August 5, 2007
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 within yards of this artificial lily pad, most of them whizzing by at 70 miles per hour without giving it a second thought.
What is Treasure Island? Why is it there? And where is it going?
In the first episode of this 2-part podcast series, you’ll learn how politics, pride, and the Great Depression collided to spark this audacious construction project, and the story of its glamorous first occupant — the 1939 World’s Fair. Crazed seagulls, the tooth of a woolly mammoth, Irving Berlin, and a radio signal from Bombay are just a few of the elements that make this story a San Francisco classic.
Skip to Part Two.
For further edification:
» “Trails End for ’39ers” – Almanac for Thirty-Niners – WPA, 1938
» “Western Wonderland” – Time Magazine, 1939
» Gorgeous pre-Fair Publicity Film – Prelinger Archives
» Newsreel footage of ’39 World’s Fair – Prelinger Archives
» Home movie from the ’39 World’s Fair – Prelinger Archives
» “Not So Golden Gate” – Time Magazine, 1939
» “The Legend of Yerba Buena Island” 1936
» Treasure Island – Wikipedia
» Treasure Island Music Festival – Noisepop/Another Planet
- “Frisco”? I think not.
- #35: Birth of San Francisco #2
- #61: Lefty O’Doul — The Man in the Green Suit
- #4: Steam Beer – The Authentic San Francisco Style
- Grandpa’s archives: San Francisco Chronicle aerial photo ca. 1949
musical support:
Thanks to Devin Anderson for musical support from the “Uniforms” motion picture score — “Stamp Collection” and “Untitled”, as well as “Monster Symphony – 1st Movement”, courtesy of the PodShow PodSafe Music Network.
printed bibliography:
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linking policy: books in print available through your local independent bookstore; out of print books through abebooks.com
/p>11 responses to “#63: San Francisco’s Treasure Island (pt. 1)”
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trackbacks & pingbacks:
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Pingback from “story of treasure island” transcript online » Sparkletack - the San Francisco History Podcast
August 24, 2007 at 12:47 pm[…] » Transcript: Treasure Island Music Festival » Podcast: The Story of Treasure Island (part 1) […]
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Pingback from Pacifica is back! » Sparkletack - the San Francisco History Podcast
April 11, 2008 at 10:30 am[…] last we encountered this goddess-behemoth, she was being blown up by the Navy at the end of the ‘39 Pan-Pacific […]
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Pingback from And I quote: “Buried Treasure in San Francisco?” » Sparkletack - the San Francisco History Podcast
June 11, 2008 at 5:29 pm[…] is a sculpture by Dudley C. Carter, a sort of totem pole hewn from a single redwood during the Treasure Island World’s Fair. After the Fair ended, the Goddess was given a home in Golden Gate Park’s […]
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Pingback from Zoe the Pirate returns to Treasure Island » Sparkletack - the San Francisco History Podcast
November 13, 2008 at 9:03 am[…] writing and recording the (epic!) Sparkletack two-podcast series on the history of Treasure Island, Anne Schnoebeln of the Treasure Island Museum Association has […]
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Pingback from #64: san francisco’s treasure island (pt. 2) » San Francisco History Podcast - Sparkletack
February 19, 2009 at 10:24 am[…] to Part One of the […]
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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August 13, 2007 at 10:07 am
It’s the little details that make your podcasts so interesting, the quote here, the sidestory there. Thanks for bringing yet another piece of SF history to life!
August 13, 2007 at 2:23 pm
hi richard,
just listened to this episode, the first that i’ve heard. really enjoyed it so far, and look forward to hearing more…maybe enough to be able to choose my favorites!
for now, i was especially interested by your report of the “seagull suits” given to construction workers on treasure island – wonder if they helped inspire “The Birds!” Have you thought about doing an episode on Hitchcock?
All best,
Judith
September 14, 2007 at 11:15 pm
I loved it!
I live on Treasure Island, have always been facinated by the place and until now knew only the very basics. Thank you for the fantastic history lesson.
I look forward to reading all of your Sparkling San Francisco Stories.
Jan
November 9, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Hi,
I lived on Treasure Island for a year and a half. I went to
a school there. I loved hearing the the history about it.
I knew about the Military base it’s hard to imagine the
island thriving. I hope they do rebuild it, although it
was nice being away from the craziness of the city too.
I loved it while I was there. I adopted one of the many
stray cats there. He is still living with me now here in
Kansas.
Katie
Katie
April 8, 2010 at 11:57 am
fantastic site.
I found your podcasts very interesting and i managed to do my termpaper on Treasure Island.
October 7, 2011 at 11:39 am
I was looking for a website with San Francisco’s history and chanced upon your site. I am absolutely blown away with how much detail and how much history there is in this site. And the podcasts are amazing! Your efforts in putting up your content is definitely worth it. Kudos!