Southern Reaches of San Francisco Bay

Ghost Marina now a Wetland Habitat

Today we bicycled along the levees at the Alviso Marina County Park, a wildlife refuge for migratory birds located at the extreme southern end of the San Francisco Bay. The Guadalupe River and Coyote Creek terminate at Alviso, emptying into the Bay through Alviso Sough and Mud Slough which are protected by levees.

Alviso Slough leading to Coyote Creek and San Francisco Bay - Navigable by Dinghy

Clapper Rail at home in Alviso Wetlands

Originally called the Embarcadero de Santa Clara de Asis, Alviso supported the trade from Mission Santa Clara and the tiny community of San Jose (not much more than a dozen or so mud huts), in addition to the ranchos that bordered on the Bay. Beaver pelts, cattle hides, and tallow were sent to San Francisco by boat from Alviso. Later mercury from the New Almaden mines (opened in 1845) was shipped through Alviso and several years later, traffic increased considerably to support the Gold Rush.

Biking the Levees

The town was incorporated in 1852 by which time it was a lively community of homes, bars, hotels, and stores and had become an important shipping port. Steamboats traveled regularly from Alviso to San Francisco carrying barrels of flour produced from wheat grown in nearby Santa Clara Valley. As wheat production in the San Joaquin Valley grew, production in the Santa Clara Valley waned and the Alviso Mills closed in 1885.

A Peaceful, Quiet Bike Ride

In 1906, Thomas Foon Chew opened the Bayside Canning Company in Alviso, taking over the Precita Canning Company from his father. Chew grew the business into California’s third largest cannery and at its peak, employed hundreds of Chinese workers who were lodged in company houses near the factory. During The Depression, Alviso was known for its dance halls and gambling establishments; during the same period, the death of Chew in 1931 brought the cannery to an end.

A Passenger Train passes through The Wetlands

A Scenic Rail-line

The port also waned as the railroad took over the shipping of goods, resulting in the dramatic decline of Alviso. By the turn of the century, little was left of the once bustling shipping trade.

Old Alviso Railroad Station, now a Home

Only the smallest of pleasure boats, dinghies, and kayaks are now able to navigate the slough into Alviso at high tide. A marina for pleasure boats was built in 1965 but the required dredging to keep it open was stopped in the 1970’s due to environmental reasons. Silt has since filled over the docks and only the gates are visible above the reeds; however, a boat ramp is maintained for launching small watercraft for recreational purposes. Alviso’s identity has shifted to its new role as a managed wetland. The South Bay area provides critical habitat for birds and contributes to the environmental health of the Bay. Twenty-five square miles of former commercial salt ponds in the South Bay, now publicly owned, are being restored to tidal wetlands for migratory birds and other wildlife.