A roar of laughter made its way down the long picnic table where men, women and children enjoyed a special barbecue feast. Throughout the park, an enthusiastic crowd delighted in the day’s festivities of knife throwing competitions, fortune-teller readings, and dancing at the jubilee held in honor of the new bridge.
Newark residents could hardly contain themselves the morning the Dumbarton Rail Bridge finally opened in 1910. Fueled by the opportunities it could bring, the city of Newark hosted a grand celebration for thousands of locals who traveled from surrounding cities to the sleepy East Bay town. Guests clanked their beer mugs and were even allowed to trek along the bridge span where they admired it within reach. Some ventured off dangerously close to the edge and gazed into the dark, churning waters below.
