Sandcastles at the CLIFF HOUSE

This is a repost from several years ago because gosh darn the photo of the tourist car fits the Sepia Saturday theme…several weeks ago. And I have a nice new photo to share of the old Cliff House if you scroll towards the bottom.

If you've seen past posts about the Kallman family you will probably recognize Alfred, patriarch of the family. This photo is from the George Kallman estate.

This is Alfred aboard a touring car in San Francisco, probably around 1919. He was on his way to see the Cliff House restaurant and Sutro Baths. The Cliff House still exists, the Sutro Baths not so much. And when I say the Cliff House still exists, it's not the Cliff House Alfred would have seen.

Click on image to see it larger.

The Cliff House has burned down several times. The photo below shows it at its most gorgeous, but it too burned down over 100 years ago.

I'll let good old Wikipedia fill-in some details about this San Francisco landmark.

The Cliff House is a restaurant perched on the headlands on the cliffs just north of Ocean Beach on the western side of San Francisco, California. It overlooks the site of the former Sutro Baths and a room-sized camera obscura and is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, operated by the National Park Service.

Cliff House has had five major incarnations since its beginnings in 1858. That year, Samuel Brannan, a prosperous ex-Mormon elder from Maine, bought for $1,500 the lumber salvaged from a ship that foundered on the basalt cliffs below. With this material he built the first Cliff House. The second Cliff house was built for Captain Junius G. Foster, but it was a long trek from the city and hosted mostly horseback riders, small game hunters or picnickers on day outings. With the opening of the Point Lobos toll road a year later, the Cliff House became successful with the Carriage trade for Sunday travel. The builders of the toll road constructed a two mile speedway beside it where well-to-do San Franciscans raced their horses along the way. On weekends, there was little room at the Cliff House hitching racks for tethering the horses for the thousands of rigs. Soon, omnibus railways and streetcar lines made it to near Lone Mountain where passengers transferred to stagecoach lines to the beach. The growth of Golden Gate Park attracted beach travelers in search of meals and a look at the Sea Lions sunning themselves on Seal Rocks, just off the cliffs to visit the area.

In 1877, the toll road, now Geary Boulevard, was purchased by the City for around $25,000. In 1883, after a few years of downturn, the Cliff House was bought by Adolph Sutro who had solved the problems of ventilating and draining the mines of the Comstock Lode and become a multimillionaire. After a few years of quiet management by J.M. Wilkens, the Cliff House was severely damaged by a dynamite explosion when the schooner, Parallel, ran aground. The blast was heard a hundred miles away and demolished the entire north wing of the tavern. The building was repaired, but was later completely destroyed on Christmas night 1894 due to a defective flue. Wilkens was unable to save the guest register, which included the signatures of three Presidents and dozens of illustrious world-famous visitors.

In 1896, Adolph Sutro built a new Cliff House, a seven story Victorian Chateau, called by some "the Gingerbread Palace", below his estate on the bluffs of Sutro Heights. This was the same year work began on the famous Sutro Baths, which included six of the largest indoor swimming pools north of the Restaurant that included a museum, skating rink and other pleasure grounds. Great throngs of San Franciscans arrived on steam trains, bicycles, carts and horse wagons on Sunday excursions.

The Cliff House and Sutro Baths survived the 1906 earthquake with little damage but burned to the ground on the evening of September 7, 1907. Dr. Emma Merritt, Sutro's daughter, commissioned a rebuilding of the restaurant in a neo-classical style that was completed within two years and is the basis of the structure seen today. In 1937, George and Leo Whitney purchased the Cliff House, complementing their Playland-at-the-Beach attraction nearby and extensively remodeling it into an American roadhouse. The building was acquired by the National Park Service in 1977 and became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Many of Whitney's additions were removed and the building was restored to its 1909 appearance. In 2003, an extensive further renovation added a new two-story wing overlooking the Sutro Bath ruins.

The site overlooks Seal Rocks and the former site of the Sutro Baths. More than thirty ships have been pounded to pieces on the southern shore of the Golden Gate below the Cliff House.

The area immediately around Cliff House is part of the setting of Jack London's novel The Scarlet Plague (1912). (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

To get a nice overall feeling about the Cliff House through the years click here to go to the official site and stay for the opening historical slideshow, including the Sutro Baths.

To see more images of these tour cars, including this very same No. 20, click here to enter the Cliff House project. And spend a bit more time clicking around the site to see other wonderful images.

The current Cliff House from the outside is not lovely at all. But oh my can you get an excellent meal there. I went there for my birthday a few years ago. The food was perfect, as was the view.

The following delightful snapshot is from the Betty Schnabel estate sale, specifically her mother's album. It is one of my favorite shots from my collection.



And just to make sure I have something for this weeks Sepia Saturday theme…another repeat from a few years ago.

Do a dogs ears lay flat against its head if a woman cackles in the background? You be the judge.

Until next week when I might just post something for a Sepia Saturday theme from years ago. It's been one of those weeks.

The HAT CLUB FOR MEN

If you live in the US you've probably heard of the Hair Club for Men. Well, I give you the "Hat Club For Men" from long ago.

