• The Parallel Crashes by the Cliff House  The Parallel Crashes by the Cliff HouseOn the afternoon of Thursday, January 13, 1887, the 98-foot schooner Parallel left Hay Wharf in San Francisco bound for Astoria, Oregon. She was loaded with kerosene, a cask of dynamite caps, and 1,685 50-pound cases (about 42 tons) of black powder. Exiting the Golden Gate, the ship ran into strong headwinds. By Saturday evening, the captain still fought for open sea, tacking against strong headwinds. The Parallel, gripped by the tide, slowly approached the Cliff House. Captain Miller ordered his men into the lifeboats and abandoned the ship at 8:30 p.m. Mr. Wilkins, manager of the Cliff House, telephoned John Hyslop at the Point Lobos signal station an hour l..... |
 Land’s End in San FranciscoThe search in the History Room’s clipping disclosed numerous fascinating tidbits about the Cliff House. and the neighboring Seal Rocks, located 400 feet offshore. Over the years it has featured diverse entertainment – including tightrope walkers in the 1860s and a Sky Tram a hundred years later. As early as 1849 San Franciscans were making Sunday excursions to watch the seals cavorting on the Seal Rocks. When the opening of the Point Lobos Toll Road in 1863 made Land’s End easily accessible by carriage, the newly built Cliff House became a popular Sunday rendezvous spot. After the first tightrope walks over Niagara Falls created a national sensation, the fad soon came to San Francisco. On..... |
• Adolph Sutro in Panama (Part 2)  Adolph Sutro in Panama (Part 2)In Jack Leibman's series of articles culled from Sutro’s letters - here he takes up the tale of Sutro’s journey to San Francisco after the steamer Cherokee from New York deposits him in the port of Chagres on the Caribbean coast of Panama. As always, Adolph provides vivid descriptions of his experiences. The exotic natives of Chagres in Panama number about 1500 and seem to be a mixture of brown and black. "They are very lazy and passionately fond of smoking, especially the women. Nearly every girl has a cigar in her mouth or sticks it behind her ear like a pen. Men and women are clad from the hips down or not at all, and have no shame. Some women are dressed in fine ..... |
 Chagres TravelersPeople bound for California from New York or New Orleans generally sailed to the port of Chagres in Panama, then traveled overland 60 miles through jungle and over mountains to reach the Pacific Ocean and await a ship to transport them north. The harbor was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502. For three centuries under Spanish rule, the village was considered unhealthy and unruly. When tens of thousands of gold-seekers landed there on their way to California, the village did not have the resources—including sanitation or police—to handle all the people. The biggest dangers included robbery and insect- and water-born diseases such as Chagres or Panama fever (yellow fever), malaria,..... |
 SF's First World's FairThe United States found itself mired in recession in the first years of the 1890s. San Francisco and the state of California suffered with the rest. Unemployment was up and productivity and the markets were down. The only bright spot nationwide was the 1893 Columbian Exposition, better known as the Chicago World’s Fair. Shortly after the grand opening, San Franciscan Michael Harry de Young, vice president of the Columbian Commission, recognized an opportunity to promote his city and state. San Francisco Chronicle publisher de Young proposed an adjunct to the Chicago Fair for San Francisco, to be held in the dead of winter. On June 1, 1893, de Young announced his plans to open the Califor..... |
• PPIE: San Francisco's Finest World's Fair (Part 1)  PPIE: San Francisco's Finest World's Fair (Part 1)The building of the Panama Canal in the beginning of the twentieth century meant expanded trade and less costly passage east for local goods shipped through San Francisco. In 1904, the San Francisco Merchants’ Exchange proposed that San Francisco should host a world’s fair celebrating the opening. Our great quake and fire in 1906 put those plans on hold, but San Franciscans did not forget. In October 1909, President William Taft announced January 1, 1915, as the date for the opening of the canal. The San Francisco Merchants’ Exchange met and by March 22, 1910, incorporated the Panama Pacific International Exposition Company. Local support quickly generated six million dollars in subscript..... |
 San Francisco and the UN
June is United Nations Month. On June 26, 1945 – the UN was officially born when delegates from fifty nations gathered at San Francisco’s War Memorial Veterans Building to sign the UN Charter. US President Franklin Roosevelt had insistently pushed his fellow war leaders Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin to create an organization to replace the League of Nations. Roosevelt’s passionate advocacy was acknowledged when, at their February 1945 meeting in Yalta, the three leaders agreed to hold the UN Conference in the US. But why San Francisco? For that we can thank Secretary of State Edward Stettinius. During the Yalta Conference, he awakened in the middle of the night from a dream a..... |
• PPIE: San Francisco’s Finest World’s Fair (Part 2)  PPIE: San Francisco’s
Finest World’s Fair (Part 2)
