sparkletack's Podcast

sparkletack interrupted... an update

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 15:07:00 GMT

Thanks for the flood of supportive email you've all sent over the past months - I've been touched by the warmth and enthusiasm of the comments. I miss "sparkletacking" too - if I may use that as a verb - and it means a great deal to me to know how much all of you are looking forward to its return.

My time away from the show has been action-packed, both because of the profusion of ideas for changes and improvements, and also because my personal life has taken an unexpected turn for the hectic. Moving out of my cozy apartment after almost eight years turned into a much more complicated maneuver than I had imagined, a european sojourn has created its own set of issues, and... well, enough said.

The short version of this story is that my hiatus from Sparkletack has now gone on quite a bit longer than I had originally planned, and some of the more ambitious changes may take a bit more time to implement.

I just wanted to let you all know that I haven't vanished, and don't intend to. Rest assured that the half of my brain not currently absorbed by the logistics of moving has been busy cataloging leads for new and fascinating stories of love, loss, lunacy, and other typical tales of this fair city.

Keep the letters and show ideas coming, and know that I'm looking forward to the day I can sit down at the microphone and resume sparkling once again.

Thanks for your support... and though it may be wearing a bit thin, your patience!
--
Richard

announcement: sparkletack takes a break

sparkletack@gmail.com — Mon, 8 May 2006 00:58:00 GMT

well, here goes: as i give attention to some exciting san francisco related projects that i've been cooking up, including the writing of a book, sparkletack will be on hold for a month or two. (all 57 episodes will continue to be available though... just scroll down.)

the book will be a how-to guide on the subject of urban history podcasting, something I hope will inspire sparkletack-like projects in other parts of the country, and the website will go through a much-needed transformation, with a san francisciana resource center, san francisco tour reviews, and lots of other new and useful stuff.

i know that you look forward to the show every week, and i'll miss these sparkletack weekends, but i'll be back - and the stories aren't going anywhere. that's part of the magic of san francisco, there is always more to tell. a few of you have expressed worry about the possibility that i might eventually run out of stories - never fear, I have a huge black binder stuffed to capacity with fascinating tales of san francisco that i'm looking forward to sharing with you.

if you'd like to be directly notified when i return to these virtual airwaves, or when one or another of my projects reaches completion, take a look over to the right of the website - i've added a simple form for you to add your name to the growing mailing list. (your contact info is safe with me.)

in many ways this show depends the people who write in and share their thoughts. i'll continue to answer email from you and check the comments pages on all of the past episodes, so please feel free to keep in touch as usual with questions, comments, and show requests.

thanks so much for listening.... til next time.

the reber plan for san francisco bay

sparkletack@gmail.com — Sun, 7 May 2006 19:37:00 GMT

it's easy to forget that the shape of san francisco's built environment was determined, at some point in the past, by someone having a vision about what got built where.

unsurprisingly, san francisco's history includes an amazing number of extremely "creative" plans which seem to us today to be absolutely insane. in 1945, a schoolteacher and amateur theatrical producer named john reber devised a plan to solve all of san francisco bay's water and transportion problems in one fell swoop. his outrageous proposal was to dam the bay not once but twice, creating two enormous freshwater lakes and reducing the bay itself to a mere puddle.

this week's podcast looks at the unusual history leading up to this plan and some of its unintended consequences, including the indirect inspiration of the bay area's first grassroots environmental movement and the construction of the amazing "bay model" in sausalito.

for further edification:
> bridging the bay: salt water barriers - uc berkeley library online exhibit
> bay model visitor center
> save the bay - san francisco bay advocacy group
> "a hidden geography" - richard walker, u.c. berkeley department of geography

thanks to nimibear for this week's music "the down", provided through a creative commons license.

lotta crabtree - the san francisco favourite

sparkletack@gmail.com — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 00:29:00 GMT

as i mingled with thousands of my fellow citizens at the "san francisco rising" earthquake commemoration in the cool morning hours of april 18th, i found myself staring at the monument known as "lotta's fountain". it twinkled like a brand new penny under the floodlights, and i wondered how many in the crowd were asking themselves, "who is this lotta person, anyway, and why are we standing in front of her fountain"?

