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Just joined UER and decided to upload all of my explorations. Going to upload background information from @Cracked
Drawbridge, (once known as Saline City for its proximity to the salt flats) was created by the narrow-gauge South Pacific Coast Railroad on Station Island in 1876 and consisted of one small cabin for the operator of the railroad's two drawbridges crossing Mud Creek Slough and Coyote Creek Slough to connect Newark with Alviso and San Jose. At one time 10 passenger trains stopped there per day, five going north and five going south. The drawbridges were removed long ago. The only path leading into Drawbridge is the Union Pacific Railroad track. In the 1880s, on weekends nearly 1,000 visitors flocked to the town. By the 1920s, although the town had no roads, it did have 90 buildings, and was divided into two neighbourhoods: the predominantly Roman Catholic South Drawbridge, and the predominantly Protestant North Drawbridge.
After the turn bridge drawbridges were removed and most of the residents had left, the San Jose Mercury News for years incorrectly reported that the town was a ghost town and that the residents left valuables behind. As a result, the people still living there had their homes vandalized. The town's last resident is said to have left in 1979, and Drawbridge is considered to be the San Francisco Bay Area's only ghost town. Drawbridge is now part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and is no longer open to the public due to restoration efforts, though it can still briefly be viewed from Altamont Commuter Express, Capitol Corridor, and Coast Starlight trains.
I have always been contemplating going and after scouting the area a few times, I decided to go but with someone of course. After learning about the history of the place I was inclined to go. Overall was a fun place to explore and I ended up going back a couple more times hahahaha.
Note in visiting: Bring pants and wear boots (muddy during summertime/brush and plants are tall and will cut you up a bit/)
Watch where you step. I ended up submerging my leg into a hole of mud twice.
Nails and sharp objects sticking out from everywhere in the buildings
Buildings are slowly being eaten up, overall be cautious.
Enjoy these shots (shot on Samsung A71)
https://imgur.com/gallery/Qk7W47Q
-Kabes | |
Wow, it's really sunk on in hasn't it
I wanted to go about 7 years ago, but decided against it because I read that alot of people were getting caught by police, plus it had really deteriorated, I see that it's pretty much almost swallowed up by the land
Thanks for sharing your trek, it's cool to just see the slow absolute decay that Drawbridge has gone through
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I'll post another forum of images during summertime. It's even worse. I read lots of forums and heard about people's encounters with the police and the ranger. I live within 10 minutes of the area and routinely stop by every weekend and can safely say by now that the ranger doesn't do anything anymore. Accessing it is pretty high vis since the landscape is flat and you can see people with binoculars, however, there is barely anyone who goes out that far especially since the trail near it is closed (will open back up in 2024/2025). The only security you should be wary about are the workers renovating the land. They only show up on weekdays+saturday from 9 to 5. Avoiding them is pretty easy. Have fun!
-Kabes | |
Definitely a place rich in history even though it is so trashed and failing apart. I finally went here over the summer for the first time and yeah that construction is a pain to go through. But honestly the worst thing here is the mud! I fell like twice into a deep mud hole by accident. If anyone hasn't seen this place in person yet, it's definitely worth the trip for a pretty chill explore.
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Those are very nice shots! What camera? Construction sure is a pain. I almost got trespassed multiple times. Literally got chased by two dudes in a truck.
-Kabes | |
Posted by Kabes
Those are very nice shots! What camera? Construction sure is a pain. I almost got trespassed multiple times. Literally got chased by two dudes in a truck.
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Thanks! For locations like this, I actually like to shoot film so I shot this with my Leica M4 and some Fuji pro 400h. Definitely a fun spot to check out even with the construction madness. Glad you didn’t get busted by them! I also had a fun time dogging the train lying in the gravel as the train passed. Welcome to the forum @kabes! Look forward to see what else you accomplish!
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Nice to know it isn't swarming with security (perhaps due to state budget cuts or covid?). Still seems pretty risky to make the journey with the workers and the train, but sounds like fun.
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Workers are only there 9-5 weekdays. Few hours in the morning Saturday. Nobody saturday. You can take the longer trail out from Alviso parking lot and you won't be seen easily. Train comes every 20-30 minutes and is only a problem on the build portion where you'd have to bail. Have fun.
-Kabes |
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