DISCOVER SAN FRANCISCO From Sparkletack
San Francisco History, Photo Archives, Map Archives, Walking Tours, Museums, Online Resources, Running Tours and Historical Organizations
History Resources
- “What’s on the 6th floor?”The official blog of the San Francisco Public Library’s San Francisco History Center and Book Arts & Special Collections!
- April 18, 1906“Exploring San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake and fire through the photographic archive” — A new and interesting project, which pulls out individual period photos and digs in deep.
- Bay Time Reporter
A series of smart, funny and insightful columns on a staggering array of Bay Area historical (and contemporary) subjects, written by the inimitable Paul Potocky. Highly recommended… the man can write.
- California Business History
Don’t be put off by the awkward design; this site is actually packed with timelines, photographs and histories of California (and San Francisco) businesses.
- California Historical Society
The grand-daddy of California history in its physical incarnation, the Society’s website features an online guide to over 300 years of California history. This resource includes over 400 images from their fine arts, library, and photography collections.
- Library of Congress
The “American Memory Project” — just type “San Francisco” into the search bar and jump back at the flood of photos and historical artifacts… this is the Library of Congress, after all!
- Market Street Railway
All things “streetcar”, packed with historical articles and photos — the home of the brand new “San Francisco Railway Museum”
- Mister SF
Long time chronicler of the city’s faces and places. This website features countless short takes on aspects of life in our favourite city — local joints, the vanishing of favourite haunts, literary/cinematic history and more.
- Noehill – San Francisco Historic Landmarks
A mixed bag, featuring a great photographic listing of San Francisco registered historical landmarks, as well as some nice stuff on the Eureka Valley, Russia Hill, & Alta Plaza neighborhoods. (California historical landmarks also have listings here)
- Online Archive of California
A part of the “Digital Library of California” — over 1,000 texts available. These include transcripts of oral histories, personal narratives, letters, press releases, newspaper articles, and other types of documents.
- Russian Hill Neighbors
Small site — couple of nice walking tours and a guide to neighborhood architectural styles, run by a non-profit neighborhood association.
- San Francisco Genealogy
An incredibly rich and comprehensive collection of historical sources — always my first stop on quests for information. Many primary sources, maps, and a forum where host Ron Filion helps answer your San Francisco history questions.
- San Francisco Memories
A loving tribute to our fair city from a passionate collector of San Francisco ephemera — photo intensive and quite lovely.
- San Francisco Pier 70
The story of the historic shipyard at Potrero Point
- San Francisco Virtual Museum
A long running and deep archive dedicated to historical accuracy, curated by the energetic Gladys Hanson. A terrific source for primary texts & photos, currently featuring major exhibits on the Gold Rush, Golden Gate Bridge, and ’06 Quake.
- SF Genealogy’s Research Resource List
This list is not comprehensive, but seems pretty close to it! A fantastic resource for researchers.
- The Western Neighborhoods Project
“Preserving the history of San Francisco’s West side” — An excellent site featuring photos, memories, and passionately in-depth essays documenting the lesser-known half of San Francisco.
- Up from the Deep: The Hotel Project
San Francisco’s downtown SRO hotels – past, present, and future
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Western history and genealogy blog – Denver Public Library
I know it isn’t San Francisco, but the West is the West! (don’t miss the link to their image galleries)
Historical Photo & Map Archives
- America Hurrah!
A little treasure trove of California historiana with a San Francisco slant — click on a link and a map, reminiscence, or who knows what may result. Good fun…
- April 18, 1906
“Exploring San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake and fire through the photographic archive” — A new and interesting project, which pulls out individual period photos and digs in deep.
- Calisphere – University of California
A part of the “Digital Library of California” — More than 150,000 digitized items, including photographs, documents, political cartoons, works of art, diaries, advertising, and more…
- Central Pacific Railroad – Photographic History Museum
Not only photos — there’s all kinds of great stuff here, essays, articles, and historical data too — but what great photos! A sprawling site, and a joy to get lost in.
- Charles Cushman Photograph Collection
Charles Cushman, amateur photographer, bequeathed 14,500 Kodachrome color slides to Indiana University. Hundreds are of San Francisco in the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s.
- National Archives at College Park, MD
These National Archives holdings cover the whole history of photography, and a few subjects are well represented in their digital collection.
- Old SF
Interactive map of the SF Public Library’s Historical Photograph Collection, which contains 40,000 digitized images from San Francisco’s past.
- Online Archive of California
A part of the “Digital Library of California” — access to tens of thousands of photographs, paintings, graphical materials and other images, which can be organized by topic.
- Rails Around the Bay
Frank Caron is an Amtrak engineer and passionate rail buff. His website focuses on railroads operating in and around the greater San Francisco Bay Area, including the history of operations in the area, maps, drawings and historical diagrams.
- Rumsey Historic Map Collection
This stunning collection of cartographic ephemera from the 18th and 19th centuries includes atlases, globes, school geographies, books, maritime charts, and more. Insanely cool.
- San Francisco Public Library Historical Photo Collection
Searchable collection featuring more than 250,000 photographs of San Francisco and California, from 1850 to the present day. Wow.
- SF Images
Images of the past and present day, people and places, structures and landscapes. Large collection of historical photographs, from pre-Gold Rush times to today, all digitally mastered at high resolution.
- SF Library Sanborn Maps
1867-1970 Sanborn Insurance maps — San Francisco Library card required!
