Redwood City, Southern Pacific Dumbarton drawbridges

As with the other pages on this site relating to drawbridges, the material is from the book, CALIFORNIA DRAWBRIDGES, by Bernard C. Winn (yours truly). What is presented on this site is meant to be a sampling of that book. If you are interested in knowing more about any or all of the bridges and/or the history of California's many drawbridges, check your library for it OR, click on ABOUT OUR BOOKS for details re. purchase.

In the early 1850s, Redwood City was a busy lumber port where as many as 24 ships a week loaded lumber and shingles for San Francisco and small landings around the bay. Redwood Creek was also a small but busy shipbuilding center until nearly the end of the century.
The city's first drawbridge was built in 1854, the same year as San Francisco's earliest one. Redwood City was part of San Francisco County at that time. The c1925 photo above is of the bascule bridge that spanned Redwood Creek at East Bradford Street. Built in 1916, it was the last of the city's three drawbridges. Redwood City Library photo.

The Southern Pacific drawbridge shown above was dedicated on September 24, 1910 and was the first bridge to span San Francisco Bay proper. Built at a cost of $1,500,000 and still in place, it is also the only swing bridge to ever span the bay.
It has not been used by the railroad since before 1982 when it welded the 310-foot swing span in the open position and abandoned the bridge. Bancroft library photo.

Taken in 1912, the above photo shows a train on the S.P. R.R. bridge which eventually came to be known as the "Dumbarton Point Drawbridge." It connected Dumbarton Point in Alameda County with Redwood City in San Mateo County. In its early years this bridge opened for water vessels as many as 1,000 times a year.. Today, of course, it is open to water traffic at all times. Bancroft Library photo.

South Bay Bridges #2
Dumbarton Highway Drawbridge
South Bay Bridges #3
San Mateo - Hayward and Newark Slough bridges
South Bay Bridges #4
Warm Springs and Coyote Creek Drawbridges

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