The Garden City was launched in June 1879 to move freight cars between Alameda Point and San Francisco. It had two tracks on the deck for carrying freight cars. Neither freight ferry slip was constructed when the ferry was launched. In January 1880 the Alameda Point freight ferry terminal was completed. Then in December 1880 the San Francisco freight ferry slip was completed on the south side of the ferry building at the foot of Market street. Both freight ferry slips had two tracks on the aprons to move freight cars on and off the boat. In December 1891, to make way for the construction of a new ferry building, the SPC freight service was relocated to the newly constructed State Belt Railroad ferry slip at the foot of Lombard Street.
The photo dates from sometime between launching in 1879 and December 1905 when it was rebuilt with an upper deck passenger compartment.
