THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT: 1922: Flappers in the newspapersMay 19, 1922 FlappersRight off the bat I have to admit the fact that -- to paraphrase Olympia Dukakis in Moonstruck -- what I don't know about San Francisco in the 1920s is a lot.I did know that all sorts of great Prohibition and gangster stuff must have gone on, though, so I started leafing through a couple of 1922 editions of the Chronicle looking for stories. And was immediately distracted by the flappers.You know, flappers. Louise Brooks, Josephine Baker, Zelda Fitzgerald ...read on ... 

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT: 1922: Flappers in the newspapers<h2>May 19, 1922 Flappers</h2><a href="http://www.sparkletack.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/flapper.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Right off the bat I have to admit the fact that -- to paraphrase Olympia Dukakis in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093565/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Moonstruck</a> -- what I don't know about San Francisco in the 1920s is a lot.I did know that all sorts of great Prohibition and gangster stuff must have gone on, though, so I started leafing through a couple of 1922 editions of the Chronicle looking for stories. And was immediately distracted by the flappers.You know, <a href="http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/a/flappers.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">flappers</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Brooks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Louise Brooks</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Baker" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Josephine Baker</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelda_Fitzgerald" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Zelda Fitzgerald</a> ...<a href="&lt;?php the_permalink() ?&gt;" rel="bookmark nofollow" target="_blank">read on ... </a>

San Francisco Timecapsule: 05.18.09

Robert Louis Stevenson

Rincon Hill

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT:1879: Stoddard, Stevenson, and Rincon HillSometime in 1879: The house on Rincon HillLast week I read to you from In the Footprints of the Padres, Charles Warren Stoddard's 1902 reminiscences about the early days of San Francisco.That piece recounted a boyhood adventure, but this book is full of California stories from the latter years of the 19th century; some deservedly obscure, but some that ring pretty loud bells. Todays' short text is a great example of the latter, one that dovetails beautifully with two other San Francisco stories, both of which I've talked about at Sparkletack: the story of the Second Street Cut and the visit of Robert Louis Stevenson. The now all-grown-up Stoddard had returned to San Francisco after the Polynesian peregrinations that would inspire his best-known work, and Stevenson had just arrived from Scotland in hot pursuit of the woman he loved. The two authors hit it off, and -- as you'll hear at the end of today's Timecapsule -- it's to Stoddard and the house on Rincon Hill that we owe Stevenson's eventual fascination with the South Seas. South Park and Rincon Hill!  Do the native sons of the golden West ever recall those names and think what dignity they once conferred upon the favored few who basked in the sunshine of their prosperity?  South Park, with its line of omnibuses running across the city to North Beach; its long, narrow oval, filled with dusty foliage and offering a very weak apology for a park; its two rows of houses with, a formal air, all looking very much alike, and all evidently feeling their importance. There were young people's "parties" in those days, and the height of felicity was to be invited to them.  As a height o'ertops a hollow, so Rincon Hill looked down upon South Park. There was more elbow-room on the breezy height; not that the height was so high or so broad, but it was breezy; and there was room for the breeze to blow over gardens that spread about the detached houses their wealth of color and perfume. How are the mighty fallen! The Hill, of course, had the farthest to fall. South Parkites merely moved out: they went to another and a better place. There was a decline in respectability and the rent-roll, and no one thinks of South Park now, -- at least no one speaks of it above a whisper. read on ... 

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT: 1879: Stoddard, Stevenson, and Rincon Hill<h2>Sometime in 1879: The house on Rincon Hill</h2>Last week I read to you from <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/32760/s?kw=Charles%20Stoddard%20Footprints%20Padres" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">In the Footprints of the Padres</a>, Charles Warren Stoddard's 1902 reminiscences about the early days of San Francisco.That piece recounted a boyhood adventure, but this book is full of California stories from the latter years of the 19th century; some deservedly obscure, but some that ring pretty loud bells. Todays' short text is a great example of the latter, one that dovetails beautifully with two other San Francisco stories, both of which I've talked about at Sparkletack: the story of the <a href="http://www.sparkletack.com/2009/02/09/san-francisco-timecapsule-020909/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Second Street Cut</a> and the visit of <a href="http://www.sparkletack.com/2006/02/17/robert-louis-stevenson-chinatown-treasure/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Robert Louis Stevenson</a>. The now all-grown-up Stoddard had returned to San Francisco after the Polynesian peregrinations that would inspire his best-known work, and Stevenson had just arrived from Scotland in hot pursuit of the woman he loved. The two authors hit it off, and -- as you'll hear at the end of today's Timecapsule -- it's to Stoddard and the house on Rincon Hill that we owe Stevenson's eventual fascination with the South Seas.<blockquote> <h2>South Park and Rincon Hill! </h2> Do the native sons of the golden West ever recall those names and think what dignity they once conferred upon the favored few who basked in the sunshine of their prosperity? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Park,_San_Francisco" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">South Park</a>, with its line of omnibuses running across the city to North Beach; its long, narrow oval, filled with dusty foliage and offering a very weak apology for a park; its two rows of houses with, a formal air, all looking very much alike, and all evidently feeling their importance. There were young people's "parties" in those days, and the height of felicity was to be invited to them. As a height o'ertops a hollow, so <a href="http://www.spur.org/documents/030101_article_02.shtm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rincon Hill</a> looked down upon South Park. There was more elbow-room on the breezy height; not that the height was so high or so broad, but it was breezy; and there was room for the breeze to blow over gardens that spread about the detached houses their wealth of color and perfume. How are the mighty fallen! The Hill, of course, had the farthest to fall. South Parkites merely moved out: they went to another and a better place. There was a decline in respectability and the rent-roll, and no one thinks of South Park now, -- at least no one speaks of it above a whisper. <a href="&lt;?php the_permalink() ?&gt;" rel="bookmark nofollow" target="_blank">read on ... </a></blockquote>

