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San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge suspension span, San Francisco, California, circa 1938

Subject
Bridges & Dams
Card type
Real photo
Date
c. 1915 (White Border)
Front of San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge suspension span, San Francisco, California, circa 1938, c. 1915 real photo postcard
Front
Back of San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge suspension span, San Francisco, California, circa 1938, c. 1915 real photo postcard
Back

About this postcard

A black-and-white view looking along the western suspension spans of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, with its four steel towers and X-braced portal frames receding across the water toward Yerba Buena Island; dark trees frame the foreground at right and below. The bridge opened in November 1936, linking San Francisco with Oakland via Yerba Buena and Treasure Island, and its western span's paired suspension bridges were the longest such structure of their day. The photograph is taken from a wooded hillside, likely on the San Francisco side, with cloud-streaked sky above the bay.

Postcard Details

Message

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PublisherJ. C. Bardell
AT SUNSET SAN FRANCISCO-OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE WEST BAY CROSSING The center spans of the suspension sector of the bridge are 2,310 feet in length, the side spans 1,160 feet in length, and the ship clearance of the bridge is from 200 to 218 feet above the surface of low water. No. 20 FOR CORRESPONDENCE PUB. BY J. C. BARDELL, SAN FRANCISCO POST CARD THIS SPACE FOR ADDRESS ONLY PLACE ONE CENT STAMP HERE
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Postcard record

PublisherJ. C. Bardell
ConditionGood
Place depictedSan Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, San Francisco, CA
Place mentionedSan Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, San Francisco, CA
PublisherJ. C. Bardell, San Francisco, CA
NotesBlack-and-white print with a wide white border; faint vertical scratch/crease near the left edge and light edge soiling. No postmark. Divided back; white border; glossy; light staining; publisher imprint.

Cite this card

San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge suspension span, San Francisco, California, circa 1938, postcard, c. 1915. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/san-francisco-oakland-bay-bridge-suspension-span-san-francis. Accessed October 25, 2026.