in this week's podcast we'll take a look at this quintessential star of the late 1800's who was the highest paid performer on broadway, the darling of the entire nation, and the most popular comedienne of her era. as you may already suspect, her story begins right here in california, and the city nearest and dearest to her heart was the gold rush town which had bestowed the first of many nicknames to come: the "san francisco favourite".

for further edification:
> lotta biography - with photos
> lotta's legacy - essay by j. kingston pierce
> "san francisco rising" coverage - leah garchik
> "san francisco rising" photos - san francisco sentinel
> fountain refurbishment - san francisco chronicle
> lotta's opera - live on market street

thanks to bandjoe for this week's banjo tunes "old joe clark" and "cluck ole hen", provided through a creative commons license.

--
correction - 4.30.06
oops... for the first few hours of publication, this new episode got tangled up with the last one - right name, old content! apologies to those who got the "caruso" episode twice.

the problem has been fixed, but if your podcatcher (itunes, most likely) downloaded it incorrectly, you'll need to delete the file and download a new one directly from the link above.

this file is called "sparkle56.mp3" - simply download into the "sparkletack" directory located in the podcast directory of your itunes music folder and rename as "lotta crabtree - the san francisco favourite.mp3" and all should be well.

sparkletack, interrupted

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 21:25:00 GMT

due to the pesky interruption of "real life", episode #56 is being delayed until next week. maybe there's a silver lining - several of you have written to say that you can't keep up with a show every week, so it could be an opportunity to catch up on back episodes.

in the meantime, let me know how you commemorated "earthquake day"... and keep those Troll Sightings coming! (just write to me at sparkletack@gmail.com with Troll Sightings in the subject line.)

i've got a great show planned for next week... and i'm looking forward to it.

caruso, the palace, and the 1906 earthquake

sparkletack@gmail.com — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 01:36:00 GMT

enrico caruso (the greatest opera singer in the world), checks into william ralston's legendary earthquake-proof palace hotel (the heart of gay nineties san francisco) just days before the most disastrous three days in san francisco history.

this week's podcast chooses just one of the many thousands of individual stories to emerge from the catastrophe, following the eccentric italian superstar and the storied hotel through their respective trials and tribulations. one survives... but the other does not.

for further edification:
> "the san francisco earthquake" - gordon thomas.max morgan witts
> "lest we forget" - 1906 earthquake memoir
> 1906 earthquake synopsis - history.net
> 1906 earthquake online exhibit - bancroft library
> caruso biography - wikipedia
> the caruso page
> caruso's "clarification"
> sf public library earthquake photo collection
> technical story of the 1906 earthquake - united states geological survey
> sf public library earthquake photo collection
> vespadan's photostory synopsis
> usgs earthquake conference
> 1906 earthquake alliance
> faultline @ the exploratorium - featuring indescribable earthquake songs from mel zucker
> jello city - a must see

thanks to patrick gorman for this week's music, "bella" -- provided through a creative commons license.

the notorious lola montez

sparkletack@gmail.com — Sat, 8 Apr 2006 07:57:00 GMT

it was may of 1853, and a ship was steaming into san francisco bay. on the gently rolling deck stood a tall shapely woman of striking appearance: glossy dark hair, skin the color of sweet cream, and beautiful gray-blue eyes. she'd been the star of the voyage -- attracting the attention of every male soul on board -- and though she had never set foot in san francisco, a stage play based on her history was on the boards at the san francisco theatre, and a horse bearing her name would be running -- and winning -- a huge purse later in the week. at a mere thirty-five years old, lola montez was not just the talk of the young gold rush town, but had long since become the most discussed, vilified and admired woman of the victorian age.

this week's podcast grapples with the legend of lola montez, trailing her from london to paris to munich to san francisco, a true diva who, in her own words, was "always notorious, never famous.

for further edification:
> research files from bruce seymour's lola montez : a life, an incredible resource
> biography and photos
> gravesite information
> lola's grass valley house
> george macdonald fraser's "harry flashman"
> king ludwig I of bavaria- wikipedia
> ein koenig und seine anregungen - berliner zeitung, 1998

thanks to torchomatic for this week's music, "glass roof" -- provided through a creative commons license.