San Francisco Timecapsule: 05.11.09

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT:1854: A future poet's boyhood outingSpring 1854 Charles Warren StoddardIn 1854, the down-on-their-luck Stoddard family set off from New York City to try their luck in that brand new metropolis of the West: San Francisco. Charles Warren Stoddard was just 11 years old, and San Francisco -- still in the throes of the Gold Rush, a vital, chaotic, cosmopolitan stew pot -- was the most exciting place a little boy could dream of. Charles would grow up to play a crucial part in San Francisco's burgeoning literary scene. He was just a teenager when his first poems were published in the Golden Era, and his talent and sweet personality were such that he developed long-lasting friendships with the other usual-suspect San Francisco bohemians, Ambrose Bierce, Ina Coolbrith, Bret Harte, and Samuel Clemens. Stoddard is probably best remembered for the mildly homo-erotic short stories inspired by his extensive travels in the South Seas, but in 1902 he published a kind of memoir entitled In the Footprints of the Padres. As the old song goes, it recalls "the days of old, the days of gold, the days of '49" from a very personal point of view.The reviewers of the New York Times praised the work for Stoddard's "vivid and poetic charm", but I have to admit that I'm mainly in it for his memories. In this piece, Charles and his little gang of pals are about to embark on a day-long ramble along the north-eastern edge of the city. Let's roll the clock back to 1854, and with Charles' help, put ourselves into the shoes of an 11-year-old boy anticipating the freedom of a sunny spring Saturday.read on ... 

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT: 1854: A future poet's boyhood outing<h2><a href="http://www.sparkletack.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/charles_warren_stoddard.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spring 1854 Charles Warren Stoddard</a></h2><a href="http://www.sparkletack.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/charles_warren_stoddard.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>In 1854, the down-on-their-luck Stoddard family set off from New York City to try their luck in that brand new metropolis of the West: San Francisco. <a href="http://www.glbtq.com/literature/stoddard_cw.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Charles Warren Stoddard</a> was just 11 years old, and San Francisco -- still in the throes of the Gold Rush, a vital, chaotic, cosmopolitan stew pot -- was the most exciting place a little boy could dream of. Charles would grow up to play a crucial part in San Francisco's burgeoning literary scene. He was just a teenager when his first poems were published in the Golden Era, and his talent and sweet personality were such that he developed long-lasting friendships with the other usual-suspect San Francisco bohemians, <a href="http://www.sparkletack.com/2008/06/20/book-review-oakley-halls-ambrose-bierce-mystery-novels/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ambrose Bierce</a>, Ina Coolbrith, Bret Harte, and <a href="http://www.sparkletack.com/2008/12/01/timecapsule-podcast-san-francisco-december-1-7/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Samuel Clemens</a>. Stoddard is probably best remembered for the mildly homo-erotic <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=wkoXAAAAYAAJ&amp;dq=charles+warren+stoddard+bibliography&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;source=in&amp;hl=en&amp;ei=bOj9Sb7SAZ_utQOb5qziAQ&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=book_result&amp;ct=result&amp;resnum=12#PPP1,M1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">short stories</a> inspired by his extensive travels in the South Seas, but in 1902 he published a kind of memoir entitled <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/32760/s?kw=Charles%20Stoddard%20Footprints%20Padres" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">In the Footprints of the Padres</a>. As the old song goes, it recalls "the days of old, the days of gold, the days of '49" from a very personal point of view.The reviewers of the New York Times praised the work for Stoddard's "vivid and poetic charm", but I have to admit that I'm mainly in it for his memories. <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/32760/s?kw=Charles%20Stoddard%20Footprints%20Padres" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>In this piece, Charles and his little gang of pals are about to embark on a day-long ramble along the north-eastern edge of the city. Let's roll the clock back to 1854, and with Charles' help, put ourselves into the shoes of an 11-year-old boy anticipating the freedom of a sunny spring Saturday.<a href="&lt;?php the_permalink() ?&gt;" rel="bookmark nofollow" target="_blank">read on ... </a>

