<p>It is difficult now to imagine San Francisco Bay without bridges, but not too long ago, a complex system of ferries and trains helped span the waters in an elegant way. The Key System was a huge portion of this network; it was part of businessman “Borax” Smith’s method to attract San Francisco workers to live in the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, and Piedmont, where he dealt in real estate. The Southern Pacific Railroad was the Key System’s fierce competitor, then later an ally, before it was vanquished. Thousands of commuters rode the system for years, until a ridership decline eventually doomed the Key when bridges finally crisscrossed the bay.</p>

The Key System: San Francisco and the Eastshore Empire (CA) (Images of Rail)

Arts & Photography

Walter Rice

Emiliano Echeverria

Photography & Video

Arcadia Publishing

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Books by Walter Rice

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Walter Rice. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Key System: San Francisco and the Eastshore Empire (CA) (Images of Rail)