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SAN FRANCISCO HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER PANORAMA April-June, 2020 Vol. 32, No. 2 Inside This Issue The Murphy Windmill Restor ation Photo Ron by Henggeler Bret Harte’s Gold Rush See page 3 WPA Murals See page 3 1918 Flu Pandemic See page 11 See pages 7-9 SAN FRANCISCO HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Message from the President COVID-19 debarks from the tongue less trippingly than worked, and what didn’t? On page 11 of mellifluous Spanish Flu, the misnomer for the pandemic that this issue of Panorama, Lorri Ungaretti ravaged the world and San Francisco 102 years ago. But as we’ve gives a summary of how we dealt with read, COVID-19’s arrival here is much like the Spanish flu. the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. COVID-19 too resembles another pandemic, black death, or The San Francisco Historical bubonic plague. Those words conjure the medieval world. Or Society seeks to tell our history, our 17th-century London, where an outbreak killed almost 25% of story (the words have the same root) in the city’s population between 1665 and 1666. At the turn of ways that engage us, entertain us even. the 20th century, twenty years before arrival of the Spanish flu, At the same time we tell our story to the bubonic plague found its way to the United States and San make each of us, as the Romans would Francisco. Here, politicians and power brokers, concerned more say, a better civis, or citizen, and our John Briscoe about commerce than public health, tried to pass off evidence of city, as the Greeks would put it, a President, Board of greater polis, or body of citizens. the plague as “fake news.” Directors David K. Randall just last year published his history of this qqqqq unfamiliar outbreak, Black Death at the Golden Gate: The Race To be a part of the mindful polis, we have had to cancel a to Save America from the Bubonic Plague. It deserves another number of upcoming events, including our upcoming fundraiser look. He may seem eerily prescient, taking us to familiar debates at Salesforce Tower on June 3 and all in-person presentations over media influence, government-supplied information, and the through May. However, we plan to make upcoming legitimacy of scientific research in the midst of a pandemic. presentations available on our website so you can enjoy them How can such history be so readily forgotten? How is it that from home. And, as the next several weeks unfold, we are the nine days of November 18 to 27, 1978 have slipped from planning to add a number of other free digital resources, all the memories of so many? When we wring our hands over available through our website, sfhistory.org/events. the number of homeless people in San Francisco, estimated In other news, as the saying goes, Charles Faulhaber, long- varyingly at around 7,500, how is it that we forget that in time director of the Bancroft Library, will deliver this year’s three days in San Francisco in 1906, five-eighths of the city’s Kevin Starr Lecture October 20. population—250,000 people—were made suddenly homeless? A generous corporate citizen of San Francisco is poised to The history of our city engages us and can inform us. “The thing give SFHS an exquisite collection of exhibits from the Gold that hath been, it is that which shall be…; there is nothing new Rush and silver boom. Two very generous San Franciscans under the sun” said, or wrote, Ecclesiastes. And so, we should ever have given the Society a cash gift in six figures. (Stay attuned ask ourselves, what did we do the last time this happened? What for announcements.) SFHS CONTRIBUTIONS – OcTOBER 1, 2019 – JANUARY 31, 2020 We gratefully acknowledge all contributions received between October 1, 2019 and January 31, 2020. Our listings include all levels of membership dues payments, in addition to year-end appeal, tickets for fundraising events, and other contributions. Gifts totaling $100 or greater are presented here. We apologize for any errors or omissions, and thank you in advance for bringing them to our attention so that we may correct our records. INDIVIDUAL $1,000 to $1,999 Peter J. Musto Janet Tara Morcom Morley & Pat Farquar Eula Loftin SUPPORTERS Rodger Birt Adriene Roche Elizabeth Mullen Andrew Filipek Don & Brenda MacLean Nancy Boldrey Cooper Robert J. Rogers Jerry & Wendy Murphy Charles & Liz Fracchia Charlie Mader $100,000 and up Pamela Dekema & Richard Audrey & Robert Sockolov Virginia Freeman Daniel J. Maguire George A. Miller & Janet A. $100 to $249 Champe Brett Gladstone Ink & Bob Mendelsohn McKinley $250 to $499 Mary K. Austin Peter & Deanna Gumina James Gleeson Richard Morgenstein & Mary James Alward Milt Axt Jr. $25,000 and up James Haas Maria Gloria Ellen Hannibal David & Ann Arrowsmith Lewis & Janet Baer John Briscoe & Carol E. Elizabeth