Drawbridge

Formerly Saline City, Drawbridge is a California ghost town that is centered around an abandoned railroad station at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay on Station Island.

Created by the narrow-gauge South Pacific Coast Railroad on Station Island in 1876, Drawbridge has been abandoned for over three decades and is slowly sinking into the marshlands it was built on. When the town 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.

Even though the only path leading into Drawbridge was the Union Pacific Railroad Track, several passenger trains stopped in the town daily, bringing nearly 1,000 people into the area on weekends in the 1880s. By the 1920s, Drawbridge, still without roads, had grown to 90 buildings and was known as a gaming town. During Prohibition, the town housed several speakeasies and brothels, taking advantage of its out-of-the-way location. With San Francisco Bay serving as a refuge for hunting clubs that sprung up around the abundant wildlife at the time, the police were hesitant to enter Drawbridge because all of the residents were armed.

With the end of Prohibition, residents started to trickle out of the town. For years, the San Jose Mercury News incorrectly reported that the area was a ghost town and that residents had left behind valuables. These reports encouraged vandals to enter the town, further driving 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. Be warned: 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. Going there is unsafe and damaging to the historical structures and to the marsh habitat. It is currently part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prohibits public access there.