He who would tell a tale must look toward three ideals: to tell it well, to tell it beautifully, and to tell the truth. W. E. B. Du Bois
This site is an outgrowth of the many walks I've taken in San Francisco with friends, talking non-stop, and it serves no purpose except to please me and, hopefully, to amuse you, by a stream of tales.
Not being as talented or as wise as Mr. Du Bois I will merely endeavor to tell these as well as I can, to protect their innate beauty, and to include as much truth as seems reasonable.
Some cities, like Paris or Moscow are made of history and architecture. Others, like York and Odessa, are just a few thousand tales in a trench coat. San Francisco is one of those tale cities. Sure, history and architecture do happen here on occasion1, but if you learn about them here it'll be by accident.
For instance, I will stay carefully away from discussing the United Nations, and the only thing I will tell you about US Presidents is that in San Francisco Hayes ate duck, Wilson was greeted by 60,000 schoolchildren (can you imagine the noise?) and Harding died.
Instead you will read about Lincoln Beachey who was brave, and Fremont Older who was honorable, about poor mad Sarah Althea Hill and wise Mary Ellen Pleasant, about the fruitless success of William Leidesdorff and enduringly successful failures of Agoston Haraszthy.
Are all of those tales true? Better - they are legendary!
There's a source for everything I write, but when two sources disagree I pick the one that makes for a better story, and I'll only skip a good story if there's absolutely no evidence for it whatsoever, and sometimes not even then.
For example:
Did Agoston Haraszthy really strangle a wolf with his bare hands2? I've heard it said, and no one proved the opposite, and it fits what we do know about him. So I'm going to tell you that he did, but, much as I'd like to, I will not claim that it was a rabid dire wolf or that anyone has seen the pelt.
That said, there are many people who wrote and continue to write fascinating and well-researched books and articles about San Francisco.
Check out the Resources tab for my favorite links and books - but do it later.
For now, follow me - there's a really cool tale right around the corner!
1The first known drive-by shooting in USA happened in San Francisco in early 1830s. The victim was on his way to court to testify. The street was crowded, yet there was not a single witness that the law could find.
2 Was he truly a Count? Was he eaten by crocodiles?