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San Francisco Ghost Town

 

Sasha Malchik

Drawbridge is an abandoned town on the outskirts of CA-SAN Jose and is slowly sinking into the sloughs of CA-SAN Francisco Bay. It was created on Station Island in 1876 and consisted of a single dwelling to house the operator of two drawbridges owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad to connect Newark with Alviso and CA-SAN Jose. It eventually grew into a small town consisting mainly of hunting cabins, hotels, and gun clubs (the CA-SAN Francisco Bay, before salt evaporation ponds and sewage dumping, was a hunting and fishing paradise). During Prohibition, taking advantage of its location in no man's land between CA-SANta Clara and Alameda counties, it housed numerous speakeasies and brothels. In addition, the police were reluctant to enter as nearly everyone in Drawbridge was armed.

Starting in the late 1920's, the surrounding communities began to pump fresh water out from the sloughs causing the land to sink. Two salt evaporation ponds around Drawbridge prevented the tides from cleaning the waters and the pumping in of raw sewage fouled what remained.

At its peak in 1926, Drawbridge had 90 private residences and two hotels. The train stopped five times daily. In 1979, the last remaining resident left. Drawbridge is officially off-limits to visitors.

To contact Abandoned But Not Forgotten please e-mail us at abnfco@gmail.com with any questions or submissions you may want to contribute to the site.

I DON'T GIVE OUT LOCATIONS.  I DON'T KNOW IF THE BUILDINGS ARE FOR SALE.  I DON'T KNOW IF THE BUILDINGS ARE STILL STANDING.





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