The Lure of San Francisco

The Lure of San Francisco - A
Romance Amid Old Landmarks

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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
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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