Preface 1940

So many books have been written about San Francisco and its neighbor cities around San Francisco Bay that the writing of still another may seem to call for explanation. But for all those who have shared in the compilation and editing of this book—research workers, reporters, writers, editors, and supervisors of the Northern California Writers’ Project in San Francisco and Oakland—it needs no apology. All throughout the long labor of preparing it they have realized only too keenly how much remains to be written about a city whose history has been the stuff of legend since its beginning—how much remained before it was written and still remains afterward. For this book, although we have crowded between its covers uncounted thousands of those facts which go to make up the story of a great metropolitan center—names and dates, descriptions of places and people, tales and anecdotes and even some myths—still leaves much of the story untold, as any book must. But the book will have accomplished its purpose if what it leaves unsaid the reader will want to know.

During the preparation of this volume, Margaret Wilkins acted as State Editorial Supervisor, Paul Johnson as State Research Supervisor, and Willis Foster as Oakland District Supervisor. Wallace Boyle, Charles Coppock, S. S. Greenleaf, and Dorothy Wagner served as editors; Juanita Turner and Gordon Williams as research editors. Although virtually the entire San Francisco, Oakland, and San Rafael staffs shared in the compilation of the book, the writing of the final manuscript was done largely by Jackson Barber, Dean Beshlich, Marc Bliss, Madeline Gleason, Gladys Pittman, Thomas Ray, Kenneth Rexroth, and Dorothy Van Ghent of the San Francisco staff and Porter Chaffee, Henry Darnell, Frances Garoutte, Howard Hoffman, Ethel Manning, and Thomas Patterson of the Oakland staff. Much of the section “North of the Bay” is the work of Cora Vernon Lee, Sacramento District Supervisor. We are indebted for the essay “Before the Footlights” to Lawrence Estavan, Supervisor of the History of the San Francisco Theater Project. The index was compiled by Max Loewenthal and the bibliography by W. Stanley. The maps were prepared by George Hill and J. H. Marion and some of the photographs by Theodore Baron, James Hall, and Howard Hoffman of the project staff.

For their generous cooperation in reading and criticizing various chapters, we are particularly indebted to Dr. Herbert E. Bolton, Chairman, Department of History, University of California; Alfred Frankenstein, Music and Art Editor, San Francisco Chronicle; Clyde Healy, Assistant City Engineer, San Francisco; Joseph Henry Jackson, Book Editor, San Francisco Chronicle; Dr. Alfred L. Kroeber, Department of Anthropology, University of California; Cornel Lengyel, Supervisor, History of Music Project, Work Projects Administration; Charles Lindstrom, Assistant Curator, San Francisco Museum of Art; George Mullaney, Director of Publications, San Francisco Board of Education; George Pettit, Assistant to the President, University of California; Dr. Frank Fenton, San Francisco State College; M. Sprague, Associate Meteorologist, United States Weather Bureau; Dr. George R. Stewart, Jr., Associate Professor of English, University of California; Dr. Theodore E. Treutlein, San Francisco State College; C. M. Wheeler, Vice-President, McCormick Steamship Company.

We are extremely grateful for the assistance provided by the following librarians: Robert Rae and his assistants, Mary A. Byrne, Jessica Fredericks, Edith Mau, Elinor Sturgis, of the San Francisco Public Library; Mary O. Carmody and Helen Bryant of the Mechanics’-Mercantile Library; Dr. Herbert Priestley and Edna Parratt of the Bancroft Library; Richard Taggert of the University of California Library; John B. Kaiser and Mabel W. Thomas of the Oakland Public Library; Susan T. Smith of the Berkeley Public Library; Jane I.Curtis and Theodora T. Larsen of the Alameda Public Library; Mary Barmby of the Alameda County Library; Edith Daley of the San Jose Public Library; Virginia Vail of the Marin County Library; and Jessie A. Lea of the Martinez Public Library. We also are grateful to the librarians of the San Francisco Chronicle, Marjorie D. Brown and Dorothy M. Frisch; of the San Francisco Call-Bulletin, Stuart Rasmussen; of the San Francisco Examiner, Dwight Newton, for their help.

Of the many organizations and public agencies which assisted us, we are especially indebted to the Alameda City Clerk's and City Auditor's offices; Alameda County Development Association; California Historical Society; California State Automobile Association; California State Board of Education, Board of Harbor Commissioners, Division of Mines, Fish and Game Commission, and Park Commission; Californians, Inc.; the Chambers of Commerce of Alameda, Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Rosa, and Sonoma; Contra Costa County Development Association; Marvelous Marin, Inc.; National Automobile Club; Northern California Hotel Association; Oakland Park Commission; Pacific Coast Labor Bureau; Redwood Empire Association; San Francisco City and County Board of Education, Board of Health, Assessor's Office, M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, Palace of the Legion of Honor, Park Commission, Police Department, and Recreation Commission; San Francisco Convention and Tourist Bureau; San Francisco Hotel Association; Shell Travel Bureau; Society of California Pioneers; Southern Pacific News Bureau; Standard Oil Company of California; United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, Department of Agriculture, National Park Service, and Travel Bureau; and the Wine Institute of California.

For special assistance we are indebted to Harris Allen of the Federal Housing Authority; Joseph Allen, State Supervisor, Northern California Art Project; W. N. Burkhardt, Editor-in-chief, San Francisco News; Joseph Cumming, President, Downtown Association; A. C. Dearborn, United States Travel Bureau; Ignatius Dwyer, Deputy Registrar of Voters, City and County of San Francisco; Luisa Vallejo Emparan; William A. Gaw, California School of Fine Arts; Wanda Hannah; G. Lansing Hurd, Secretary, Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce; Chingwah Lee, editor, Chinese Digest; Major Truman Martin, Press Relations Officer, Ninth Corps Area, United States Army; E. P. Meadows, Supervisor, Project 10945, Work Projects Administration; Irving Morrow; Laura Bride Powers; Robert Sibley, Executive Manager, Associated Students of the University of California; Charles Stewart; John Swett, Jr.; Edward van Ribbink, editor, Oakland Tribune Year Book; James J. Walsh; Eric Walter, Assistant Superintendent, Golden Gate Park.

WALTER MCELROY, State Supervisor