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Revision as of 14:57, 15 September 2008

There is another Rat Island in Alaska.

Rat Island is a tiny island approximately half an acre in size located in City Island Harbor which is a part of Long Island Sound, near New York City. It is about halfway between City Island and Hart Island and south of High Island. It is one of The Pelham Islands.

Description

The small irregular island has an odd dual humped appearance and is mostly a lump of Manhattan schist bedrock. There is a small channel cut into the bedrock on the southern side of the tiny island that was used for launching small boats. This channel is filled with mussel shells. There is a purple-bluish "beach" made of mussel shells on the west side of the island with some reed grass.

History

In the 1800s Rat Island was used for a typhoid quarantine hospital for about 40 infected people. The remains of cobblestone walls and foundations are still there. It was abandoned due to storm floods. Local legends say there was also a lighthouse for a while.

External links

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v t e Islands of New York City
Major islands	Long Manhattan Staten
Pelham Islands	The Blauzes Chimney Sweeps City Cuban Ledge Green Flats Hart High Hunter Rat Twin
New York Bay	Castle Clinton Cypress Tree Ellis Governors Hoffman Lafayette Liberty Swinburne Entirely in NJ Black Tom Robbins Reef
Jamaica Bay	Barren Bergen Broad Channel Coney Canarsie Pol Mau Mau Mill Plumb Ruffle Bar
Arthur Kill Kill Van Kull	Isle of Meadows Prall's Shooters
East River Newtown Creek	Berrien's Cob Dock Mill Rock Mussel North and South Brother Randalls and Wards Rikers Roosevelt U Thant (Belmont)
North River (Hudson River)	North Battery Paparinemin Little Island Park
Former islands shown in italics

• Islands of New York City
• The Bronx
• Long Island Sound