Oakland Long Wharf
Encyclopedia
The Oakland Long Wharf, later known as the Oakland Pier or the SP Mole was a massive railroad wharf
and ferry
pier in Oakland, California
. It was located at the foot of Seventh Street.
The pier began as a smaller landing called Gibbon's Wharf extending from Gibbons Point, later re-named Oakland Point, westward into San Francisco Bay
. In 1868 the Central Pacific Railroad
acquired this pier which it renamed the Oakland Long Wharf and immediately began extending and improving. The CPRR floated freight to San Francisco starting in 1871. Part of the wharf was filled in between 1879 and 1882, creating a mole
. Local commuter trains also used the pier, while trains of the Pacific Railroad (aka the "First Transcontinental Railroad
") used another wharf in nearby Alameda
for about two months in 1869 (September 6 - November 7) after which the Oakland Long Wharf became the western terminus of the Pacific Railroad as well. From there ferries carried both commuters and long distance passengers between the Long Wharf and San Francisco.
The Central Pacific's operations were consolidated under the Southern Pacific
in the 1880s, and in 1882 the Oakland Pier was opened about a half-mile east of the west end of the Long Wharf which was then used only for freight until being abandoned in 1919. After January 15, 1939 electric commuter trains
no longer ran to the Oakland Pier but instead used tracks on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
to the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco. Intercity passenger trains continued to run to Oakland Pier until 1958 when Southern Pacific ferry service from the Ferry Building
in San Francisco to Oakland Pier was discontinued, replaced by buses over the Bay Bridge from Oakland's 16th Street Station
.
Throughout the pier's existence, progressively greater portions of the bayshore tidelands were filled in. It was demolished in the 1960s to make way for an expansion of the burgeoning Port of Oakland
's container ship facilities. Today, the only thing that remains of the SP Mole is the pier's switchman's tower which was moved and restored as part of Middle Harbor Shoreline Park
.
The mole in its latter years can be seen at the beginning of the 1957 movie Pal Joey
as Frank Sinatra
's character makes his way to the ferry.
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
and ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
pier in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. It was located at the foot of Seventh Street.
The pier began as a smaller landing called Gibbon's Wharf extending from Gibbons Point, later re-named Oakland Point, westward into San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. In 1868 the Central Pacific Railroad
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
acquired this pier which it renamed the Oakland Long Wharf and immediately began extending and improving. The CPRR floated freight to San Francisco starting in 1871. Part of the wharf was filled in between 1879 and 1882, creating a mole
Mole (architecture)
A mole is a massive structure, usually of stone, used as a pier, breakwater, or a causeway between places separated by water. The word comes from Middle French mole and ultimately Latin mōlēs meaning a large mass, especially of rock and has the same root as molecule.Historically, the term "mole"...
. Local commuter trains also used the pier, while trains of the Pacific Railroad (aka the "First Transcontinental Railroad
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
") used another wharf in nearby Alameda
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
for about two months in 1869 (September 6 - November 7) after which the Oakland Long Wharf became the western terminus of the Pacific Railroad as well. From there ferries carried both commuters and long distance passengers between the Long Wharf and San Francisco.
The Central Pacific's operations were consolidated under the Southern Pacific
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
in the 1880s, and in 1882 the Oakland Pier was opened about a half-mile east of the west end of the Long Wharf which was then used only for freight until being abandoned in 1919. After January 15, 1939 electric commuter trains
East Bay Electric Lines
The East Bay Electric Lines were a unit of the Southern Pacific Railroad which operated a system of electric interurban-type trains in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
no longer ran to the Oakland Pier but instead used tracks on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
The San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge is a pair of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay of California, in the United States. Forming part of Interstate 80 and of the direct road route between San Francisco and Oakland, it carries approximately 270,000 vehicles per day on its two decks...
to the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco. Intercity passenger trains continued to run to Oakland Pier until 1958 when Southern Pacific ferry service from the Ferry Building
Ferry Building
The San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay and a shopping center located on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. On top of the building is a large clock tower, which can be seen from Market Street, a main thoroughfare of the city...
in San Francisco to Oakland Pier was discontinued, replaced by buses over the Bay Bridge from Oakland's 16th Street Station
16th Street Station
The 16th Street Station is one of three original train stations that served Oakland, California at the start of the 20th century. The building was designed by architect Jarvis Hunt who was a preeminent train station architect at that time and the facility opened in 1912...
.
Throughout the pier's existence, progressively greater portions of the bayshore tidelands were filled in. It was demolished in the 1960s to make way for an expansion of the burgeoning Port of Oakland
Port of Oakland
The Port of Oakland was the first major port on the Pacific Coast of the United States to build terminals for container ships. It is now the fifth busiest container port in the United States, behind Long Beach, Los Angeles, Newark, and Savannah...
's container ship facilities. Today, the only thing that remains of the SP Mole is the pier's switchman's tower which was moved and restored as part of Middle Harbor Shoreline Park
Middle Harbor Shoreline Park
Middle Harbor Shoreline Park lies west of downtown Oakland, California mostly on land formerly occupied by the Oakland Naval Supply Depot. The portion adjacent to the Port of Oakland which includes Port View Park was originally part of the Oakland Pier or Mole, the massive western terminus of the...
.
The mole in its latter years can be seen at the beginning of the 1957 movie Pal Joey
Pal Joey (film)
Pal Joey is a 1957 film, loosely adapted from the musical play of the same name, and starring Rita Hayworth, Frank Sinatra, and Kim Novak. Jo Ann Greer sang for Hayworth, as she had done previously in Affair in Trinidad and Miss Sadie Thompson. Kim Novak's singing voice was dubbed by Trudy Erwin...
as Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
's character makes his way to the ferry.