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    San Francisco, California
    San Francisco, California
    San Francisco, California
    Ebook168 pages37 minutes

    San Francisco, California

    By Patricia Kennedy

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    About this ebook

    On January 30, 1847, the small harbor village of Yerba Buena was rechristened "San Francisco." As the Gold Rush quickly propelled the population to over 50,000, fortunes made in the silver Comstock lode and the railroad transformed the area into the financial and cultural center of the West. Captured here in over 200 vintage images are the life and times of the city's earliest residents and their livelihoods. Spanning the mid-1800s through the early decades of the 20th century, this book offers a visual account of early life in San Francisco, from family outings at Golden Gate Park, to the images of San Franciscans rebuilding their city after the devastating Earthquake and Fire of 1906. Also pictured are the joyous occasions, including the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915, the openings of the Bay and Golden Gate Bridges, and the 1939 World's Fair. Early views of the city's landmarks capture the magic of the Bay area, such as the Ferry Depot, Nob Hill, turn of the century Chinatown, and Fisherman's Wharf.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateOct 23, 2001
    ISBN9781439642009
    San Francisco, California
    Author

    Patricia Kennedy

    Author Patricia Kennedy showcases vintage postcards and images from her personal collection, along with photographs from the San Francisco Archives. She has added to her collection extensively while traveling as a pianist aboard the American Orient Express.

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      Book preview

      San Francisco, California - Patricia Kennedy

      HOTEL.

      INTRODUCTION

      If California ever becomes a prosperous country, this bay will be the center of its prosperity. The abundance of wood and water, the extreme fertility of its shores; the excellence of its climate, which is as near to being perfect as any in the world; and its facilities for navigation, affording the best anchoring grounds in the whole western coast of America, all fit it for a place of great importance.

      — —Richard Henry Dana, Two Years Before the Mast, 1840

      When the tiny harbor village of Yerba Buena was renamed San Francisco in 1847, the first census of the city counted 479 people. By 1848, the number had doubled and the citizens must have felt that their new city was on its way. They would have never guessed that only one year later, the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills would bring thousands of 49ers and the city would be changed forever. By 1852 the population had soared to 34,000.

      The prospectors would take more than $100 million worth of gold from the ground, a great deal of which ended up in San Francisco. Although this changed the face of the new city, it was the later discoveries of silver in Nevada (both the Comstock lode in 1859 and the Big Bonanza in 1873) which had an even greater impact on the city. The $500 million of newly created wealth established the city as the cultural and financial center of the West. Montgomery Street was dubbed the Wall Street of the West.

      Seeing its potential as a world-class city, William C. Ralston, who became wealthy with the Comstock silver, invested his fortune and that of his bank in the development of San Francisco. He built the Palace Hotel, the California Theater, a woolen mill, and many other businesses in the city. His vision of San Francisco became a reality, but Mr. Ralston died before many of his undertakings came to fruition. San Franciscans mourned the loss of their First Citizen.

      However, one didn’t have to be a wealthy visionary to be taken into the hearts of San Franciscans. Take for example, the story of the city’s favorite (and only) monarch. Joshua Abraham Norton arrived in San Francisco in 1849. In time, he made and lost a fortune, then left the city, only to return one day wearing an old blue Army uniform and a plumed hat, proclaiming to be Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. The citizens played along with the eccentric Norton, rising to their feet when he entered the theater, honoring his self-made currency, and extending him credit. Newspapers published his letters, in which he suggested crazy ideas at the time, such as building a bridge across the Bay, or decorating an enormous Christmas tree for children in Union Square (both of which came to be). After Emperor Norton died while waving to tourists on a Cable Car, more than 30,000 San Franciscans attended his funeral.

      The history of the city is filled with so many colorful stories, that it remains a subject of endless fascination for its residents, visitors, and historians alike. In the words of novelist Frank Norris . . . There are just three big cities in the United States that are ‘story cities’. New York, of course, New Orleans, and best of the lot, San Francisco.

      The images in this book capture moments throughout the constantly unfolding story of this great city, beginning with its Gold Rush days and ending in the 1940s. The photographs and postcards provide a glimpse into life as it was at that time and have been chosen to feature scenes, events, and beloved landmarks that portray the atmosphere and magic of Everyone’s Favorite City. I hope you enjoy your journey into the past of this captivating city.

      In 1964, the San Francisco Cable Car was declared the first moving landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. This early 1940s photo shows the Powell Street Turntable at the intersection of Powell and Market Streets, where the Powell-Hyde and the Powell-Mason cable cars begin and end their breathtaking routes. The States Restaurant, a popular nightspot with its own orchestra, can be seen on the left.

      One

      THE INSTANT CITY

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