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What is Sparkletack?
Sparkletack was the blog and podcast of a guy obsessed with diggin' up San Francisco history. The site is on permanent hiatus.» About Richard
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Blog/Podcast Updates
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The Podcasts:
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 05.18.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 05.11.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 05.04.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 04.20.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 04.13.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 04.06.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 03.30.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 03.23.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 03.09.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 03.02.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 02.23.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 02.16.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 02.09.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 02.02.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 01.26.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 01.19.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 01.12.09
- San Francisco Timecapsule: 01.05.09
- Timecapsule podcast: San Francisco, December 22-31
- Timecapsule podcast: San Francisco, December 15-21
- Timecapsule podcast: San Francisco, December 8-14
- Timecapsule podcast: San Francisco, December 1-7
- Timecapsule podcast: San Francisco, November 24-30
- Timecapsule podcast: San Francisco, November 17-23
- Timecapsule podcast: San Francisco, November 10-16
- Timecapsule podcast: San Francisco, November 3-9
- Timecapsule podcast: San Francisco, October 27-November 2
- Timecapsule podcast — San Francisco, October 20-26
- Timecapsule podcast — San Francisco, October 13-19
- Timecapsule podcast — San Francisco, October 6-12
- Timecapsule podcast — San Francisco, September 29-October 5
- Timecapsule podcast — San Francisco, September 22-28
- Something new: weekly Time-capsule podcast, September 15-21
- #66: Alma de Bretteville Spreckels
- #65: Memories of an Argonaut
- #64: San Francisco’s Treasure Island (pt. 2)
- #63: San Francisco’s Treasure Island (pt. 1)
- #62: Samuel Holladay, Pioneer Squatter of Lafayette Park
- #61: Lefty O’Doul — The Man in the Green Suit
- #60: Starr King and the California Civil War (pt. 2)
- #59: Starr King and the California Civil War (pt. 1)
- #58: The Crocker Spite Fence
- #57: The Reber Plan for San Francisco Bay
- #56: Lotta Crabtree — the San Francisco Favourite
- #55: Caruso, the Palace, and the 1906 earthquake
- #54: The Notorious Lola Montez
- #53: The Bella Union and the Barbary Coast
- #52.5: The Trolls of San Francisco
- #52: Adolph Sutro, the Populist Millionaire
- #51: The Columbarium and the Caretaker
- #50: The Balclutha and the Chantey Sing
- #49: Sam Clemens and the Celebrated Jumping Frog
- #48: Mark Twain and the Great Earthquake of 1865
- #47: Robert Louis Stevenson — Chinatown Treasure
- #46: San Francisco Fortune Cookie
- #45: Frank Chu Just Shows Up
- #44: Moving the Dead — San Francisco Cemeteries
- #43: San Francisco Motorcycle Club — Since 1904
- #42: Alexander Leidesdorff — The Black Millionaire
- #41: The Golden Gate Bridge, a Modest Proposal
- #40: Luisa Tetrazzini and Christmas eve
- #39: The Great Diamond Hoax
- #38: Rudyard Kipling in San Francisco
- #37: Philo T. Farnsworth
- #36: Birth of San Francisco #3
- #35: Birth of San Francisco #2
- #34: The San Francisco Twins
- #33: Andrew Smith Hallidie — Father of the Cable Car
- #32: Letter from the Gold Rush, 1850
- #31: Carville — A Lost Neighborhood
- #30: Streets of San Francisco #2
- #29: The Legend of Black Bart
- #28: Birth of San Francisco #1
- #27: Patty Hearst, revolutionary sweetheart
- #26: Streets of San Francisco #1
- #25: Charles Cora and the 2nd Vigilance Committee
- #24: Alcatraz
- #23: The Wave Organ
- #22: The China Clipper
- #21: Emperor Norton
- #20: Fog City
- #19: The Mission Burrito
- #18: Firebelle Lil — Elizabeth “Lillie” Coit
- #17: The San Francisco “Conversation”
- #16: San Francisco Pyramid
- #15: The Golden Gate Bridge and Suicide
- #14: The Golden Fire Hydrant of San Francisco
- #13: The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
- #12: San Francisco Blue Jeans
- #11: Straight Razor Morning
- #10: The Ruination of Fatty Arbuckle
- #9: Schadenfreude and San Francisco High Society
- #8: Corpseflower at San Francisco Conservatory
- #7: San Francisco Shanghai
- #6: Where’s The Food?
- #5: San Francisco Fireworks – On The Air
- #4: Steam Beer – The Authentic San Francisco Style
- #3: Street Flowers
- #2: Dogs In The Pharoah
- Sparkletack #1
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San Francisciana
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Categories:
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"As a survivor of the 1990’s dot con and 30-time visitor to San Francisco, it is great to have an insider's view of your wonderful city."
Shop my Bookshelf!
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A few of my favourite San Francisco-centric reads ... historiophilic pleasure guaranteed or double your brain cells back!
The Barbary Coast
Herbert Asbury's mesmerizing survey of Francisco's dark, filthy & frantic underground history, whose denizens -- freaks, bullies, hookers, dandies, opium smokers, and loose nuts of every variety -- are absolutely unforgettable.
Roughing It
Samuel Clemen's wide-eyed account of his Western transformation into Mark Twain. It's half-autobiography, half-high-grade B.S., and 100% entertainment! Here's my review of Uncle Mark's work: »
River of Shadows
The subtitle -- "Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West" -- just hints at the depth of history and analysis in this beautifully written and meticulously researched work. Fascinating and gorgeous ... read my review: »
San Francisco Memoirs
1835-1851: Eyewitness Accounts of the Birth of a City
The sleepy village of Yerba Buena becomes the boomtown of San Francisco -- in the voices of its own residents.
More San Francisco Memoirs
1852-1899: The Ripening Years
In this sequel to Malcolm Barker's "San Francisco Memoirs", the saga continues; from the Gold Rush to the Gilded age, San Franciscans tell our story in their own words.
- For deeper perusal of my San Francisco history books, visit the Sparkletack bookshelf at Powells.com:
