misc Today in San Francisco History - a Gold Rush shaving-saloon Timecapsule: February 1852 We love personal accounts of the goings-on in our little town more than just about anything. The sights, the smells, the daily routine ... We want the nuts and bolts of
misc Today in San Francisco History - Ghosts of Lands End Timecapsule: February 19, 1921 On this date the cornerstone for San Francisco's spectacular Palace of the Legion of Honor Museum was levered into place. The Museum was to be a vehicle for the
misc Today in San Francisco History - The laceration of Rincon Hill Timecapsule: February 1869 There aren't too many people living who remember this now, but Rincon Hill was once the fanciest neighborhood in San Francisco. You know the place, right? It's south of Market
misc Today in San Francisco History - Eye of the Gold Rush Hurricane Timecapsule: February 1, 1849 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
misc Today in San Francisco History - San Francisco gets its name Timecapsule: January 30, 1847 Yerba Buena That was the name given to the tiny bayside settlement back in 1835, a name taken from the wild mint growing on the sand dunes that surrounded
misc Today in San Francisco History - Tong boss "Little Pete" assassinated in a Chinatown barbershop Timecapsule: January 23, 1897 The "tong" secret societies are as American as Chop Suey -- which is to say, invented in San Francisco and completely unknown in China. The first tong was organized
misc Today in San Francisco History - Passing of the notorious Countess Lola Montez Timecapsule: January 17, 1861 As was undoubtedly marked on your calendar, San Francisco's patron saint Emperor Norton died last week, January 7, 1880. But his was not the only January passing worthy of
misc Today in San Francisco History - "Small Boy Defends Himself" Timecapsule: January 14, 1899 In this San Francisco Chronicle story from 1899, a North Beach street urchin defends himself in court. No, we don't know why he was allowed to act as his
misc Today in San Francisco History - "Demon of the Belfry" goes to the gallows Timecapsule: January 7, 1898 The most notorious criminal of San Francisco's Gilded Age was executed 111 years ago today. Sure, Jack the Ripper had set a certain tone for serial killing just a
misc Today in San Francisco History - the First Cliff House Burns Timecapsule: December 25, 1894 On Christmas Day, 1894, the first San Francisco Cliff House burned to the ground. As the Chronicle poetically reported the next morning, San Francisco's most historic landmark has gone
misc Today in San Francisco History - Escape from Alcatraz, maybe Timecapsule: December 16, 1937 Braving armed guards, bone-chilling water, and a mythical one-finned shark named Bruce, Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe take advantage of the heaviest fog on record to escape from the
misc Today in San Francisco History - "Miss Goldie Griffin Wants to Become Cop" Timecapsule: December 9, 1912 Another item culled directly from the pages of our historical newspapers, this one from the period in which California women had just won the right to vote -- something
misc Today in San Francisco History - Wyatt Earp Referees a Boxing Match Timecapsule: December 2, 1896 Frontier lawman Wyatt Earp, legendary for his role in the archetypal Western gunfight, "Shoot-out at the O.K. Corral", is called upon this afternoon to officiate at a $10,
misc Today in San Francisco History - "Haberdashery Issue Stirs Butchertown" Timecapsule: November 24, 1899 This item flowed from the pen of some long-forgotten San Francisco Chronicle beat writer, a little piece in which a neighborhood dispute is lovingly detailed. Butchertown was a tough
misc Today in San Francisco History - Unknown San Francisco author takes New York Timecapsule: November 18, 1865 Mark Twain's improbable wild west tale about an inveterate gambler and a jumping frog becomes the talk of New York City. Mark Twain -- or, let's use the name
misc Today in San Francisco History - Mary Ann Patten, Heroine of Cape Horn Timecapsule: November 15, 1856 We ran across this little item while looking for something else altogether, and couldn't resist passing along such an amazing and (almost) ready-for-Hollywood story. It was the era of
misc Today in San Francisco History - "Kolb and Dill" Timecapsule: November 3, 1910 We noticed a short notice in the local papers from, oh, 98 years back, announcing that the entire theatrical wardrobe of Kolb and Dill -- the most popular comedy
misc Today in San Francisco History - The Black Cat Café Timecapsule: October 31, 1963 On Halloween night, the "Black Cat Cafe" -- that notorious, flamboyant and most historically significant of San Francisco's gay nightspots, held a final celebration before closing down for good.
misc Today in San Francisco History - "A Hoodlum Raid" Timecapsule: October 20, 1880 Sometimes we like to let the past speak in its own words, and even better, on subjects that never show up in history books. Here's an item from an
misc This week in SF History - the First Cliff House opens Timecapsule: October 15, 1863 The first Cliff House opened its doors on this date 145 years ago. The brainchild of a real estate speculator and a State Senator, this first of umpteen incarnations
misc This week in SF History - Waaay back when, the dedication of Mission Dolores Timecapsule: October 9, 1776 Two hundred and thirty-two years ago this week (!), the original "Mission San Francisco de Asis" -- better known as Mission Dolores -- was officially dedicated on the banks of
misc This week in SF History - Blackie Swims the Golden Gate Timecapsule: October 1, 1938 On a foggy Saturday in 1938, a swaybacked, 12-year-old horse named Blackie swam - dog-paddled, really - completely across the choppy waters of the Golden Gate. The horse not
misc This week in SF History - The Head of Joaquin Murieta Timecapsule: September 24, 1855 The preserved head of Joaquin Murieta and the hand of Three-Fingered Jack were sold at auction today to settle their owner's legal problems. Joaquin Murieta was a notorious and
misc Chaplin Film shot in San Francisco - 1915 File this -- again -- under "there's ALWAYS a San Francisco connection". We recently discovered that Charlie Chaplin, America's favourite clown (and perhaps the most influential performer in motion picture history), shot one
misc "Not Even Jackassable" We perused the recent SFist post about the pitiable state of San Francisco's streets with a certain sense of nostalgia for the good ol' days. You know, the days before this newfangled "asphalt