In the May issue of GuideLines, James R. Smith, author of San Francisco’s Lost Landmarks (2005, 2007), described San Francisco’s bid to host the world’s fair celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal, and the creation of the fantasy world of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. In this issue: The fair’s glorious success. San Franciscans bought 100,000 Opening Day badges at 50 cents each, pre-paid entry to the exposition. At six o’clock on the morning of February 20, 1915, those San Franciscans tu..... |
• Thomas Baldwin Jumping in Golden Gate Park  Thomas Baldwin Jumping in Golden Gate ParkIn January 1887 in Golden Gate Park, Thomas Baldwin set a record with his jump from a hot air balloon in a parachute that he had designed himself. Captain Tom, or Professor Baldwin, as he liked to call himself, had been orphaned at a young age and joined the circus as a balloon acrobat at age 14. He spent the next 10 years performing in balloons at shows and fairs across the country, offering to parachute from a balloon at the rate of a dollar a foot. A thousand feet were eagerly bought for the successful Golden Gate Park jump. Baldwin made a major contribution to parachute design by creating a harness and by making the parachute flexible so it could be packed. He volunteered his ex..... |
• The Flowers and Fruits of Chinese New Year  The Flowers and Fruits of Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year, which falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, is observed with a sense of celebrating the earth coming back to life after winter. It is a time for starting a new year with hope and promise as symbolized with the opening of flower buds. As we approach Chinese New Year of 4702, which falls on February 9th this year, shops in the Chinese community start to display red azaleas and red gladiolas as well as the large pomelo, oranges, tangerines, and bright mandarin oranges with the leaves attached. In Southern China, peach or plum blossoms are brought into the house with the hope that the buds on the bare branch will open on New Year’s Day. Opening flowers a..... |
Presidents in San Francisco
The celebration of Presidents’ Day on February 21 calls to mind some dramatic presidential moments that occurred in San Francisco. By far the most sensational encounter of a president with the City was that of Warren G. Harding, counted by some as the worst president in American history, who died at the Palace Hotel in 1923. As scandals began to surface about the graft and corruption that was rampant in his administration, Harding and his wife, Florence, set off from Washington, D.C. on a cross-county tour to strengthen his popularity with the American people. Among his retinue was his homeopathic physician and close family friend, “Doc” Sawyer. Although Harding had exhibited signs o..... |
• San Francisco State Normal School -1903- A Personal History  San Francisco State Normal School
-1903- A Personal History Pictured here is the San Francisco State Normal School in 1903 and after the earthquake and fire of 1906. What was to become today’s San Francisco State University opened in 1899 in this rented building located on Powell between Clay and Sacramento Streets. Of the plain stone structure, which had previously served as a church and as Boys’ High School, one faculty member wrote, “It would be difficult to locate another normal school building that was as old, inconvenient, or depressing.” Following is the story of one of the first graduates of San Francisco State Normal School and her connection to two extraordinary San Franciscans. My grandma was privileged to know and le..... |
• San Francisco Emporium Rooftop Holiday Tradition  San Francisco Emporium Rooftop Holiday TraditionA ferris wheel, merry-go-round, train, and visit with Santa Claus and his elves – all these treats and more awaited visitors to the rooftop holiday carnival presented every Christmas by the Emporium on Market Street. Once upon a time this venerable department store also boasted an indoor ice rink and an auditorium for lectures and concerts by The Emporium Orchestra. The last Christmas carnival was held in 1995, the Emporium’s 100th anniversary year and the year the store closed. A reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle interviewed visitors and quoted an Emporium employee who boasted, “Our Santa is the best Santa in the Bay Area.” (In fact, there were two Santas, separated by screens..... |
 The 1909 Portolá Festival”Pageant Is Too Big for Eye to See or Brain to Grasp; Even With Smoked Glasses.” With this headline, the San Francisco Examiner trumpeted the wonders of the 1909 Portolá Festival. Opening on October 19 – three and a half years and one day after the 1906 quake – the five-day festival showed the world that San Francisco was back in business. Its tremendous success opened the way for the City to host the Panama Pacific International Exposition six years later. San Francisco was also eager to announce its recovery from disastrous post-quake labor dissension and the political corruption that had culminated in the trial and guilty verdict against former political boss Abe Ruef. As one lead..... |
• Golden Gate International Exposition: SF’s Final World’s Fair – Part 1  Golden Gate International Exposition: SF’s Final World’s Fair – Part 1As early as 1933, San Franciscans urged their politicians to host another world’s fair to follow up on the success of the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition. Mired in the “hard times” of the Great Depression, they were eager to bring increased trade to the City, and to celebrate the opening of two engineering marvels, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco and its surroundings had grown markedly by the 1930s, with the Bay Area now boasting two million residents. Lacking the open land required to host the proposed Golden Gate International Exposition, backers of the fair looked to San Francisco Bay and selected Yerba Buena Shoal, lying jus..... |
