archive for March, 2006

Friday, March 31st, 2006

#52.5: the trolls of san francisco

 
icon for podpress  the trolls of san francisco [10:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

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 [...]

6 Comments » - Posted in San Francisco history podcasts by richard - sparkletack

Saturday, March 25th, 2006

#52: adolph sutro, the populist millionaire

 
icon for podpress  adolph sutro, the populist millionaire [27:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

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 [...]

4 Comments » - Posted in San Francisco history podcasts by richard - sparkletack

Tuesday, March 21st, 2006

tour review — chinatown alleyway tours

Here’s the thing — I love San Francisco, I love history, and I love walking. Luckily for me, there are a billion walking tours out there, and every so often I take one. I do my best to keep my know-it-all mouth shut and learn a thing or two, pick up a few ideas [...]

3 Comments » - Posted in Walking tour reviews by richard - sparkletack

Saturday, March 18th, 2006

#51: the columbarium and the caretaker

 
icon for podpress  the columbarium and the caretaker [28:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

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 [...]

4 Comments » - Posted in San Francisco history podcasts by richard - sparkletack

Friday, March 10th, 2006

#50: the balclutha and the chantey sing

 
icon for podpress  the balclutha and the chantey sing [18:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

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 [...]

7 Comments » - Posted in San Francisco history podcasts by richard - sparkletack

Friday, March 3rd, 2006

#49: sam clemens and the celebrated jumping frog

 
icon for podpress  sam clemens and the celebrated jumping frog [16:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Though the rest of the country thinks of Samuel Langhorne Clemens as a southerner, it was a spell 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 — [...]

4 Comments » - Posted in San Francisco history podcasts by richard - sparkletack