San Francisco Timecapsule: 05.04.09

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT:1906: Hotaling's Whiskey is spared by the Great Fire and EarthquakeApril 20th, 1906 The deliverance of Hotaling's WhiskeyAs of Friday the 20th, San Francisco was still on fire. The Great Earthquake had happened two days earlier, but the Fire (or fires) that devastated the city were still well underway.The eastern quarter of the city -- nearly five square miles -- would be almost completely destroyed. But after the smoke cleared, a few precious blocks would emerged unscathed.  Among these survivors would be the two blocks bounded by Montgomery, Jackson, Battery and Washington Streets. Oceans of ink have been spilled in documenting the incredible individual heroism and unfathomable professional incompetence displayed in fighting those fires.  One of the best books on the subject is "The Great Earthquake and Firestorms of 1906" by Philip Fradkin, from which I've swiped much of today's timecapsule. This is the story of a single building, but one of vital importance to the delicate Western palette: AP Hotaling &amp; Co.â€™s warehouse at 451 Jackson Street -- the largest depository of whiskey on the West Coast.Day One: the first escapeHotaling's warehouse was threatened on the very first day of the fires, Wednesday, April 18th. This particular blaze was one of the many inspired by rampant and ill-advised dynamiting, in this case by an allegedly drunken John Bermingham, not coincidentally the president of the California Powder Works.Encouraged by the blast, the fire roared towards the whiskey-packed warehouse. Its cornices began to smoulder, but a quick-acting fireman bravely clambered to the top and hacked them off. This was Hotaling's first escape. 

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT: 1906: Hotaling's Whiskey is spared by the Great Fire and Earthquake<h2><a href="http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/hb6b69p2q4/?&amp;query=hotaling&amp;brand=oac" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>April 20th, 1906 The deliverance of Hotaling's Whiskey</h2>As of Friday the 20th, San Francisco was still on fire. The Great Earthquake had happened two days earlier, but the Fire (or fires) that devastated the city were still well underway.The eastern quarter of the city -- nearly five square miles -- would be almost completely destroyed. But after the smoke cleared, a few precious blocks would emerged unscathed. Among these survivors would be the two blocks bounded by Montgomery, Jackson, Battery and Washington Streets. <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/32760/s?kw=Fradkin%20Great%20Earthquake%20firestorm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Oceans of ink have been spilled in documenting the incredible individual heroism and <a href="http://www.sfmuseum.org/1906.2/lafler.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">unfathomable professional incompetence</a> displayed in fighting those fires. One of the best books on the subject is "<a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/32760/s?kw=Fradkin%20Great%20Earthquake%20firestorm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Great Earthquake and Firestorms of 1906</a>" by Philip Fradkin, from which I've swiped much of today's timecapsule. This is the story of a single building, but one of vital importance to the delicate Western palette: AP Hotaling &amp; Co.â€™s warehouse at <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&amp;source=s_q&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=&amp;q=451+Jackson+Street,+san+francisco&amp;sll=37.0625,-95.677068&amp;sspn=47.435825,110.390625&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=37.79632,-122.402753&amp;spn=0.001454,0.003369&amp;z=19" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">451 Jackson Street</a> -- the largest depository of whiskey on the West Coast.<h3>Day One: the first escape</h3>Hotaling's warehouse was threatened on the very first day of the fires, Wednesday, April 18th. This particular blaze was one of the many inspired by rampant and ill-advised dynamiting, in this case by an allegedly drunken John Bermingham, not coincidentally the president of the California Powder Works.Encouraged by the blast, the fire roared towards the whiskey-packed warehouse. Its cornices began to smoulder, but a quick-acting fireman bravely clambered to the top and hacked them off. This was Hotaling's first escape.

San Francisco Timecapsule: 04.20.09

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT:1958: The Giants play the Dodgers in the first major league baseball game on the West CoastApril 15, 1958 Major League Baseball in San Francisco!Exactly fifty-one years ago today, two New York City transplants faced each other for the first time on the fertile soil of the West Coast.Decades of storied rivalry already under their respective belts, these two legendary New York baseball clubs -- the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers -- were trapped in aging, unsuitable parks. Giants owner Horace Stoneham had been considering a move to Minnesota until Dodger owner Walter O'Malley -- whose plans for a new Brooklyn park were being blocked -- set his sights on the demographic paradise of Los Angeles. The National League wouldn't allow just one team to make such a drastic geographic move, so O'Malley talked Stoneham into taking a look at San Francisco. To the eternal regret and dismay of their New York fans, following the 1957 season, both teams pulled up stakes and headed for the welcoming arms of California. read on ... 

