Have you found yourself walking, running, biking or paddling along Riverside Drive near Pony Pasture and wanted to know more about that big island across the river?

That's Williams Island. A 95-acre blend of nature, history and serenity.

Leisure time

Richmonder Warren Foster adopted the portage trail in spring last year. He has his own brown park sign at the head of the trail. He gets out there early most mornings to play a little, see the island and work on the trail.

"Sunrise is the best time to see the island," Foster said. "I go out there all the time. . . . I know that portage trail gets used a lot."

Many fishermen use the trail and walk the edge of island.

The island has always been a popular fishing spot, according to Ralph White, park manager for the James River Park System. There are worn foot paths through the wild underbrush all around the island, most likely "maintained" and shared by a combination of fishermen and wildlife.

Dams and train tracks

The relatively flat and heavily vegetated Williams Island is in the middle of the James River. There are two distinctly different channels to the north and south of the island and both are blocked by dams, built to help divert water into the city's purification plant.

On the southern side, most people are familiar with the highly visible "Z" dam. According to "Falls of the James," by David Ryan, it was rebuilt in 1932, replacing a dam of loose rocks. It was altered with a 30-foot notch in 1993 to allow migratory fish species, such as shad, river herring and striped bass, to swim upstream.

The northern channel is more peaceful and calm, with the serenity broken up only by the occasional train. The dam was constructed in 1905 and begins at the northeast shore of the island and runs across the river to a portion of the north bank known as "Dead Man's Hill," as documented by Ryan.

There used to be a gravel pit and stone quarry on the island, which extended to the south bank of the river along Riverside Drive, according to White. The stone was carried across the James to the Kanawha Canal and ported downriver.

An interesting feature is an archway beneath the train tracks on the north bank below a spillway on the canal.

"There was a crane there, and they would load cut rock and quarry stones on flat boat and take them downtown before the railroad was there," Foster said.

Nature preserve?

"The neat thing about Williams Island is the nature," Foster said. "One day, a river otter came walking up, stopped, looked up at me and just walked off. They normally stay in the water, so that was cool."

He has also seen deer, fox and plenty of birds, including owls, bald eagles and turkeys. "I've been told there's a bear, but I haven't seen him."

White confirmed, saying that Williams Island has a small male black bear. He also noted that there used to be an albino deer that made Williams Island its home. Other animals include raccoons, muskrat, skunk and wild turkey.

Island's future

"There is a greater purpose to my work at Williams Island," Foster said of his care for the portage trail. "I'd like to see it become part of the James River Park System."

According to White, Williams Island belongs to Richmond's Public Utilities Department but is under the care of the park system.

The department has given the park system permission to maintain the island, and the general public can visit the island and the surroundings. When water levels of the James are low, people often can reach the island more easily by rock-hopping.

"We'd like it included as a wildlife refuge," White said.

When you look at a color map of the river, Williams Island appears in white, not the familiar green that shows it to be parkland, White said. "I'd like to see [Williams Island] be green on a map."

But would the island get too much people traffic?

"That's the beauty of it, you have to want to get there," said Foster, noting that visitors have to swim, paddle or rock-hop to get to the island. "I don't think it would ever get overvisited."

Contact Phil Riggan at (804) 649-6037 or priggan@inrich.com