Entry No. 39 — the Sacramento file — filed under: shipwreck
Garden City Wreckage
Built in 1879, the S.S. Garden City was a 208-foot wooden paddlewheel steamboat that ferried passengers and automobiles across the San Francisco Bay. After retiring in the 1930s, it served as a floating fishing resort at Eckley Pier until its abandonment in the 1970s. A 1983 fire burned the vessel to the waterline, leaving only its massive iron boilers and paddlewheel hub rusting in the mudflats today.
The story
In 1879, the S.S. Garden City hit the water as a 208-foot wooden paddlewheel steamboat, built to ferry passengers and automobiles across the San Francisco Bay. When newer routes made the boat obsolete in the 1930s, it didn't go to a scrapyard. Instead, it was hauled up the Carquinez Strait to Eckley Pier, where it spent four decades operating as a floating fishing resort.
By the 1970s, the resort was defunct and the boat sat forgotten in the marsh. A 1983 fire burned the wooden superstructure straight down to the waterline, leaving behind only its heavy iron heart. Today, the massive cylindrical boilers and paddlewheel hub sit half-submerged in the mudflats, right next to the decaying wooden pilings of the old Southern Pacific Ferry Terminal.
What it's like
Drive down to 5700 Eckley Road and head out along the Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline trail toward Eckley Pier. Freight trains rumble past on the tracks running parallel to the shore, creating a steady iron backdrop. Do not attempt to walk out into the mudflats—the shoreline is unsafe to physically enter—but you can get direct, unblocked views and clear photos of the rusted boilers resting in the silt directly from the pier rail.
The move: Take a scenic stroll along the Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline to Eckley Pier, where you can watch passing trains and safely photograph the rusted, historic boilers of the shipwreck from the public pier.
📍 Before you go The wreckage sits in the mudflats of the Carquinez Strait and is unsafe to physically enter, but it is fully visible and legally accessible to view from the adjacent public Eckley Pier and shoreline trails.
- 📍 Crockett
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 5700 Eckley Rd, Crockett, CA 94525, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- Western Railway Museum — Pair this ferry ruin with an extensive fleet of preserved electric trains across the marsh in Suisun City for a full tour of turn-of-the-century Bay Area transit.
- Dai Loy Museum — Follow the water inland toward the Delta to visit a preserved 1915 gambling hall frozen in time.
- Sacramento Historic City Cemetery — Trade rusting marine iron for Victorian grave monuments along another historic waterfront corridor.
Good to know
Can you walk out into the mud to touch the boilers?
No. The mudflats are dangerous and off-limits to enter, but the wreckage is fully visible and legal to view from the public pier and shoreline trail.
What survived the 1983 fire?
Only the heavy iron components survived the blaze: two large industrial boilers, the central paddlewheel hub, and nearby rotten timber pilings from the historic ferry terminal.
How do you access the viewing area?
Park along the shoreline access area near 5700 Eckley Road in Crockett and follow the pedestrian trail to Eckley Pier.
What did the boat do before it was abandoned?
It spent roughly 50 years as a San Francisco Bay passenger and car ferry starting in 1879, followed by roughly four decades as a floating fishing resort at Eckley Pier starting in the 1930s.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Atlas Obscura · Wikipedia · Instagram
last checked: 2026-07-20