Lewis Gerald Graham John & Ardyce Mrakovich Norman Bouton Paul Barbagelata Sayers Alice Phelan Sullivan John Obrecht Mike & Trish Niedermeyer Colin Chapman Donald Bird & David N. Young Corporation James Hudson Amy & John Palmer $10,000 and up Bill & Mary Duffy David Bogolub Cable Car Museum Matt Irwin Carol Peckham Lana Costantini & Everett Dianne Easton Barry & Joan Boothe Helen Israel Marcia & Robert Popper Rhodes Castle III $500 to $999 Andrea Eichhorn C. Gregory & Alma Brown Thom Jackson Tina Riehl Troy & Leslie Daniels John Engell Mary Byrns $5,000 to $9,999 Herbert Jeong Peter Roesler Helene T. & Randall D. Ivy Fine & Rebecca Thomas J. Carey Richard S. E. & Eleanor Gary P. Jimenez Frances & Ed Rothman Frakes Westerfield Colin Chapman Johns Al Jonsen Kenneth B. Spingola Lawrence J. Goldzband Paul Fitzgerald Al & Kathy Ciabattoni Kevin Pursglove Tony R. Kilgallin Carol Storen IATSE Local 16 David & Victoria Steven Clark William & Marion Kleinecke Ray Sullivan & Shauna Rose $2,000 to $2,999 Jack Ladd Fleishhacker Sy Cohen Brian Kuhn Judith M. Taylor M.D. Mike & Maritza Fitzgerald James L. & Ann Lazarus Mr. & Mrs. James C. Flood Janet & Alan Coleman Rick Lenat Judith Terracina Leonard Holmes Jesse Levy Diane L. Gibson Karen & David Crommie Edmond & Annette Lim Donald Ungar Carl Nolte & Darlene Beverly & Tom Marlow Thomas Gille Cira Curri Plumtree Nolte Wolfgang & Doris Sloan & Priscilla Upton George A. Miller & Janet A. Gerald Graham John L. Darby Diana Whitehead Linnenbach Carol Walker McKinley Gail Mejeur Daniel Facciola 2 April-June, 2020 Vol. 32, No. 2 SAN FRANCISCO HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER SFHS PROGRAMS The April 14 and May 12 in-person monthly presentations at Roosevelt Middle School have been cancelled, but we will make them available in digital format on the SFHS website. You will receive an email invitation to each event. Note: The June program will be held at the San Francisco Historical Society’s museum at 608 Commercial Street (between Sacramento and Clay Street). This program will be free to members. Non-member fee is $10, which can be applied to membership dues within 30 days; $5 for non- member seniors, students, K–12 teachers, and people with disabilities. Programs are usually scheduled on the second Tuesday of each month, except August and December. Programs are subject to change, so please check for updates at sfhistory.org. SUTRO’S GLASS PALACE: THE WPA MURALS OF SAN FRANCISCO: TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 7:30 P.M. THE STORY OF SUTRO BATHS Forgotten, ControVersial, ALERT! – THIS PROGraM WIll BE HelD at JOHN MARTINI AND NeeDing PreserVation THE SFHS MUSEUM, 608 COMMercIal Street RICharD ROTHMAN The Sutro Baths at Lands End bedazzled HOW BRET HARTE “INVENTED” THE visitors with its many attractions: seven swim- Created in an era of social upheaval CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH ming pools with filtered and heated seawater, and severe economic challenge, publicly CHRIS O’SULLIVAN a museum, restaurants, tropical plants, and funded murals were created not only to promenades. John Martini will tell you all employ artists, but also to record historical USF histo- about Sutro Baths and answer the question, and political rian and teacher Chris “What was this place?” themes. After O’Sullivan will explore John Martini is a native San Franciscan more than 80 the life and works of and a life-long researcher of California his- years, we will Bret Harte, the most tory and the American West. He worked as look anew at consequential story- a National Park Ranger for more than 25 some of these teller of the Gold Rush. years at parks locally and around the country. murals. Richard Working out of his John’s many published works include Sutro’s will show office in the U.S. mint Glass Palace: The Story of Sutro Baths. examples of at 608 Commercial San Francisco’s Street, Harte’s literary well-known portrayals of the Gold murals, as Rush had an enormous impact on how we well as more imagine and remember this formative event obscure ones. in California history. Note: This program will be Richard held at San Francisco’s first mint, the new home Rothman is of the San Francisco Historical Society Museum a native San Franciscan and photographer (608 Commercial Street). whose passion is documenting the murals Chris O’Sullivan has taught California of the Depression-era Work Progress history at University of San Francisco (USF) for Administration. He has searched out some of two decades and has taught at USF’s Fromm the lesser-known murals and worked to save Institute since 2015. He currently serves on and preserve them. the board of directors of the San Francisco Historical Society. This map shows where the San Francisco Historical Society Museum and offices are. If circumstances allow, the June program will be held in this location.