Golden Gate Ferry Company facts for kids
The Golden Gate Ferry Company was a private business that ran large boats called ferries. These ferries carried cars and people across San Francisco Bay between San Francisco, Berkeley, and Sausalito. This was before the big Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge were built.
The company started in November 1920. In early 1929, it joined with another ferry system, becoming Southern Pacific-Golden Gate Ferries, Ltd.. Once the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges opened, people could drive across the water. So, the car ferries were no longer needed and stopped running.
Ferries to Sausalito
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The Golden Gate Ferry Company had a ferry service that connected Sausalito to San Francisco. This service was around before the famous Golden Gate Bridge was finished. The North Pacific Coast Railroad helped run this ferry.
Today, the spot where the Sausalito ferry used to dock is now the Sausalito Yacht Club. It's also where the modern Sausalito Ferry Terminal is located. This new ferry service, run by Golden Gate Ferry, started in 1970.
The Sausalito Ferry Terminal is a busy place. You can catch ferries from Golden Gate Ferry and Blue & Gold Fleet there. Buses from Golden Gate Transit and Marin Transit also stop at this terminal.
Ferry service between Sausalito and San Francisco actually began much earlier, in 1868. The Sausalito Land and Ferry Company started it. Later, another company bought the service in 1875. The ferries that carried only people stopped on February 28, 1941. The car ferry service ended in March of that same year.
Ferries to Berkeley
In 1926, the Golden Gate Ferry Company started building the Berkeley Pier. This pier stretched about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) into the Bay from the foot of University Avenue.
On June 16, 1927, car ferry service began from the Berkeley Pier. These ferries traveled to the Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco. This was the same pier that the Sausalito ferry used.
When the service first started, four special diesel ferry boats were used. They ran every 15 minutes between Berkeley and San Francisco. Their names were the Golden Bear, the Golden Poppy, the Golden State, and the Golden Dawn. All of these boats were painted yellow. Over time, other ferries owned by the company were sometimes used too. After the company joined with Southern Pacific, all the boats were repainted white.
Between 1926 and 1937, the Berkeley Pier was a very important part of the Lincoln Highway. This was the first road that went all the way across America. Later, it became part of U.S. Route 40. A two-lane road ran along the entire pier to a ferry dock at the end. The ferry line stopped running on October 16, 1937. This was about 11 months after the Bay Bridge opened for cars.
What Happened to the Ferryboats?
After the bridges opened, the old ferryboats found new homes or were retired.
In 1938, the Golden Poppy was sent to Washington state. It was renamed MV Chetzemoka and kept working until 1973. Sadly, in 1977, it sank in rough seas while being pulled back to San Francisco Bay.
The Golden State also went to Washington state and was renamed Kehloken. It worked until 1979. Then, it was destroyed in a fire that started on the pier where it was docked.
The Golden Bear was damaged off the coast of Oregon in 1937 while being towed. It was later taken apart for its useful pieces. The Golden Dawn was simply retired in 1937, likely to be scrapped.
See also
- Ferries of San Francisco Bay