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT: 1958: The Giants play the Dodgers in the first major league baseball game on the West Coast<h2>April 15, 1958 Major League Baseball in San Francisco!</h2><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/sf/history/sf_history_timeline_article.jsp?article=23" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Exactly fifty-one years ago today, two New York City transplants faced each other for the first time on the fertile soil of the West Coast.Decades of storied rivalry already under their respective belts, these two legendary New York baseball clubs -- the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers -- <a href="http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/May-June-08/On-this-Day--Dodgers-and-Giants-Get-Permission-to-Move-to-California.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">were trapped in aging, unsuitable parks</a>. Giants owner Horace Stoneham had been considering a move to Minnesota until Dodger owner Walter O'Malley -- whose plans for a new Brooklyn park were being blocked -- set his sights on the demographic paradise of Los Angeles. The National League wouldn't allow just one team to make such a drastic geographic move, so O'Malley talked Stoneham into taking a look at San Francisco. To the eternal regret and dismay of their New York fans, following the 1957 season, <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/15/SP3E1046NH.DTL&amp;type=printable" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">both teams pulled up stakes</a> and headed for the welcoming arms of California. <a href="&lt;?php the_permalink() ?&gt;" rel="bookmark nofollow" target="_blank">read on ... </a>

San Francisco Timecapsule: 04.13.09

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT:1871: The fall of a hoodlum kingApril 9, 1871: A hoodlum king's power is broken, and all because he hated the sound of music. Apparently.This isn't going to come as a surprise, but one of my favourite histories of this fair city is Herbert Asbury's Barbary Coast, first published in 1933. That's where I ran into the little story of Billy Smith, one of the most notorious hoodlums that San Francisco ever produced.In the early 1870s, Billy Smith was the leader of a gang known as the Rising Star Club. This was a group of Barbary Coast thugs about 200 men strong, and Billy ruled them -- and the Coast -- with an iron fist. Literally. Billy was a monster of a man, and scoffed at the notion of using a knife, club or gun. No, Billy's weapon of choice was a gigantic pair of corrugated iron knuckles, which he used to tear his antagonists into shreds. BulliesThis low-tech weaponry was actually not unusual for San Francisco hoodlums. They rarely used guns, since -- bullies that they were -- they tended to enter battle only when massively outnumbering their opponent ... a lone Chinese laundryman, for example, or a recalcitrant shopkeeper.I've written about the derivation of the term "hoodlum" in a previous blog post, but what's just as interesting is how proud the Barbary Coast hoodlums were of that appellation. According to Asbury, "Sometimes when they sallied forth on their nefarious errands, they heralded their progress through the streets of San Francisco by cries of "The Hoodlums are coming!" and "Look out for the Hoodlums"! Many of them had the curious idea that the very sound of the word "hoodlum" terrified the police, and that by so identifying themselves they automatically became immune to arrest."

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT: 1871: The fall of a hoodlum king<h2>April 9, 1871: A hoodlum king's power is broken, and all because he hated the sound of music. Apparently.</h2><a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/32760/s?kw=Herbert%20Asbury%20Barbary%20Coast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>This isn't going to come as a surprise, but one of my favourite histories of this fair city is <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/32760/s?kw=Herbert%20Asbury%20Barbary%20Coast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Herbert Asbury's Barbary Coast</a>, first published in 1933. That's where I ran into the little story of Billy Smith, one of the most notorious hoodlums that San Francisco ever produced.In the early 1870s, Billy Smith was the leader of a gang known as the Rising Star Club. This was a group of Barbary Coast thugs about 200 men strong, and Billy ruled them -- and the Coast -- with an iron fist. Literally. Billy was a monster of a man, and scoffed at the notion of using a knife, club or gun. No, Billy's weapon of choice was a gigantic pair of corrugated iron knuckles, which he used to tear his antagonists into shreds. <h3>Bullies</h3>This low-tech weaponry was actually not unusual for San Francisco hoodlums. They rarely used guns, since -- bullies that they were -- they tended to enter battle only when massively outnumbering their opponent ... <a href="http://www.sparkletack.com/2008/12/01/timecapsule-podcast-san-francisco-december-1-7/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a lone Chinese laundryman</a>, for example, or a recalcitrant shopkeeper.I've written about the <a href="http://www.sparkletack.com/2007/05/25/drafted-by-the-sfist/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">derivation of the term "hoodlum"</a> in a previous blog post, but what's just as interesting is how proud the Barbary Coast hoodlums were of that appellation. According to Asbury, <blockquote>"Sometimes when they sallied forth on their nefarious errands, they heralded their progress through the streets of San Francisco by cries of "The Hoodlums are coming!" and "Look out for the Hoodlums"! Many of them had the curious idea that the very sound of the word "hoodlum" terrified the police, and that by so identifying themselves they automatically became immune to arrest."</blockquote>