the bella union and the barbary coast

sparkletack@gmail.com — Sat, 1 Apr 2006 07:28:00 GMT

through the years following san francisco's gold rush all the way up until being burned to cinders by the 1906 fire, the barbary coast was a flickering red beacon of decadence and mayhem. it is impossible to overstate the no-holds-barred-depravity of this little spot of land nestled between chinatown, north beach and the waterfront -- but in the midst of the crime and degradation, an institution was born on the edge of portsmouth square that rose to a heighth of fame unusual in this infamous neighborhood; the "bella union melodeon".

all sorts of san francisco legends shared her stage and its story, among them oofty goofty, big bertha, lola montez, emperor norton and lotta crabtree. today's podcast tells the story of the 60 years in which the "bella" was the most popular show in town.

for further edification:
> the barbary coast - herbert asbury, 1933
> san francisco theatrical memories - james madison, 1925
> women in early san francisco
> emperor norton - sparkletack
> marriott's "avitor"

thanks to tom brown's player piano for this week's music, discovered at internetarchive.org, thanks to a creative commons license.

the trolls of san francisco (APRIL FOOLS!)

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 17:00:00 GMT

san francisco is a city with many layers, both metaphorically speaking and in a very literal sense. walking across cesar chavez street the other morning, i couldn't help but be reminded of the many streams and brooks that used to cross the city and whose beds are now buried underneath our feet. with its thousands of unmarked graves, buried ships, a shoreline that's no longer a shoreline, and old, lost buildings, the city is like an ancient tel, an archeological wonder with strata that run deep in both time and space.

the history of one of these hidden layers is, however, little known and rarely spoken of -- i refer of course to the san francisco trolls.

though some hold that the trolls are a primitive people original to this area, and were in the hills even before the native american ohlone, other, more reputable sources hold that the first trolls, or "undergound peoples" as ethnocultural historians have named them, were actually disappointed miners, distraught by the dissipation of their golden gold rush dreams. unable to return to their long-abandoned wives and families in the east, they utilized their skill at mining to create networks of caverns well hidden within the many hills of the young city.

and they are with us to this day.

for further edification:
> trolls of san francisco - setting the facts straight
> trance music - oddly, a favourite of trolls
> mumiy troll - russian pop band - not really trolls at all
> san francisco hill map - troll hill locations
> troll - the completely inaccurate and biased anti-troll movie

thanks to danielreal2k for this week's music, courtesy of the podsafe music network.

adolph sutro, the populist millionaire

sparkletack@gmail.com — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 03:11:00 GMT

adolph sutro, the populist millionaire adolph sutro is one of those names "hidden in plain sight" in san francisco. his name adorns or is associated with a great number of san francisco icons: sutro baths, sutro heights, mount sutro, sutro forest, and of course, the cliff house, but who was he?

this week's podcast explores the history of the millionaire philanthropist who gave so much to our city and whose story is - amazingly - almost forgotten.

for further edification:
> the western neighborhoods project- outsidelands.org
> sutro bio from 1898 - sfmuseum.org
> sutro baths - national park service
> sutro baths - san francisco public library
> sutro properties photos

thanks to paul quiggley for this week's music "snow scene", made available through a creative commons license.

--
correction - 4.3.06
as it turns out, adolph sutro was not the first jewish mayor of san francisco. that honour belongs to a man with the unlikely name of washington bartlett, who was elected to the office in 1882 and 1884, and then in 1886 became california's first jewish governor. i strive to make these podcasts as accurate as possible, checking a number of sources before i record -- but in this case five sources listed mr. sutro as the first, and i didn't get to number six until the show was on the air!

the name "washington bartlett" may sound familiar to you if you've downloaded the "birth of yerba buena" series, but it's just one of those odd coincidences... the man elected first alcalde of yerba buena under united states rule, and the one responsible for changing the city's name to "san francisco" in 1847 was also named washington bartlett.

the columbarium and the caretaker

sparkletack@gmail.com — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 17:00:00 GMT

looming over the inner richmond like a miniature roman temple, the columbarium is one of those features of the san francisco architectural landscape that everybody notices, but almost no one has visited.

in an attempt to answer the oft-voiced question "what is that thing, anyway?", in this week's podcast a visit is finally paid to this sumptuous victorian repository for cremated remains, the baroque center of what was once a 167 acre cemetery in the center of san francisco. it's a spectacular building, but the real discovery comes in the form of its soulful caretaker, mr. emmitt watson.

