The History of Port Costa

Port Costa was once a bustling hub in the late 1800s, known for its strategic location along the Carquinez Strait, which allowed merchant ships to dock and facilitated the export of California's wheat and barley. George W. McNear, dubbed the 'Wheat King', transformed the town into a vital port by building warehouses, where trains and ships could simultaneously load and unload goods. At its peak, Port Costa served as a major stop on the Transcontinental Railroad, featuring the impressive Solano ferry, which could carry entire trains across the water in under thirty minutes. However, the town's prosperity waned by the 20th century due to a decline in the wheat market, destructive fires, and the construction of an inland train bridge that rendered the ferry obsolete.