History of the Transbay Ferry
History of the Transbay Ferry
Ferry service between Oakland and San Francisco has
played a vital role for over 145 years. The earliest licensed
operator was Captain Thomas Gray who started his stern-wheeler
river boat, the "General Sutter", from a landing at the foot of Broadway
in the Fall of 1851.As the demand for transport of mail, horses, wagons,
passengers and cargo grew, so did the number of ferry boat services (many of
"questionable reliability"). Ferry transit reached its peak in the 1930s and then declined
due to bridge construction and the popularity of automobiles. Service between Oakland
and San Francisco was discontinued in the the 1950's. The present Alameda/Oakland
Ferry was launched in October 1989, following the Loma Prieta earthquake.
A joint project of the Port of Oakland and the City of Alameda, the
service carried its one millionth passenger in June 1994 and now
serves over 340,000 passengers annually. The ferry began
operations from the Clay Street ferry terminal in 1991.
Donated by
Summit Medical Center