San Francisco

Images of America: California

by Patricia Kennedy

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2001

Reviews

[Lesley Looper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the old photographs and long captions about old San Francisco, but I'm a sucker for old photos anyone. Of course, San Francisco is a fascinating city. This ebook was a good grab on Kindle Unlimited.

[Tanja Nayak · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of historical photographs which show how the bustling metropolis of San Francisco took shape from iconic landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge to the Japanese Tea Garden, Conservatory of Flowers and more. Looks briefly at the city's history and events that shaped it such as the influx of 49ers hungry for gold, the earthquake of 1906 etc. I would have liked the information to be a bit more pithy.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pictoral history of SF with lots of interesting factoids. Not the end-all-be-all of SF history, but certainly one to add to a collection.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book tells the history of San Francisco through photographs. Its a real basic overview with an emphasis mostly on the city's architecture. Its a book you can sit down and read in an hour. I would't count on this if you want more detail about this great city's colorful history.

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting photos (I especially loved seeing William Powell and Myrna Loy taking a break from After the Thin Man). However, the captions got so annoyingly rah-rah in places that it was practically like reading some travel agency brochure.

[Marnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't really a "book" - really more a pictoral history of the city. But great photos.