It was used for agriculture in the early 20th century, but has now mostly become marsh or submerged land; it remains a spot for fishing, particularly channel and blue catfish.

[12] Nevertheless, references to a Hog Island in the Delta area can be found as early as 1880,[13][14] and it first appears labeled on a 1910 USGS map surveyed in 1907 to 1908.

[15] However, the orientation of the islands was different on the 1910 map, in which they are separated by the Deadman Reach segment of the San Joaquin River (running north to south).

[15] In the early 20th century, the island was used for agriculture; references to crops being grown on Hog Island appear in 1914,[16] and a 1923 survey by the California Department of Water Rights gave its area as 100 acres (40 ha), with 80 acres (32 ha) irrigated for crops, all of which was devoted to the cultivation of wheat.

[22] In June 2011, the Modesto Bee reported that plans to build a family science camp were "moving forward with the blessing of the Army Corps of Engineers", and that new docks would be constructed later that summer.