for further edification:
> the neptune society
> columbarium - sfhistoryencyclopedia.com
> emmitt watson interview - sfgate.com
> mystical connections?
> extispicy - blog entry
> bernard cahill - architect
> columbarium - google maps

thanks to 2-RD and 31d1 for this week's music, courtesy of the podsafe music network.

the balclutha and the chantey sing

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:00:00 GMT

one cool saturday night last month i found myself shivering with a group of strangers down at the gate to the hyde street pier by aquatic park, staring into the murky shadows along its wooden length and waiting to be let in. why? to sing, of course.

the park service website reads simply "sing traditional working songs aboard a floating vessel." the songs? sea chanteys. the vessel? a majestic iron-hulled squarerigger called the "balclutha". i had no idea how inspiring the experience could be, nor how powerful. it turned out i had inadvertently wandered into a 25 year old san francisco tradition: the "chantey sing". this monthly gathering not only serves as a fascinating tie to our maritime history but also happens to be a unique and thriving san francisco community.

although i had gone down to the pier with no intention of doing research for a podcast, after five minutes on board i knew that "sparkletack #50" would be the perfect occasion to share this wonderful story.

for further edification:
> hyde street pier - national park service
> hyde street pier virtual tour
> chantey history
> more chantey history and lots of songs
> todd menton - chantey featured on sparkletack

thanks to the amazing derek sonderfan for "knitting sand", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

sam clemens and the celebrated jumping frog

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 3 Mar 2006 17:00:00 GMT

though the rest of the country thinks of samuel langhorne clemens as a southerner, it was a little time in san francisco and the wilds of california which turned young sam into "mark twain". this week's podcast tells the story of how a misfired duel, a bungled gold-mining claim, a suit for libel -- and yes, a frog -- conspired to create a work which took new york by storm and helped to forge an american original.

for further edification:
> the celebrated jumping frog of calaveras county
> sam clemens biography - albert paine
> mark twain in the west - pbs.org
> annik's "domain-jumped" website - restored!

thanks to tom joad for the banjo tune "bonaparte's retreat" -- provided under a creative commons license

mark twain and the great earthquake of 1865

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:12:00 GMT

by now just about every san franciscophile has been alerted to the fact that april 18th of this year will mark the centennial of the 1906 earthquake -- the "big one" which destroyed the city that once was, and gave rise to the one which we inhabit today.

but that "great quake" of 1906 was only the second to bear the name.

the first great quake happened in 1865, and though its memory has faded somewhat, the coincidental presence of the young sam clemens (or mark twain, as the nation would soon discover) in san francisco has preserved it. in this week's podcast we'll travel back to october of 1865 and listen to an american literary icon reminisce about that day.

for further edification:
> 1856 earthquake newspaper reports - sfmuseum.org
> mark twain in the west - pbs.org
> the celebrated jumping frog of calaveras county

thanks to tom joad for the banjo tune "jaybird" -- provided under a creative commons license

robert louis stevenson - chinatown treasure

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 17:12:00 GMT

san francisco has a long-standing reputation as a literature-loving town, as evidenced by government statistics ranking us as having the highest per-capita spending on books in the country. over the decades this city has nurtured a great number of notable writers from mark twain to dashiell hammett.

however, there's one literary memorial in town that has always puzzled me. that is the apparently incongruous monument to robert louis stevenson set in the midst of the open-air living room of chinatown, portsmouth square.

robert louis stevenson? i know him as the author of one of my most beloved boyhood books, "treasure island", but what was the connection with san francisco -- much less chinatown?

for post-podcast edification:
> stevenson essays - especially across the plains
> all things stevenson
> one of the legions of stevenson biographies

thanks to 2-3D for "last symmetrical angel", courtesy of the podsafe music network, my faithful podcast music suppliers.

san francisco fortune cookie

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 17:00:00 GMT

on a tour of the alleyways of chinatown last week i learned a story that i hadn't heard before -- namely, that the world-famous chinese fortune cookie was invented right here in san francisco.

that's right -- the fortune cookie is just about as chinese as french toast is french.
which is to say, not at all.