San Francisco Timecapsule: 04.06.09

THIS WEEK’S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT:The San Francisco “Cocktail Route” 1890-something The Cocktail Route — “Champagne Days of San Francisco” Spring is most definitely in the air right now, which has brought my thoughts back to one of the great phenomena of San Francisco’s pre-earthquake era, the “Cocktail Route”. I know I’ve mentioned the “Cocktail Route” in […]

San Francisco Timecapsule: 03.30.09

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT:Slumming the Barbary Coast1871 "A Barbary Cruise"I've been thinking about the fact that -- just like our out-of-town guests inevitably insist that we take 'em to Chinatown or Fisherman's Wharf -- in the 1870s, visitors from back in "the States" just had to go slumming in the infamous Barbary Coast. The piece I'm about to read to you was written by Mr. Albert Evans, a reporter from the good ol' Alta California. The Barbary Coast was part of his beat, and this gave him connections with the hardnosed cops whose duty it was to maintain some kind of order in that "colorful" part of town. As romanticized as it has become in popular memory, the Coast was a "hell" of a place -- filthy, violent and extremely dangerous for greenhorns. When some visitors came to town in about 1871, Albert asked one of his policeman buddies to join them on the tour. His account of this "Barbary Cruise" is a remarkable firsthand snapshot of the territory bounded by Montgomery, Stockton, Washington and Broadway. But what's almost more interesting is the way he reports it; the purple prose, the pursed-lip moralizing, and -- though I've skipped the Chinatown part of the tour -- the absolutely matter-of-fact racism on display.  This is the Barbary Coast seen through the eyes of white, bourgeois, and extremely Victorian San Francisco -- prepare to be both educated and annoyed. read on ... 

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT: Slumming the Barbary Coast<h2>1871 "A Barbary Cruise"</h2>I've been thinking about the fact that -- just like our out-of-town guests inevitably insist that we take 'em to Chinatown or Fisherman's Wharf -- in the 1870s, visitors from back in "the States" just had to go slumming in the infamous Barbary Coast. The piece I'm about to read to you was written by Mr. Albert Evans, a reporter from the good ol' Alta California. The Barbary Coast was part of his beat, and this gave him connections with the hardnosed cops whose duty it was to maintain some kind of order in that "colorful" part of town. As romanticized as it has become in popular memory, the Coast was a "hell" of a place -- filthy, violent and extremely dangerous for greenhorns. When some visitors came to town in about 1871, Albert asked one of his policeman buddies to join them on the tour. His account of this "Barbary Cruise" is a remarkable firsthand snapshot of the territory bounded by Montgomery, Stockton, Washington and Broadway. But what's almost more interesting is the way he reports it; the purple prose, the pursed-lip moralizing, and -- though I've skipped the Chinatown part of the tour -- the absolutely matter-of-fact racism on display. This is the Barbary Coast seen through the eyes of white, bourgeois, and extremely Victorian San Francisco -- prepare to be both educated and annoyed. <a href="&lt;?php the_permalink() ?&gt;" rel="bookmark nofollow" target="_blank">read on ... </a>

San Francisco Timecapsule: 03.23.09

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT:America's "Master Birdman" makes his final flightMarch 15, 1915: "The Man Who Owns the Sky"It was the year of the legendary Panama-Pacific International Exposition. San Francisco had once again earned that phoenix on her flag by rising from the ashes of the 1906 earthquake and fire -- and just nine years later, the city celebrated its rebirth by winning the right to host the World's Fair. Visitors from every point on the compass swarmed towards California to visit the resurgent city.You probably know that the site of the Fair was the neighborhood now called the Marina, that acres of shoreline mudflats were filled in to create space for a grand and temporary city, and that the mournfully elegant Palace of Fine Arts is its lone survivor. The exhibits and attractions on offer were endless and famously enchanting, but one of the most spectacular events took place in the air above the Fair.On March 15, a quarter of a million people gathered in the fairgrounds and on the hills above them to see a man in an ultra-modern experimental airplane perform unparalleled feats of aeronautical acrobatics.That man was Lincoln Beachey, and in 1915 he was the most famous aviator in the country -- known from coast to coast as "The Man Who Owns the Sky". read on ... 