• Golden Gate International Exposition: SFs Final World’s Fair - Part II  Golden Gate International Exposition: SFs Final World’s Fair - Part II The world found itself at war on February 18, 1939, just as it had been on that very date for the opening of the Panama Pacific International Exposition in 1915. The United States claimed neutrality both times. Accompanied by a light breeze, the sun shone brightly on San Francisco Bay. Automobiles jammed the causeway exiting the new San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, and loaded Key System ferries steamed across the Bay that Saturday morning, all awaiting the grand opening of the Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco’s third world’s fair. San Francisco was again in celebration mode, and the fair openly supported peace with all nations. The fair charged an entrance fee of fif..... |
• Foch and Joffre Visit San Francisco  Foch and Joffre Visit San FranciscoThe east side of the Palace of the Legion of Honor is flanked by a wide gravel path, the Lincoln Park golf course, and a row of tall Monterey cypress trees. On closer inspection, two of these trees are accompanied by rocks bearing embedded bronze plaques. The plain weathered plaques are similar in format. One simply states that on December 3, 1921, Ferdinand Foch, Marechal de France, planted the tree; the other marks a similar event on April 7, 1922, by Joseph Joffre, Marechal de France. What was the background to these intriguing memorials? What brought these distinguished military commanders of the Allied forces in France in World War One to this remote, barren spot on the edge of the ..... |
 Bay Bridge ClimbElaine Molinari, former City Guides Director (1985 - 1990) contributes a story this month on San Francisco Bay Bridge shenanigans. No matter that it was illegal, I was too old for such things, and my husband was a cop - it was an adventure we couldn't miss. This was acute urban daring, and we were being challenged. Twenty-five years ago, when the world was not yet afraid of terrorists, a group of five friends led by an intrepid urban cowboy, planned a surreptitious nighttime exploration of the San Francisco Bay Bridge. Gary, our trusted leader, had climbed the bridge before, and had encouraged us to conquer our fears and join him (Gary was a City Guide and was a founder of t..... |
 Sewer WalkEven now, nearly 30 years later, it's difficult to define the Suicide Club, but certainly challenging mindless tradition was one goal. So was balancing "the hype" - providing an alternative platform for thoughts on current events. And, of course, there were adventures that conquer fears. On this particular night, we all dressed up, in tuxedos and ballgowns, with rubber waders, and gathered on Grove Street at the entrance to Davies Hall where we mingled with the "swells" who were arriving for the symphony opening night performance. We watched as the line of limos disgorged their satin- and lace-wrapped riders; waved as they dashed up the steps and into the concert hall. Then we turned t..... |
• Tanforan 1910 Aviation Meet: Rambling Bits of History  Tanforan 1910 Aviation Meet: Rambling Bits of History Horseracing was a popular pastime in the early days of San Francisco. However, most of the race tracks failed as business ventures for reasons including the difficulty of getting there (before paved roads), competition from other tracks, poor financial planning, municipal laws, and the City wanting the land. A number of wealthy San Francisco horse owners banded together in 1899 to build the Tanforan Race Track in San Bruno. Its investors wanted to get away from San Francisco laws, and rural San Bruno was mainly a large dairy farm with no municipal regulations. Adolph Spreckles, Leland Stanford, and George Hearst raced their horses here. The track did well even though it was outside the ..... |
Thomas Baldwin Jumping in Golden Gate Park
by Susan Saperstein
In January 1887 in Golden Gate Park, Thomas Baldwin set a record with his jump from a hot air balloon in a parachute that he had designed himself. Captain Tom, or Professor Baldwin, as he liked to call himself, had been orphaned at a young age and joined the circus as a balloon acrobat at age 14. He spent the next 10 years performing in balloons at shows and fairs across the country, offering to parachute from a balloon at the rate of a dollar a foot. A thousand feet were eagerly bought for the successful Golden Gate Park jump.
Baldwin made a major contribution to parachute design by creating a harness and by making the parachute flexible so it could be packed. He volunteered his expertise during World War I, when as Chief of Army Balloon Inspection and Production he supervised the building of all spherical, dirigible and kite balloons. Baldwin built the first government airship in 1908 (U.S. Signal Corps Dirigible Number One) and became known as "The Father of the American Dirigible." He died in 1923 at the age of 68 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with military honors.
Information from Hill Aerospace Museum and Pioneers of American Aviation homepages. Photos reprinted with permission, San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.
“Jump from balloon at San Francisco"
"My first jump from balloon”
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