our young guide gave us the outlines of a history that is apparently well known around here, but something told me that it could bear a little further investigation -- so i began to dig. it wasn't long before i'd uncovered a number of competing claims, with contradictory connections to japan, china, los angeles and of course, to san francisco. though a definitive answer remains elusive, have a listen and draw your own conclusions.

for further edification:
> chinatown alleyway tours
> weird cookie fortunes
> fortune cookie writer - new yorker interview
> nice summary article

thanks to 31d1 for "gordon shumway", courtesy of the podsafe music network, my faithful podcast music suppliers

frank chu just shows up

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 3 Feb 2006 17:00:00 GMT

downtown san francisco on a tuesday afternoon, and every businessman's face looks the same. whatever happened to eccentric and iconic characters like emperor norton and oofty goofty? you search the streets, hoping desperately for a flicker of life or a flash of the eccentricity that once shaped our city. then you spot something out of the corner of your eye. it's a sign of some sort, with letters fluorescing brightly on a black background. it looms over the downtown lunchtime scene like an alien invader, moving inexorably towards you as you stand transfixed in the center of the sidewalk. it is upon you! you scarcely take in the bearer, a diminutive asian man in wraparound sunglasses, because his neatly uppercase signboard, resplendent in red and green and luminous blue, communicates intensity:

12 Galaxies
titrokutikel covetousness
cnn: lexkroxanicul coverage
cuxgrozenikal
centrifuges rheumatoids
concubines

the message was different yesterday, featuring "triogonic scandal" and "dectrogonic skeptical preemptive miscreants". don't be shy, scratch your head -- but don't forget to smile, because your wish has been granted: you've just encountered frank chu, man on a mission, and grade-A san francisco eccentric.

for further edification:
> wikipedia link
> starve.org - interview
> sf gate - faq
> zegnatronic rocket society - fansite
> 12 galaxies - fansite
> frankchu tribe - fansite
> brain terminal - video
> this revolution will be televised - video
> tj crowley - blog
> 12 galaxies - nightclub

thanks to froid for "31d1", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

thank you!

sparkletack@gmail.com — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 06:17:00 GMT

a sincere thank you to san francisco magazine for the complimentary review of sparkletack appearing in the "snap judgements" section of the january issue.

the february issue is already out on the stands, of course, but better late than never, right?

> san francisco magazine

moving the dead - san francisco cemeteries

sparkletack@gmail.com — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 00:07:00 GMT

there are only three cemeteries left within the city limits of san francisco. note the phrase carefully: "left" in san francisco. there were once far more than just three, which makes perfect sense -- after all, thousands upon thousands of san franciscans have passed away since the establishment of yerba buena 170 years ago, and they all required a final resting place.

the question is, what happened to them... and where are they now?

i present today a short history of cemeteries in san francisco, as well as the answer to the question of which three still remain.

for further edification:
> john blackett's san francisco cemetery history - maps + photos
> san francisco genealogy - cemetery history
> san francisco virtual museum - cemetery history
> recent civic center excavations
> san francisco columbarium

Note
tyler, a loyal listener, sent in an interesting addendum to this story. after a visit to the spot he mentions, i'm certain that he's right. photos and his note appear below.

"The more I learn about SF's cemeteries, the more I am convinced that the retaining wall in the attached photos is constructed of grave markers. It's in Noe Valley, at the SE corner of Castro & Valley Streets. The sidewalk is about 4 ft. below the level of the road here. Apparently some resourceful DPW engineer decided to use what was available at the time: abundant, cheap, pre-cut, very high quality granite slabs. The fact that they have names on them does not make them any less effective."

san francisco motorcycle club - since 1904

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 17:01:00 GMT

established at the dawn of the century, the san francisco motorcycle club has thrived for over a hundred years.

there are plenty of fossils in this town, relics of another age, but the SFMC represents living history, from the days when motorcycles were little more than heavyweight bicycles with engines squeezed into their frames -- suspension negligible, handling worse -- up through the modern era. but this isn't about machines, it's about people -- and the members of second-oldest continuously operating motorcycle club in the country are just a friendly group of folks who love to ride, and happen to represent a living, breathing slice of san francisco history.