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT: America's "Master Birdman" makes his final flight<h2>March 15, 1915: "The Man Who Owns the Sky"</h2>It was the year of the legendary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama-Pacific_International_Exposition_(1915)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Panama-Pacific International Exposition</a>. San Francisco had once again earned that phoenix on her flag by rising from the ashes of the 1906 earthquake and fire -- and just nine years later, the city celebrated its rebirth by winning the right to host the World's Fair. Visitors from every point on the compass swarmed towards California to visit the resurgent city.You probably know that the site of the Fair was the neighborhood now called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_District,_San_Francisco,_California" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Marina</a>, that acres of shoreline mudflats were filled in to create space for a <a href="http://www.sanfranciscomemories.com/ppie/panamapacific.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">grand and temporary city</a>, and that the mournfully elegant <a href="http://www.exploratorium.edu/palace/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Palace of Fine Arts</a> is its lone survivor. The exhibits and attractions on offer were endless and famously enchanting, but one of the most spectacular events took place in the air above the Fair.On March 15, a quarter of a million people gathered in the fairgrounds and on the hills above them to see a man in an ultra-modern experimental airplane perform unparalleled feats of aeronautical acrobatics.That man was <a href="http://www.lincolnbeachey.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lincoln Beachey</a>, and in 1915 he was the most famous aviator in the country -- known from coast to coast as "The Man Who Owns the Sky". <a href="&lt;?php the_permalink() ?&gt;" rel="bookmark nofollow" target="_blank">read on ... </a>

San Francisco Timecapsule: 03.09.09

THIS WEEK’S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT: 1956: Gold medals or Gold records? An athletic crooner makes a life-changing choice 1956: “Send blank contracts” Of course you know Johnny Mathis. The velvet-voiced crooner is a fixture of the softer side of American pop culture, providing reliably romantic background music for cuddling couples for over sixty years. He’s sold […]

San Francisco Timecapsule: 03.02.09

Fun to listen to and really informative. Tons of info about San Francisco I thought I knew and never did. A must listen for SF residents old and new. Sad there&#39;s no new ones!!

Best out there

If you are a history buff and love SF, this is for you!

What a great podcast!

San Francisco History Podcast – Sparkletack

By the time I arrived, San Francisco was already a city — and had been one for the previous century and a half. But what went on before that time? What was San Francisco before it was San Francisco? I’ve decided to look into the story of the pre-city peninsula, and the birth of the […]

#28: Birth of San Francisco #1

Part two of the pre-history of San Francisco, the early life of the village of Yerba Buena. The epic sweep of Mexico’s revolution and the annexation of California to the United States for all intents and purposes passed the town by. Monterey, Sonoma, and the great Californio ranchos were where most of the action was, […]

#35: Birth of San Francisco #2

Tonight’s podcast features a special method of German homework avoidance: brew up a batch of beer, breathe in the delicious aroma of malt and hops, and ruminate over the history of America’s first authentic native style: Steam Beer from San Francisco. Visit the Anchor Brewing Company, the only brewery in the country still brewing this […]

#4: Steam Beer – The Authentic San Francisco Style

Treasure Island is easily visible from San Francisco’s Embarcadero, a low-lying front porch jutting out towards the Golden Gate from Yerba Buena Island. Palm trees in a silhouetted row set off massive white buildings, dwarfed by the towering silver Bay Bridge marching across the water towards Oakland. That bridge carries over 130,000 people a day […]

#63: San Francisco’s Treasure Island (pt. 1)

The very name gives one chills, doesn’t it? On a sunny day it seems almost unbelievable that such a lovely little island could have once been such an menacing symbol of power. It’s just over a mile from the San Francisco shore, and yet according to official records, none of the hundreds of men incarcerated […]

#24: Alcatraz

Alma De Bretteville

It’s one of San Francisco’s best-loved monuments — the figure of a heartbreakingly beautiful girl balancing lightly atop a granite column high above Union Square. She soars above both pedestrians and pigeons, gracefully clutching trident and victory laurels, lifting her shapely arms in triumph over the city of San Francisco. It was intended to memorialize […]

#66: Alma de Bretteville Spreckels

Spinning junk into art — is a smile returning to the face of San Francisco? I haven’t been carrying my digital camera, just got a couple of shots today. This kind of ephemeral street art tends to disappear, but I’ll try to catch it fresh!

