point san pablo

here's an interesting short history of the point san pablo / point molate peninsula in richmond. tucked behind the massive chevron refinery, the small peninsula was once the site of the largest american winery (before prohibition), the last active whaling station in the continental united states, a shipping terminal, two rock quarries, a brick factory, a can factory, and, prior to the completion of the richmond-san rafael bridge in 1956, car ferry service to marin (which carried both commuters and inmates bound for san quentin). it's pretty much all gone, now just vacant buildings and rotting industrial structures. the huge winehaven building is on the national register of historic places, and could potentially become a casino (some people are not happy about this).