to annex.[9] Of four tracts, one was approved by the city to be annexed by ordinance—the "Fifer-Moore addition", located on Richardson Island.[10] Larkspur had previously attempted to block annexation of the island by "cutting it off" from Corte Madera.[9] By 2009, the area previously occupied by Richardson Island was part of Corte Madera, and primarily zoned for mixed-use commercial, mixed-use gateway area, and public and semi-public facilities.[4]: 27 It was classified under the "Fifer Avenue/Tamal Vista" community plan study area.[4]: 43
^ abUnited States Geological Survey (1954). "San Rafael Quadrangle, California" (Map). United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey. 1:24000.
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