National Register #77000332 27 Miles West of San Francisco
Although the Farallones are located in the Pacific Ocean twenty-
seven miles west the Golden Gate and twenty miles south of Point
Reyes, they are part of the City and County of San Francisco.
The Farallones contain the largest seabird colony in the
continental United States and have been protected as the
Farallon National Wildlife Refuge since 1909. The archipelago
consists of the South Farallon Islands, the Middle Farallon
Island, and the North Farallon Islands. Southeast Farallon
Island (SEFI) is the largest island in the archipelago. With
housing for scientists from the Point Reyes Bird Observatory and
other researchers, SEFI is the only inhabited island. Other
islands in the southern group are Seal Rock, Maintop Island,
Drunk Uncle Islets, the Great West Arch and Smaller West Arch,
Sugarloaf Island, Sea Lion Rock, and Hurst Shoal. The privateer
Sir Francis Drake landed on the islands in 1579 and was the
first European to record them. They were char