Euphonywho

I inadvertently learnt about Drawbridge from Google Maps. While looking up directions somewhere, I noticed the word “Drawbridge” in the middle of map, and thought, “Oh! That’s neat! A drawbridge.”. Later that day I looked it up more (thanks, Google!) and to my surprise learnt that Drawbridge is actually an abandoned town, right in my own backyard! The last person officially left in 1979, however I have a feeling it was some weird hermit that was there for so long, and that the town was basically abandoned long before that. There’s a story on the Wikipedia article that says that before every had moved out, the San Jose Mercury ran a story saying that the town was empty, and people had left valuables behind. So of course people go to loot, not realizing that people were in fact still living there.

Drawbridge was started in 1876 on what was known as Station Island when the railroad tracks were laid down. There was one cabin that housed the drawbridge operator, but due to its convenient spot right between Fremont and San Jose, more was addded. There were two drawbridges at either end of the island, both of which have been replaced. At its peak in the mid 20’s, there were 10 trains a day stopping in Drawbridge, and about 90 permanent residents.

During Prohibition, Drawbridge became a popular getaway spot due to its secluded location. Special trains would run in and out, and there was apparently quite the collection of brothels and saloons, and according to a possibly unreliable source, the residents were all armed, and the police were hesitant to enter the town to deter any unlawful activities.

The town is sinking, as it was built on marshlands, and according to the previous possibly unreliable source, the pumping of water started the sinking. The town is also now off limits to the public, and may be patrolled by Refuge Law Enforcement Officers, as noted in the comments in this blog. I therefore do not recommend that you go, as there may be fines involved if you are caught. However, the land was bought with taxpayer money, public money, then declared off-limits to the public. I can understand that they want to preserve the wildlife, but there is also history to preserve. It is doubtful that I will trek out there again, at least anytime soon. But it is still nice to know that this little piece of history will not be lost just yet.

Nick and I spent about 4 hours round trip on Friday. It was about a 45 minute walk out there, and there was actually plenty to look around once there. There are maybe 4 or 5 small clusters of buildings left, and if you are willing to get either wet or very dirty, they are all accessible. Some sites say that the buildings are inaccessible due to the marshy ground. We didn’t find this to be a problem, and could get close to all the buildings we tried to.

There was the issue of the train tracks, and the bridge that we needed to cross. Halfway across, a train came up behind us and we had to run to a little bridge to get out the way. We had the place to ourselves, and it was very peaceful. It would be a nice place to see the stars, or watch the lights come on around the south bay if not for the long trek there.

Check out the pictures here, or at Flickr. Let me know what you think! I’d love some feedback about the pictures.

I just found a much better history of the place than I wrote, and I don’t see a point in re-writing what someone has already done!  Check the two links for his version. Part One , Part Two