The Key System: San Francisco and the Eastshore Empire (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780738547220)

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.

Author: Walter Rice, Emiliano Echeverria
ISBN-10: 0738547220
ISBN-13: 9780738547220
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (SC)
Language: English
Published: 04/25/2007
Pages: 128
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 9.22h x 6.91w x 0.35d

Review Citation(s):
Scitech Book News 12/01/2007 pg. 146