- SFGate.com “The Great Quake 1906-2006″
Multimedia and photo galleries from the archives of the San Francisco Chronicle
- Shorpy – The 100-Year-Old Photo Blog
Not San Francisco-centric, but a wonderful and growing user-driven collection of visual treasures from the previous century.
- Zpub – Historical Map Collection
Random collection of scans of historical maps
- Zpub – San Francisco History Archive
Photo-intensive collection of San Francisco-related material — collected generally from other online sources.
San Francisco Walking and Running Tours
- “Emperor Norton’s Fantastic San Francisco Time Machine”
Tour of historic San Francisco led (of course!) by Emperor Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.
- Barbary Coast Trail
The famous self-guided walking tour — follow the bronze medallions in the sidewalk!
- Oakland Walking Tours
Free walking tours of historic downtown Oakland — explore the Railroad Era, Chinatown, Art Deco Uptown, the Jack London Waterfront, Preservation Park and so much more. Sponsored by the City of Oakland.
- Pacific Heights Walking Tour – San Francisco Architectural Heritage
(see “Walking tour reviews” link in right column)
- San Francisco City Guides
The wonderful free walking tour organization, all volunteer, sponsored by the SF Public Library.
- San Francisco Tour Guide Guild
“A professional, non-profit corporation of experienced tour guides and members of the travel industry.” They maintain the prefessionalism of the industry through tour guide certification, but also offer their own tours.
- Walking in San Francisco for Health and History
“Meet other locals interested in walking for fitness and in learning about the history of San Francisco. Most Saturdays we go on long walks that have great variety in distance, stair climbing, and amount of history information. Walks are free.” - Explore SF
Explore SF offers unique tours that from a local perspective that for the most part avoid anything touristy. Each tour offers something above and beyond a normal tour, be it lunch and a spa visit in Japantown, Wine Country in the City, 1970′s Folsom District Tour, Sin Francisco to the SF Armory or a WIld Parrot Safari, “These tours are not to be missed.”
- SF Scenic Running ToursThe newest trend in staying in shape and meeting new people. Running
tours led by professional trainers and experienced guides, all of whom are
locals, and they take you on the most beautiful runs through the most
breathtaking city in the world. We challenge you to find a more positive way to see San Francisco. If you can find one, we’ll pay your way…
San Francisco Museums and Archives
- “What’s on the 6th floor?”
The official blog of the San Francisco Public Library’s San Francisco History Center and Book Arts & Special Collections!
- Bancroft Library
California’s memory bank on the UC Berkeley campus, one of the largest special collections in the U.S. Includes the Mark Twain Papers, Regional Oral History Office, UC Archives, History of Science & Technology Program, & Pictorial Collection.
- San Francisco Fire Department Museum
Comprehensive website of San Francisco’s fabulous Fire Department Museum.
- San Francisco Performing Arts Library & Museum
Documenting and preserving the Bay Area’s rich performing arts heritage from the Gold Rush to today – and making it available to us! Programs, events, exhibitions, and the fabulous library. Based on dancer Russell Hartley’s private collection, ca 1947.
- Treasure Island Museum
Once upon a time there was a museum on Treasure Island. Someday it may return, but ’til then, enjoy the museum’s website, featuring a “Memory Book” message board, info about the collections in storage, and “Treasures”, an illustrated history of the Fair.
- Wells Fargo History MuseumThis colorful museum features a beautiful stagecoach, piles of real gold, and many other exhibits focusing on San Francisco’s Gold Rush history. Even cooler, it’s located on the very spot in which Wells Fargo opened for business in 1852!
Contemporary Online San Francisco
- FunCheap SF
“Finding fun and cheap stuff to do San Francisco and around the Bay Area.” Yahoo group dedicated to having fun in the Bay Area on the cheap. Good stuff!
- San Francisco Virtual Tour
“An interactive photo documentary Walking Virtual Tour” — and that’s just what we have here, a staggering amount of work. Kudos!
- SF Cityscape.com – Transportation & Urban Design
Forum, maps & photos — SF Bay Area city and regional land-use and transportation planning, architecture, development and urban design issues.
- SF Journey (German language)
A German-language travel guide to San Francisco and the West Coast: “Ihrem Reiseführer nach San Francisco an der Westküste der USA”
- Wells Fargo History Museum
This colorful museum features a beautiful stagecoach, piles of real gold, and many other exhibits focusing on San Francisco’s Gold Rush history. Even cooler, it’s located on the very spot in which Wells Fargo opened for business in 1852!
San Francisco History Organizations
- Sacramento Historical Society
A thorough listing of all things related to Sacramento history.
- San Francisco History Association
A group “Dedicated to Remembering San Francisco’s Past” — they sponsor regular talks, slide shows, and guest speakers on a fantastically diverse array of subjects. - San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Historical Society
Often referred to as San Francisco’s “queer Smithsonian,” the GLBT Historical Society houses one of the world’s largest collections of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender historical materials. The society’s GLBT History Museum is the first full-scale, stand-alone museum of its kind in the United States. - San Francisco History Museum and Historical Society
The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society is dedicated to preserving, interpreting and presenting the historical heritage of San Francisco.
- Treasure Island Museum
Once upon a time there was a museum on Treasure Island. Someday it may return, but ’til then, enjoy the museum’s website, featuring a “Memory Book” message board, info about the collections in storage, and “Treasures”, an illustrated history of the Fair.
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