Poor little Howard longed for when he was old enough to wear a hat. Alas there were many tough years ahead (so to speak) before his pate would be covered with a masculine chapeau.

Click on image to see it larger.

The rites of passage of this particular Scandinavian group were written into their family history. Beanies after age 7, but seriously, no kid wanted to wear a beanie for too long so most went hatless. Upon their 14th birthday they were taken shopping by an elder uncle who would make hat suggestions, mostly through grunts and nods, until the boy, almost a man, had made a decent choice.

Caps were frowned upon, but after much gossip amongst family members, the cap wearer was usually given a reluctant "okie dokie" and left alone.

Howard did not want a cap. He had his eye on a light beige felt hat with a deep blue ribbon band. His mother warned him not to get his heart set on it because fashion was fickle and the hat might be gone before he reached the Age of Chapeau.

Secretly Howard would ride his bike past Burford's Hat Shop each day on his way home from school. He would stop and stare at the hat, dreaming of the day he became a hat wearing man.

Alas, by the time Howard was of age he shocked everyone by choosing a cowboy hat. The family began regretting their immigration.

The truth is that these are indeed Scandinavian fellas, but I think their gathering had nothing to do with hats. The fella on the far right is Alfred Kallman who has been the subject of many past posts (here, here, and here).

Alfred Kallman on CLIFF HOUSE TOUR

Only a single photo from my collection this week.

If you've seen past posts about the Kallman family you will probably recognize Alfred, patriarch of the family.

This is Alfred aboard a touring car in San Francisco, probably around 1919. He was on his way to see the Cliff House restaurant and Sutro Baths. The Cliff House still exists, the Sutro Baths not so much. And when I say the Cliff House still exists, it's not the Cliff House Alfred would have seen.

Click on image to see it larger.

The Cliff House has burned down several times. The photo below shows it at its most gorgeous, but it too burned down over 100 years ago.

I'll let good old Wikipedia fill-in some details about this San Francisco landmark.

The Cliff House is a restaurant perched on the headlands on the cliffs just north of Ocean Beach on the western side of San Francisco, California. It overlooks the site of the former Sutro Baths and a room-sized camera obscura and is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, operated by the National Park Service.

Cliff House has had five major incarnations since its beginnings in 1858. That year, Samuel Brannan, a prosperous ex-Mormon elder from Maine, bought for $1,500 the lumber salvaged from a ship that foundered on the basalt cliffs below. With this material he built the first Cliff House. The second Cliff house was built for Captain Junius G. Foster, but it was a long trek from the city and hosted mostly horseback riders, small game hunters or picnickers on day outings. With the opening of the Point Lobos toll road a year later, the Cliff House became successful with the Carriage trade for Sunday travel. The builders of the toll road constructed a two mile speedway beside it where well-to-do San Franciscans raced their horses along the way. On weekends, there was little room at the Cliff House hitching racks for tethering the horses for the thousands of rigs. Soon, omnibus railways and streetcar lines made it to near Lone Mountain where passengers transferred to stagecoach lines to the beach. The growth of Golden Gate Park attracted beach travelers in search of meals and a look at the Sea Lions sunning themselves on Seal Rocks, just off the cliffs to visit the area.

In 1877, the toll road, now Geary Boulevard, was purchased by the City for around $25,000. In 1883, after a few years of downturn, the Cliff House was bought by Adolph Sutro who had solved the problems of ventilating and draining the mines of the Comstock Lode and become a multimillionaire. After a few years of quiet management by J.M. Wilkens, the Cliff House was severely damaged by a dynamite explosion when the schooner, Parallel, ran aground. The blast was heard a hundred miles away and demolished the entire north wing of the tavern. The building was repaired, but was later completely destroyed on Christmas night 1894 due to a defective flue. Wilkens was unable to save the guest register, which included the signatures of three Presidents and dozens of illustrious world-famous visitors.

In 1896, Adolph Sutro built a new Cliff House, a seven story Victorian Chateau, called by some "the Gingerbread Palace", below his estate on the bluffs of Sutro Heights. This was the same year work began on the famous Sutro Baths, which included six of the largest indoor swimming pools north of the Restaurant that included a museum, skating rink and other pleasure grounds. Great throngs of San Franciscans arrived on steam trains, bicycles, carts and horse wagons on Sunday excursions.

The Cliff House and Sutro Baths survived the 1906 earthquake with little damage but burned to the ground on the evening of September 7, 1907. Dr. Emma Merritt, Sutro's daughter, commissioned a rebuilding of the restaurant in a neo-classical style that was completed within two years and is the basis of the structure seen today. In 1937, George and Leo Whitney purchased the Cliff House, complementing their Playland-at-the-Beach attraction nearby and extensively remodeling it into an American roadhouse. The building was acquired by the National Park Service in 1977 and became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Many of Whitney's additions were removed and the building was restored to its 1909 appearance. In 2003, an extensive further renovation added a new two-story wing overlooking the Sutro Bath ruins.

