Drawing to a close

I came across this atmospheric post by Shawn Glover -

Welcome to Drawbridge, California
Population: 0
Elevation: 7 ft and sinking

Over a hundred years ago it was a bustling town and weekend getaway destination. Today Drawbridge is a  wetland sanctuary with the remains of the town structures slowly collapsing and sinking into the bay.
It all started in 1876. A tiny cabin was built on Station Island for an operator of the South Coast Pacific Railroad’s two drawbridges that crossed the marshlands that connected rails between Newark and San Jose. Before long, the drawbridge operator’s friends began to join him, and soon it became a regular train stop. By the 1880s, the tiny town would see 1,000 visitors flocking to it on weekends for hunting and fishing.
By 1926, the town had reached its heyday, having grown to 90 buildings, many with wells and electricity. The residents split into two communities: The “stuck-up” Protestants lived in North Drawbridge, and the wilder Catholics resided in South Drawbridge.

Then began the decline. Booming construction in nearby San Jose pumped millions of gallons of water and raw sewage into the wetlands. Drawbridge began to sink and stink. The nearby salt industry also grew and the waterfowl fled for a less salty environment, leaving the hunters with nothing to hunt. In 1955 the trains no longer stopped in Drawbridge, and everyone moved away…all but two last residents, that is. Luce and Nellie “Shotgun” Dollin refused to leave and fired upon anyone who dared approach them. They were gone by 1979 when Drawbridge became a ghost town.

 Now, the old drawbridges for which the town was named have been replaced by modern rail bridges and 20 or so dilapidated ruins of old gun clubs, a hotel, and houses remain in the rustling wetland vegetation with the honking of waterfowl filled the empty air.
Drawbridge is now part of the US National Wildlife Refuge and off limits to the public.

The story and more photos are at:

http://shawnclover.com/2012/01/31/welcome-to-drawbridge/