for further edification:
> san francisco motorcycle club
> dudley perkins -hall of fame
> dudley perkins dealership
> hap jones -hall of fame
> glenn curtiss museum
> online motorcycle museum
> vespa club ride of a lifetime
> hollister 1947

thanks to denis kitchen for "groove it", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

alexander leidesdorff - the black millionaire

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 17:55:00 GMT

it was 1841, and like so many of those who have washed up on these shores, then or since, william alexander leidesdorff was a man on the run from his past -- a man trying desperately to reinvent himself on the blank canvas of the western coast.

though hardly anyone remembers his name these days, he became essential to the fabric of yerba buena, honored and mourned by the entire city upon death. he racked up an unparalleled array of "firsts" in the city, state, and even country -- not the least of which was his entry into the historical record as the United States' first black millionaire.

leidesdorff arrived in the village a tall, dark and handsome man, multi-lingual, highly educated, and an instant commercial success. though well-liked in the village, he was by all accounts a lonely and solitary figure, his history shrouded in mystery. what had driven him to the far edge of the continent, and why is he forgotten today?

for further edification:
> fifties era biography -sfmuseum.net
> leidesdorff day 2005

thanks to rob costlow for "bliss", and to mark heimonen for "always", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

the golden gate bridge, a modest proposal

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 6 Jan 2006 17:00:00 GMT

"so what do you think of that beautiful bridge?" i started to say, but she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, an odd, wistful look in her eyes. "what is it?" i asked. she turned to me with a grave expression and said -- "at the risk of sounding crazy, is there a reason that the bridge would be sad?" i understood just what she had sensed, and i suspect that you do too. there's a blot on the bridge that mars its beauty. every time i cross it, i think about those who have chosen to jump.

officially, someone leaps off the bridge to their death about once every two weeks. The official toll is at roughly 1300 people since its opening in 1937. only the recovered bodies are counted, however, and because of the swift currents heading out to sea many victims are never found.

this week's show is dedicated to an unusual proposal. in some powerful way many jumpers who seek out the bridge as a means to end their lives are reflecting an established pattern engendered by the city's history. if all they truly wanted was simply to end their lives, they could do it anywhere. but they don't -- they choose the bridge. san francisco's history is one of repeated destruction and rebirth -- a pattern unconsciously reflected and tragically repeated by the jumpers, acting as characters in the final act of this repeating drama. what is being proposed is a way to change that script.

havi brooks, founder of the project, is an international teacher and an expert in recognizing problems in all sorts of narrative systems. using a system of learning called the fluent self. she teaches people to read, deconstruct and heal their own problematic narrative patterns. her efforts have proven to be successful in resolving all sorts of issues from the personal to the communal. hours of debate about the nature of the problem and its relation to the history of the city have led to a concept that could not only cut down suicide rates, but add aesthetic beauty to the bridge -- while not costing the city a penny.

for further edification:
> fluent self
> lethal beauty -sf chronicle series
> suicide barrier coalition
> jumpers -new yorker
> official site of the golden gate bridge

luisa tetrazzini and christmas eve

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 17:00:00 GMT

"i will sing in san francisco if i have to sing in the streets, for i know that the streets of san francisco are free."

it was 1910. san francisco was still in a bad way following the great earthquake and conflagration of 1906, and in fact, the whole decade had been kind of rough. the brightest spot without question in this opera-mad city had been the sudden emergence of the zaftig soprano luisa tetrazzini, the "florentine nightingale". she rose to prominence in san francisco, but talent and fame soon took her away to the bright lights of the world's great stages.

on christmas eve of that year, however, she finally came back... and it was magic.

for further edification:
> bio, beautiful photos and sound recordings
> short bio and sound
> biographical book review at sf museum.org
> monadnock building murals
> chicken tetrazzini recipe

thanks to martin herzberg for the use of "walk for change", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

happy holidays

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 23 Dec 2005 06:00:00 GMT

sparkletack will be taking a well earned... okay, if not well-earned, at least a deeply desired week off to celebrate the season and visit the old family homestead up in the gold country. best wishes to all my listeners, and may the holidays bring you comfort and joy.

see you again next week with another chapter from the epic drama (and entertaining farce) of san francisco history.

