ethel Island is between Stockton and Oakley off Highway 4. The only
island access by car is the Bethel Island Bridge, which crosses
Dutch Slough from Oakley to the business district on the southern end
of the island. The original bridge collapsed when it was crossed by
members of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The island's recreational
beginnings were northeast of the present bridge. Farrar Park
had picnic tables, parking lot and rowboat rentals. The Jack J. Farrar family
arrived on Bethel Island in 1926, finding the only other inhabitants of
the island, a Hindu and his family, farming foreclosure property owned by
the Bank of America. In 1936, Jack Farrar was the first to subdivide the levee.
- Contra Costa County
the plowlands
HERE