#3: Street Flowers

The Golden Gate Bridge is the no. 1 suicide landmark in the world. It opened proudly in 1937, but less than two years — and 11 jumpers later — a local newspaper reported that the California Highway Patrol had already begun looking for ways to prevent “further suicidal leaps from the bridge.” An officer was […]

#15: The Golden Gate Bridge and Suicide

As I was riding around town this weekend, I was suddenly struck by a thought: stopped at the intersection of Broadway and Battery Streets, I suddenly wondered to myself: “Broadway? Battery? Where did those names actually come from? Does anyone still remember?” These names must reveal something about the character, history, and essential nature of […]

#26: Streets of San Francisco #1

You’ve seen the green and white signs in front of the “Lefty O’Doul Restaurant and Piano Bar” down on Geary Street, but who is Lefty O’Doul? Just another phony Irish name invented to sell beer? Absolutely not! The silhouette of that left-handed slugger on the sign is a clue. Lefty O’Doul was a baseball player, […]

#61: Lefty O’Doul — The Man in the Green Suit

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT: 1849: As the fateful year of 1849 begins, a newspaper editor scrutinizes San Francisco's gold rush future. February 1, 1849 The eye of the Gold Rush hurricane The spring of 1849 -- dawn of a year forever branded into the national consciousness  as the era of the California Gold Rush. And so it was -- but that was back East, in the "States". In San Francisco, the Gold Rush had actually begun an entire year earlier. I'd better set the scene. The United States were at war with Mexico -- it's President Polk and "Manifest Destiny" time. San Francisco (then Yerba Buena) was conquered without a shot in July of 1847. In the first month of 1848, gold was quietly discovered in the foothills east of Sutter's Fort. Days later, the Mexican war came to an end, and Alta California became sole property of the United States.  Sam Brannan kick-starts things in '48 San Francisco was skeptical about the gold strike, but in May of '48, Sam Brannan made his famous appearance on Market Street brandishing a bottle of gold dust. His shouts of "Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River" triggered the first wave of the Gold Rush. The village of about 500 souls was emptied almost overnight as its inhabitants hotfooted it for the hills. Among the many businesses left completely in the lurch was Sam Brannan's own newspaper, the California Star. While the entrepreneurial Brannan was busy becoming a millionaire selling shovels to gold miners, by June his entire staff had abandoned the paper and set off to make their own fortunes.  Edward Kemble publishes the Alta California &gt;Brannan sold what was left of his newspaper to a more civic-minded businessman, Mr. Edward Cleveland Kemble. Kemble resuscitated the Star (along with San Francisco's other gold rush-crippled paper, the Californian) as a brand spanking new paper he called the Alta California. The first issue appeared at the tail end of 1848. That brings us right up to today's timecapsule. The editorial on the front page of issue #5 of the new paper is a treasure trove of contemporary San Francisco perspectives. As editor Kemble was composing this piece -- a retrospective of the previous year, and a peek into the uncertain future -- it was the dead of winter, and the first wave of the Rush had crested and broken back towards the city.  Kemble was first and foremost a businessman, and he was concerned with the civic and financial future of San Francisco. He points out that the city is poorly governed, a little short on law and order, already swelling with gold-seekers from Mexico and Oregon, and -- to sum it up -- is woefully unprepared for the onslaught of humanity, the avalanche of "49ers" already looming on the horizon. But though he's aware that the next wave is going to be a doozy, with 20-20 historical hindsight we know that he doesn't really have a clue. What Kemble doesn't know ... yet. By the end of 1849, the village of San Francisco will have burst at every seam, with a population exploding from 2000 to 25,000. Tens of thousands of gold seekers will flow through the port and even more will stagger in overland from the East, all in all 100,000 strong.  The beautiful harbour will be choked with hundreds of deserted, rotting ships, and the local government will prove to be ineffectual and almost totally corrupt. By the end of '49 San Francisco will have become a wild, sprawling, lawless shanty boomtown, and the soul and future of our City by the Bay will be permanently transformed. Kemble's observations give us ground-level insight into the concerns of the village of San Francisco in the winter of 1848 -- a priceless peek into the eye of the gold rush hurricane. read on ... 

