Podcast by Bay Curious narrates the history of Drawbridge
I’d like to know more about Drawbridge. Anything about the history and when and why it was created and when it became a ghost town. ~ John Aird
Drawbridge, California. Photo courtesy Wikipedia. Copyright CC-BY 2.0
John Aird, a fifth-generation Californian who lives in Santa Cruz, had visited the ghost town of Drawbridge, CA decades ago when a few people were still living there. Now he’s back and curious about its history. A podcast by Bay Curious answers his questions about the island ghost town in the middle of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Enjoy the 10 minute podcast:
and read the accompanying KQED News article.
Ceal Craig, a long time volunteer tour guide, a member of the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society and co-author of an upcoming book about Drawbridge titled Sinking Underwater: A Ghost Town’s Amazing Legacy provided a lot of background research to KQED News reporter Jessica Placzek.
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts a Drawbridge Van Excursion led by Ceal Craig on a periodic basis. Nestled on an island in the salt marshes of South San Francisco Bay, the town of Drawbridge once boomed and is abandoned today.
Attendees meet at the Environmental Education Center, 1751 Grand Blvd. in Alviso, to start with a slideshow of the town’s history before making the trip to view it across Coyote Creek. Attendees do not visit the town itself. Tour guide Ceal Craig takes attendees to the closest spot that one can legally view Drawbridge through spotting scopes at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
If you are interested in a tour of Drawbridge, the Wildlife Society has one coming up on Saturday, August 12, 2017 from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm (reservations at http://drawsummer.eventbrite.com/)
The program is intended for adults and space is very limited. Reservations are essential. For more information call 408-262-5513 extension 104.
Further Reading
- A Comprehensive History of Drawbridge
- Drawbridge: History, the People, and its Future (PDF 9 MB) | Ceal Craig
- Drawbridge, CA Re-turning the Tide (PDF 1 MB) | US Fish and Wildlife
- Drawbridge: A Ghost Town Revisited (PDF 614 KB) | John Steiner
- Drawbridge Binder from EEC (PDF 5 MB)
- Bay Area artist Donald Neff paints Drawbridge in plein air | Sep 7, 2014
- Drawbridge, CA featured in the Milpitas Post 8/24/2012 | Aug 24, 2012 | (PDF 3 MB)
- Musings on Drawbridge by Brenna Silbory | May 17, 2014