The Lure of San Francisco

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The Lure of San Francisco - A Romance Amid Old Landmarks

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lure of San Francisco
by Elizabeth Gray Potter and Mabel Thayer Gray This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Lure of San Francisco A Romance Amid Old Landmarks
Author: Elizabeth Gray Potter and Mabel Thayer Gray
Release Date: March 8, 2004 [EBook #11507]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LURE OF SAN FRANCISCO ***

Produced by David A. Schwan

The Lure of San Francisco
A Romance Amid Old Landmarks

By Elizabeth Gray Potter and Mabel Thayer Gray
Illustrated By Audley B. Wells

Paul Elder & Company Publishers San Francisco

Copyright, 1915, By Paul Elder & Co. San Francisco

To Our Mother

Preface
The average visitor considers California's claim to historic recognition as dating from the discovery of gold. Her children, both by birth and adoption, have a hazy pride in her Spanish origin but are too busy with today's interests to take much thought of it. They know that somewhere over in the Mission is the old adobe church. They rejoice that it escaped the fire but have no time to visit it. They will proudly tell their eastern friends of its existence and that the Presidio received its name from the Spaniards but further narration of the heritage is lost in exclamations over the beauty of the drives and the views, while the historic significance of Portsmouth Square is smothered in the delight over Chinese embroideries, bronzes and cloisonné.
May this little book aid in the general awaking of the dormant love of every Californian for his possessions and be a suggestion to the casual visitor that we are entitled to the dignity of age.

Contents
Preface The Mission and its Romance A view from Twin Peaks--The city with its historic crosses. A visit to the old church--Its past, and the romance of Lüis Argüello. The Presidio, Past and Present The Spanish Fortifications and the love story of Concepcion and Rezánov. The Plaza and its Echoes A Chinese restaurant. Yerba Buena and the reminiscences of a forty-niner. Telegraph Hill of Unique Fame The Latin quarter. The signal station of '49 and a view of the city as it was. The Golden Gate.

List of Illustrations
The Mission "The modern structures crowd upon the low adobe building." Prayer Book Cross "A granite cross just visible above the trees in Golden Gate Park." At Lotta's Fountain "We watched the people purchasing flowers on the corner." The Officer's Club House at the Presidio "Of a different generation from its neighbors." A Street in Chinatown "We must take a look at the spot where the first house stood." Portsmouth Square "The entire history of San Francisco was made around this Plaza." A Fountain in the Latin Quarter "Stooping to drink from his hand on the edge of a little pool." A Sunset Thro' the Golden Gate "The last rays gilded the cliffs on either side."

The Mission
A view from Twin Peaks--The city with its historic crosses. A visit to the old church--Its past, and the romance of Lüis Argüello.

The Mission and Its Romance
"Tickets to the city, Sir?" The conductor's voice sounded above the rumble of the train. As my companion's hand went to his pocket he glanced at me with a quizzical smile.
"I should think you Oaklanders would resent that. Hasn't your town put on long skirts since the fire?" There was an unpleasant emphasis on the last phrase, but I passed it over unnoticed.
"Of course we have grown up," I assured him. "We're a big flourishing city, but we are not the city. San Francisco always has been, and always will be the city to all northern California; it was so called in the days of forty-nine and we still cling affectionately to the term."
"I believe you Californians have but two dates on your calendar," he exclaimed, "for everything I mention seems to have happened either 'before the fire' or 'in the good old days of forty-nine!' 'Good old days of forty-nine,'" he repeated, amused. "In Boston we date back to the Revolution, and 'in Colonial times' is a common expression. We have buildings a hundred years old, but if you have a structure that has lasted a decade, it is a paragon and pointed out as built 'before the fire.' Do you remember the pilgrimage we made to the historic shrines of Boston, just a year ago?"
"Shall I ever forget it!" I exclaimed.
He smiled appreciatively. "Faneuil Hall and the old State House are interesting."
"Oh, I wasn't thinking about the buildings! I don't even recall how they look. But I do remember the weather. I was so cold I couldn't even