San Francisco bay ghost town sinking into marsh

By Catholic Online
9/3/2010
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Drawbridge was wild place during prohibition

Drawbridge, formerly known as Saline City, is a ghost town that is quickly sinking into the marshland in the San Francisco bay area. No one lives there, and it is illegal to venture on to the property, as it is currently part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. But it does have a colorful past, courtesy of when it was a latter day "wild west" town during prohibition.

Now totally abandoned, Drawbridge had a colorful past, courtesy of when it was a latter day 'wild west' town during prohibition.

Facebook Delicous MySpace

Twitter Stumble Digg

More Destinations

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Created by the narrow-gauge South Pacific Coast Railroad on Station Island in 1876, Drawbridge has been abandoned for over three decades. At the time it was founded, it consisted of only one small cabin for the operator of the railroad's two drawbridges that crossed Mud Creek Slough and Coyote Creek Slough.

Several passenger trains stopped in the town daily, bringing nearly 1,000 people into the area on weekends in the late 19th Century. By the 1920s, Drawbridge had grown to 90 buildings and was known as a gambling town. During Prohibition, the town housed several speakeasies and brothels. Hunting clubs had sprung up around the abundant wildlife at the time, and police were hesitant to enter Drawbridge because all of the residents were armed.

People started to trickle out of the town with the end of prohibition. Newspapers incorrectly reported that the area was a ghost town and that residents had left behind valuables. Vandals further drove out more residents until the place was completely abandoned.

The railroad tracks, which are private property, are still the only way to get into the town. Remember, visiting the area is illegal and trains still run with some frequency on the tracks you must follow for two miles to find your way in.

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords:

NEWSLETTERS »

Rate This Article

Was this helpful to you? Very Helpful Somewhat Helpful Not Helpful at All

Would you be interested in more articles like this? Yes, I am Interested No, I am not Interested

Rate Article

0 Comments

Comments submitted must be civil, remain on-topic and not violate any laws including copyright. We reserve the right to delete any comments which are abusive, inappropriate or not constructive to the discussion.

Though we invite robust discussion, we reserve the right to not publish any comment which denigrates the human person, undermines marriage and the family, or advocates for positions which openly oppose the teaching of the Catholic Church.

This is a supervised forum and the Editors of Catholic Online retain the right to direct it.

We also reserve the right to block any commenter for repeated violations. Your email address is required to post, but it will not be published on the site.

We ask that you NOT post your comment more than once. Catholic Online is growing and our ability to review all comments sometimes results in a delay in their publication.

Name *

Email *

Comment *

Send me important information from Catholic Online and it's partners. See Sample

Post Comment

More Travel News

More Rome, Vatican & Italy

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church.

Videos more

St Peter's Basilica, Vatican ...

Rome and Tiber River

The Sistine Chapel

Sistine Chapel

Photos more

Topics more

Saint Peter's Square
Saint Peter's Square is located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the papal enclave within Rome. The open space which ...

The Coliseum
The Coliseum is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one ...

Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel is the best-known chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. It is famous for its ...

News more

Last Judgment in the tympanum at the Abbey of st. Foy bristles with hideous imagination of the fate to befall sinners in the afterlife.

Abbey of St. Foy is longtime medieval pilgrimage route

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM) • Catholic Online • 1/17/2013

The Abbey of St. Foy, nestled in the hills of southern France is a beautiful Romanesque church perfectly aligned with its surroundings. The ...

Abbey founder Bernard of Clairvaux believed that light should enter the church. He shared the Eastern Christian of Byzantine emphasis that the God is the source of all light and that one way to experience God's presence is through light.

Austere Abbaye de Fonteny filled only with light

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM) • Catholic Online • 12/5/2012

Found in the Burgundy Valley, the Abbaye de Fontenay is a well-restored 12th-century Cistercian monastery founded by St. Bernard of Clairvaux. The ...

Graham Hughes ended his epic four-year journey by crossing into Juba, the capital of South Sudan, which did not even exist when he set off from his hometown of Liverpool on New Year's Day 2009.

British man visits all of the world's 201 nations - without flying in a plane

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM) • Catholic Online • 11/27/2012

Thirty-three-year-old Graham Hughes of Liverpool wanted to travel with his feet firmly planted on the soil. To this end, the eccentric Briton can now ...