author archive
Saturday, December 1st, 2007
“the good herb” — yerba buena
San Francisco is following me around. You know what I mean — it probably happens to you too: wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, something pops up to bring your attention back to the City Formerly Known as Yerba Buena. Which brings me to my point: I’m in the midst of a short trip to […]
10 Comments » - Posted in Just plain cool by richard - sparkletack
Monday, November 26th, 2007
SFist — san francisco, “the paris of the west”
This meandering SFist entry was inspired by an email from a listener. Royce recalled hearing those evocative words in some episode or another, and just wondered if I could tell him which one it was. Turns out I’ve used them four times already — in episodes #26, #40, #43, and #55 if you’re keeping track. […]
No Comments » - Posted in SFist by richard - sparkletack
Thursday, November 15th, 2007
the winnah and undisputed champeen
The results of the Sparkletack “favourite episode poll” are in! Okay, they’ve been in for a month already — but it isn’t as if the dominance of Emperor Norton is something that’s going to go stale … or even come as a real surprise. One hundred and twenty-seven years after his passing, the “Emperor of […]
No Comments » - Posted in Just plain cool,Polls by richard - sparkletack
Saturday, November 10th, 2007
’39 world’s fair butterfly
What is it exactly? It’s built like a notebook, with a couple of sheets of green and magenta construction paper sandwiched between its plastic wings … but it can’t really be opened for writing, and on the opposite wing — the Oakland side — there’s a patent number and the tiny word “bookmark”. Bookmark it […]
1 Comment » - Posted in From the community,Just plain cool by richard - sparkletack
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
screwball time-traveling noir: the bay time detective
An email showed up last week which I found impossible to overlook, beginning as it did with the words “Hail, Sparkletack!” Clearly a writer of taste and intelligence! But wait — could a person of “taste and intelligence” be responsible for words like these?: Here’s the tale of three typically offbeat San Franciscans who do […]
8 Comments » - Posted in From the community,Just plain cool by richard - sparkletack
Monday, October 8th, 2007
love letter — san francisco history center
Dearest San Francisco History Center, I have longed to write to you for so long, but it has taken me months to work up the nerve. If only you could appreciate how wonderful you are. Here’s what you reveal about yourself on the official website, so typically demure and self-effacing: The Daniel E. Koshland San […]
2 Comments » - Posted in Just plain cool by richard - sparkletack
Tuesday, September 25th, 2007
#65: Memories of an Argonaut
To many of the thousands of gold-seekers pouring through the Golden Gate back in 1849, the word “Argonaut” was already a familiar one, drawn from the ancient myth of “Jason and the Golden Fleece”. “Argonaut” was the name applied to Jason’s band of heroic companions, combining the name of his ship — the “Argos” — […]
3 Comments » - Posted in San Francisco history podcasts by richard - sparkletack
Saturday, September 22nd, 2007
book review — “Treasure Island; San Francisco’s Exhibition Years”
I read a lot of books on San Francisco and California history. And though these posts are labeled “book reviews”, the only books you’ll ever see here are those that I’ve really enjoyed. In short, if you see it here, it’s a great book — I’ve no urge to write about the stinkers! And if […]
2 Comments » - Posted in Historical book reviews by richard - sparkletack
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007
1938 san francisco street map
Mark Pritchard over at San Francisco Metroblog has alerted us to a fabulous new Flickr find; a 1938 street map of San Francisco in vivid pinks, blues, and greens. And why fabulous? In 1938 there are no freeways yet in sight. Lefty O’Doul’s Seals Stadium is still in place — as are the Sutro Baths. […]
8 Comments » - Posted in From the community,Just plain cool by richard - sparkletack
Monday, August 27th, 2007
#64: San Francisco’s Treasure Island (pt. 2)
What is Treasure Island? Why is it there? And where is it going? In the second episode of this 2-part podcast series, San Francisco’s plan for a mid-bay international airport is abruptly derailed by World War II. The US Navy seizes the island, transforming the former World’s Fair location into “Naval Station Treasure Island”. The […]
8 Comments » - Posted in San Francisco history podcasts by richard - sparkletack
Friday, August 24th, 2007
“story of treasure island” transcript online
Transcripts for Sparkletack’s 2-part “Story of Treasure Island” podcast series are now online at the website of the upcoming Treasure Island Music Festival (September 15th-16th). » Transcript: Treasure Island Music Festival » Podcast: The Story of Treasure Island (part 1) » Podcast: The Story of Treasure Island (part 2) And why are they there? Well, […]
2 Comments » - Posted in Media by richard - sparkletack
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
SFist — anniversary of a flesh wound
Number 6 in the new series of Sparkletack posts on SFist.com, San Francisco’s collaborative urban blogging project. Anniversary of a Flesh Wound The violent melodrama characterizing the recent murder of a journalist investigating “Your Black Muslim Bakery” has conjured the entire Bay Area history of political violence into our memories. Dan White, James P. Casey, […]
No Comments » - Posted in SFist by richard - sparkletack
Sunday, August 5th, 2007
poll: choose your favourite sparkletack episode!
An amazing 63 episodes of Sparkletack have floated out into the digital ether so far — 64 if you count the infamous “Trolls” episode. That’s well over two years of storytelling, and though I’ve read some fantastic individual comments, I don’t have a good sense of which stories you like the best. The style of […]
10 Comments » - Posted in Just plain cool,Polls by richard - sparkletack
Sunday, August 5th, 2007
#63: San Francisco’s Treasure Island (pt. 1)
Treasure Island is easily visible from San Francisco’s Embarcadero, a low-lying front porch jutting out towards the Golden Gate from Yerba Buena Island. Palm trees in a silhouetted row set off massive white buildings, dwarfed by the towering silver Bay Bridge marching across the water towards Oakland. That bridge carries over 130,000 people a day […]
11 Comments » - Posted in San Francisco history podcasts,SFist by richard - sparkletack
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007
“mr. summers’ 1941 vacation” — prelinger archive
I’m addicted to the “moving images” section of the Internet Archive — particularly the Prelinger Archives, recently absorbed into the Library of Congress. This massive collection of “ephemeral films”, a term which covers just about anything not made for commercial entertainment (advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur) is a fantastic source for unexpected historical treasures. I’ve […]
Sparkletack was the blog and podcast of a guy obsessed with diggin' up San Francisco history. The site is on permanent hiatus.
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