The site overlooks Seal Rocks and the former site of the Sutro Baths. More than thirty ships have been pounded to pieces on the southern shore of the Golden Gate below the Cliff House.

The area immediately around Cliff House is part of the setting of Jack London's novel The Scarlet Plague (1912). (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

To get a nice overall feeling about the Cliff House through the years click here to go to the official site and stay for the opening historical slideshow, including the Sutro Baths.

To see more images of these tour cars, including this very same No. 20, click here to enter the Cliff House project. And spend a bit more time clicking around the site to see other wonderful images.

There are so many interesting people in the car with Alfred; let's just be thankful he wasn't sitting next to this happy go lucky soul. Actually, I can remember touring Europe with a person with this same joie de vivre.

This is my submission to this weeks Sepia Saturday. Another photo from the George Kallman estate.

And for those who like old photos, but don't visit me during the week, I think you might enjoy the lovely lady I've been posting this week. An unknown woman from the San Francisco/Bay Area. I will resume posting more images of her tomorrow.

Alfred Kallman, MINER

I have no information about these photos other than that the envelope they're in has "Dad's mine" written on it in George Kallman's handwriting. No idea where this mine was or what they were mining.

A few of the photos are RPPC's, the majority small snapshots taken in 1937.

So step back in time and imagine what life was like at this mine. Were there people working it everyday or was it a weekend mining adventure? Imagine it at night in that little cabin with the birds in the trees settling down for the night and then arising the next morning singing. What a wondrous place it must have been for George and Gladys a children.

In a few of the photos I've put circles around photos of Alfred. In one I've put a circle around George, Alfred's son.

Click on any image to see it larger.

This is my contribution for this weeks Sepia Saturday.

__________

Thinking of self-publishing a book? Does it seem overwhelming? Let me help guide you:

Tattered and Lost Book Designs

JOHN ALFRED KALLMAN, father of George and Gladys

This week's Sepia Saturday I present John Alfred Kallman; husband of Lorena Aina Beck; father of George and Gladys Kallman.

From what I've found, and I can't be sure it's accurate, Alfred was possibly born in Montana on August 27, 1892. He died at age 62 on Sept. 16, 1954 in San Mateo, California. What is confusing about what I found are his parents names. Mother is listed as Kaeko and the father is Lassfalk. So Alfred appears to have been adopted somewhere along the line.

Basically this is all I have for biographical information. The rest is just supposition from looking at the photos and other ephemera I have. Very few photos have anything written on the back. However, George did put a lot of photos in special envelopes with names on the front.

Click on any image to see it larger.

George labeled these folks as his Kallman grandparents. These must be the people who "adopted" Alfred. This is where the name Kallman begins.

This is the youngest photo I can find of Alfred.

Alfred, standing in the back, with possibly his mother Kallman. No idea who the other people are.

I have no idea what this is about, but I can tell you Alfred belonged to the Star Glee Club in San Francisco. They were members of the American Union of Swedish Singers. I have photos of him with the singing group, but I haven't a clue as to what's going on here.

Alfred made his living as a painter, decorator, and paperhanger. He also had a mine which I will feature in a future post.

The Kallman home in San Francisco on Edinburgh Street with Gladys on the steps.

The boat Alfred built.

Alfred with Mabel Roy.

John Alfred Kallman (Aug. 17, 1892-Sept. 26, 1954)

If you're new to my site you might enjoy seeing past posts about the Kallman family, all photos and ephemera from the George Kallman estate.

Meet GEORGE and GLADYS KALLMAN

GEORGE KALLMAN, only child

GEORGE KALLMAN grows up

GLADYS KALLMAN, George's sister

GLADYS KALLMAN at Balboa High School in 1948

Where's GLADYS KALLMAN?

THE PARENTS of George and Gladys

NURSE LORENA AINA BECK

NURSE LORENA AINA BECK

Before there was Alfred...before there was George...before there was Gladys...there was Lorena Aina Beck...student nurse.

Lorena studied at the Burnett Sanitarium in Fresno, California. She graduated on January 3, 1922.

Lorena Aina Beck

Really not sure about this building, but I believe it is where the student nurses lived.

Of course there was a lot of studying... (I have 7 of Lorena's notebooks.)

and there were field trips...

and there were friendships...

and there were the joys of work...

and there were hijinks! (click on any image to see it larger)

(WARNING: Time-Traveling-Celebrity in this shot. Jay Leno pretending to be a nurse.)

And in the end, there was Nurse Lorena Aina Beck.

Lorena Aina Beck (Dec. 7, 1898-Nov. 19, 1952; born in Colorado; death in San Francisco at age 52; mother/Sjoberg, father/Beck)

All photos and documents from the George Kallman Estate.

This is my contribution to this weeks Sepia Saturday.

To see other posts about the Kallman family:

Meet GEORGE and GLADYS KALLMAN

GEORGE KALLMAN, only child

GEORGE KALLMAN grows up

GLADYS KALLMAN, George's sister

GLADYS KALLMAN at Balboa High School in 1948

Where's GLADYS KALLMAN?

THE PARENTS of George and Gladys