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST TRANSCRIPT: 1849: As the fateful year of 1849 begins, a newspaper editor scrutinizes San Francisco's gold rush future. <h2><a href="http://www.publicaffairs.water.ca.gov/swp/images/history/goldrush.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>February 1, 1849 The eye of the Gold Rush hurricane</h2> The spring of 1849 -- dawn of a year forever branded into the national consciousness as the era of the California Gold Rush. And so it was -- but that was back East, in the "States". In San Francisco, the Gold Rush had actually begun <a href="http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist/chron1.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">an entire year earlier</a>. I'd better set the scene. The United States were at war with Mexico -- it's President Polk and "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_Destiny" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Manifest Destiny</a>" time. San Francisco (then Yerba Buena) was conquered without a shot in July of 1847. In the first month of 1848, gold was quietly discovered in the foothills east of <a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=485" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sutter's Fort</a>. Days later, the Mexican war came to an end, and Alta California became sole property of the United States. <h3>Sam Brannan kick-starts things in '48</h3> San Francisco was skeptical about the gold strike, but in May of '48, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Brannan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sam Brannan</a> made his famous appearance on Market Street brandishing a bottle of gold dust. His shouts of "Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River" triggered the first wave of the Gold Rush. The village of about 500 souls was emptied almost overnight as its inhabitants hotfooted it for the hills. Among the many businesses left completely in the lurch was Sam Brannan's own newspaper, the California Star. While the entrepreneurial Brannan was busy becoming a millionaire selling shovels to gold miners, by June his entire staff had abandoned the paper and set off to make their own fortunes. <h3>Edward Kemble publishes the Alta California</h3> &gt;Brannan sold what was left of his newspaper to a more civic-minded businessman, Mr. Edward Cleveland Kemble. Kemble resuscitated the Star (along with San Francisco's other gold rush-crippled paper, the Californian) as a brand spanking new paper he called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Alta_California" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alta California</a>. The first issue appeared at the tail end of 1848. That brings us right up to today's timecapsule. The editorial on the front page of issue #5 of the new paper is a treasure trove of contemporary San Francisco <a href="http://www.sparkletack.com/2008/12/15/timecapsule-podcast-san-francisco-december-15-21/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">perspectives</a>. As editor Kemble was composing this piece -- a retrospective of the previous year, and a peek into the uncertain future -- it was the dead of winter, and the first wave of the Rush had crested and broken back towards the city. Kemble was first and foremost a businessman, and he was concerned with the civic and financial future of San Francisco. He points out that the city is poorly governed, a little short on law and order, already swelling with gold-seekers from Mexico and Oregon, and -- to sum it up -- is woefully unprepared for the onslaught of humanity, the <a href="http://www.sparkletack.com/2007/09/25/65-memories-of-an-argonaut/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">avalanche of "49ers"</a> already looming on the horizon. But though he's aware that the next wave is going to be a doozy, with 20-20 historical hindsight we know that he doesn't really have a clue. <h3>What Kemble doesn't know ... yet.</h3> By the end of 1849, the village of San Francisco will have burst at every seam, with a population exploding from 2000 to 25,000. Tens of thousands of gold seekers will flow through the port and even more will stagger in overland from the East, all in all 100,000 strong. The beautiful harbour will be choked with <a href="http://www.sparkletack.com/2008/11/10/timecapsule-podcast-san-francisco-november-10-16" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">hundreds</a> of deserted, rotting ships, and the local government will prove to be ineffectual and almost totally corrupt. By the end of '49 San Francisco will have become a wild, sprawling, lawless shanty boomtown, and the soul and future of our City by the Bay will be permanently transformed. Kemble's observations give us ground-level insight into the concerns of the village of San Francisco in the winter of 1848 -- a priceless peek into the eye of the gold rush hurricane. <a href="&lt;?php the_permalink() ?&gt;" rel="bookmark nofollow" target="_blank">read on ... </a>

San Francisco Timecapsule: 02.02.09

After a few days in san francisco, you’ll begin to notice a strange proliferation of fat silvery cylinders sprouting from the hands and faces of the local population. Is it an alien invasion? A new kind of cellphone? No. You’ve discovered the secret passion of San Francisco, the vital fuel source of artists, students, plumbers […]

#19: The Mission Burrito

Oh, for the life of a sailor in Gold-Rush San Francisco! Those hard-luck men and boys were lucky enough to witness the birth of a brand new wild west verb up close and personally: Shanghai! Well, maybe not so lucky after all… the results were perhaps picturesque, but not at all pleasant. Here are a […]

#7: San Francisco Shanghai

Well, I always thought that I knew the story of Levi’s jeans, how the Bavarian Levi Strauss showed up in Gold Rush San Francisco with a ton of heavy canvas for tent-making, met a miner who needed a pair of pants strong enough to withstand the rigors of gold mining, and the rest was history. […]

#12: San Francisco Blue Jeans

There’s a strange atmospheric phenomenon peculiar to our location halfway up the North-American coastline, something that has shaped the romantic atmosphere of San Francisco since the very moment that it truly became a city. poems have been written about it, as well as songs and stories, and I aim to celebrate it too. You’ve probably […]

#20: Fog City

I can clearly remember the first time I saw the wild parrots of San Francisco flying through the air over my neighborhood. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Or my ears, for that matter…their voices sound like a thousand tin cans rolling down a hill. Where had these bright green strangers come from, and why were […]

#13: The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill

What is Treasure Island? Why is it there? And where is it going? In the second episode of this 2-part podcast series, San Francisco’s plan for a mid-bay international airport is abruptly derailed by World War II. The US Navy seizes the island, transforming the former World’s Fair location into “Naval Station Treasure Island”. The […]

#64: San Francisco’s Treasure Island (pt. 2)

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