the great diamond hoax

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 17:00:00 GMT

it was 1871. william ralston had become one of the richest and most powerful men in california, partly on the strength of his shrewd business maneuverings, but largely on the fact that he was an incorrigible gambler, a exemplar of his optimistic age. he lived so largely, and spent so lavishly, on his beloved city as well as on himself, that at the peak of his powers he picked up a nickname that has stuck to this day; "the man who built san francisco".

nothing seemed impossible in the heady 1870's. a post-war economic boom had arrived, the transcontinental railroad had just been completed, and the comstock silver strike following right on the heels of the '49 gold rush seemed to prove that the west would be a endless fountain of prosperity. there were as many rumors about the inevitable next big strike as there were saloons on streetcorners.

the stage was set for what the san francisco chronicle described as "the most gigantic and barefaced swindle of the age."

thanks to anthems of a bygone era for the use of "string groove", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

rudyard kipling in san francisco

Fri, 9 Dec 2005 17:00:00 GMT

in 1889 this talented young writer, the son of a british colonial schoolteacher and future winner of the nobel prize for literature, visited san francisco on his way from india to england. it was not only his first visit to the city, but his first time in america - he was on assignment to record his impressions and write letters back to an indian newspaper - and his brash and snobbish reactions to san francisco and its wild inhabitants are alternately flattering, insulting and very amusing.

i hope you enjoy this selection from his letters entitled, "how i got to san francisco and took tea with the natives there."

for further edification:
> text of original letter
> the kipling society
> time for rehabilitation?
> the jungle book movie

thanks to torchomatic for the use of the sparkling "winter sky", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

philo t. farnsworth

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 2 Dec 2005 17:00:00 GMT

riding around the chilly streets of san francisco this week i spotted a bumpersticker that i hadn't seen for some time: "kill your television". the rich irony of seeing that particular message displayed in san francisco struck me as it always does. why? because television was invented right here in fog city, a fact most everyone has forgotten, along with its inventor, mr. philo t. farnsworth.

i don't know if a more euphonious name for an inventor could have ever been dreamed up! philo was born in august of 1906, just a few months after our own great earthquake, making it all the more poignant that the inventor of arguably the most earthshaking technology of the 20th century, the "genius of green street", has today been largely forgotten.

for further edification:
> farnovision! tons of stuff, including video
> short list of patents
> san francisco 1928 chronicle story (sfmuseum.net)
>"distant vision" pem farnsworths' biography of philo

thanks to might could for the use of the sparkling "lapse", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

birth of san francisco #3

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 17:00:00 GMT

part two of the pre-history of san francisco, the early life of the village of yerba buena. this is the concluding episode on this theme, taking you right up to the edge of 1848. in this episode: goats, bears, mormons!

as you listen, if you'd like, take a minute and pop a digital pin into the frappr map down there on the right.

for further edification:
> bear flag revolt
> john brown's account
> sloat's proclamation

thanks to ryo sode for the use of the beautiful tune "yosemite", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

birth of san francisco #2

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 17:00:00 GMT

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, with yerba buena developing slowly and in the background.

in this and next week's shows i will wander through the years between the building of that first sail-cloth shanty on the shores of the bay and the discovery of gold in the sacramento valley. i hope a series of stories and individual sketches will give you a feeling for life in yerba buena during those few years. today's show will take you up to about 1841.

for further edification:
> zoeth eldredge "annals of san francisco" 1912
> richard henry dana "two years before the mast" 1836
> yerba buena directory list 1846
> william heath davis "75 years in california" 1889
> juana briones

thanks to ryo sode for the use of the beautiful tune "yosemite", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

the san francisco twins

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 17:00:00 GMT

the san francisco twins ask anyone, the twins are just "the twins". they walk alike. they talk alike. but most of all, they look and dress exactly alike, and would not have it any other way. vivian and marian brown are always ready to stop and chat, always ready with a pair of matching smiles and wrist-up hand-waves worthy of a pair of queens... whether you find them cute or creepy, they are among the most photographed icons in all of san francisco, and have developed an almost cultlike following.

it's somewhat ironic that almost forty years ago these two journeyed all the way across a continent to san francisco, the ultimate destination for those seeking to express their own snowflake-like individuality, only to make a mark on the town by being... identical.

thanks to retail for the use of the track "lipstick", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

andrew smith hallidie - father of the cable car

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 4 Nov 2005 17:00:00 GMT

many people who came to seek their fortune in the gold country failed to strike it rich, but ended up contributing their unique abilities and energies in much more interesting ways. this show is dedicated to just such a man -- andrew hallidie, the inventor of san francisco's world famous cable cars. he was a remarkable character who turned the unique opportunities presented by the gold rush era and his own natural abilities into an invention that changed our fair city forever.

for further edification:
> cable car museum
> cable car days - history book
> the cable car guy
> more vintage photos

thanks to jim fidler for the use of the track "home comes the rover", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

letter from the gold rush, 1850

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 16:00:00 GMT

there have been a great number of letters written from and about san francisco through the decades, some by visitors and some by citizens, some known around the world, others anonymous. it is fascinating to hear voices from the past brought temporarily back to life, to see the city and its environs through the pens of contemporary eyewitnesses... some who wrote with an eye towards posterity, but others who were just sending their thoughts across the country to loved ones left behind. There really is nothing like the comfortable details of a letter back home to connect us, to provide a glimpse into the humanity of previous generations.

This week I've selected a letter written from the northern california gold country at the height of the rush in 1850. mr william swain's letter to his brother george back in independence, missouri is a treasure, a straightforward look at the reality of life in the northern sierra at this crucial juncture in california history. i've extracted the letter from the classic gold rush book by j.s. holliday entitled the world rushed in.

thanks to kelly cavagnuolo for the use of the track "violet", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

carville - a lost neighborhood

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 19:00:00 GMT

san francisco is famously made up of an eccentric patchwork of neighborhoods. what is less known is that some of the most interesting and unusual have come and gone, leaving very little trace of a once vigorous existence. one of these was carville, an eccentric community made up of abandoned streetcars converted into clubs, restaurants and dwellings out on the pacific edge of the fin de siecle city. though virtually no trace is left, it does my heart good just to know that it was once there, and i think of it now every time i ride down the great highway.

this story was brought to my attention by a listener named duncan, and i've relied heavily on a great article by james labounty, listed below. thanks!

> carville - steve labounty
> carville's last remnant
> carville photos - cable car guy
> more carville photos

thanks to the jerrys for the use of the track "telepop", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

streets of san francisco #2

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 18:54:00 GMT

show number two in the "streets of san francisco" series, still walking westwards, one street at a time. today's show moves from powell street to polk, with a couple of historical detours along the way.

links to a couple of entertaining resources are listed below.

> buena vista irish coffee
> san francisco historical landmarks
> the tenderloin
> d.o.a. - film noir 1949
> streets of san francisco

thanks to denis kitchen for the use of the track "my friend", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

the legend of black bart

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 7 Oct 2005 16:00:00 GMT

summer of 1875, and the wells fargo stagecoach is slowly rattling through a mountain pass in the sierra nevada gold country, bearing a cargo of passengers, u.s. mail, and gold.

the driver pulls the horses to an abrupt halt at the sight of a man standing confidently on the side of the road. he wears a long dirty duster, a sack of flour over his head with a pair of holes cut for the eyes and brandishes a double-barrelled 12 gauge shotgun. a deep and hollow voice utters the command destined to become the most famous five words in western outlaw history: "please throw down the box." the legend of black bart is born.

for further edification:
> a site including list of holdup dates
> capture of black bart - 1920's reminiscence
> wild west magazine

thanks to tom joad for the cool banjo tunes "sand river belle" and "west fork gals". use licensed under creative commons.

birth of san francisco #1

sparkletack@gmail.com — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 16:00:00 GMT

when i got here, 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 tell the story of the pre-city peninsula, and the birth of the tiny town of yerba buena, starting with the arrival of the spanish in the 1770s. it may take a couple of episodes to get it all out, so if you're curious, stay tuned.

for further edification:
the presidio
the founding of san francisco - an essay from 1926
detailed presidio history - pdf
de anza trail - map

thanks to ryo sode for the use of the beautiful tune "yosemite", courtesy of the podsafe music network.

--
correction - 4.5.06
while listening to this show recently, i noticed that one of the dates i had given was incorrect -- and it happens to have been quite an important one! william richardson put up his four-posted tent in 1835, and it is to that year which we date the birth of yerba buena. a shocking and inexplicable error, but hereby corrected.