Empty lots of Outside Lands

05/14/22 - posted by Holt Macon

Last week I spoke with an old timer who told me stories about some of the empty lots of the Outside Lands in the past. In the 1950s and 60s they were used as gang hangouts with gang fights.
There was a huge lot where the Saint Ignatius school now is between Ortega and Pacheco Streets on about 38th avenue. In the 1960s, a gym teacher got the bright idea that he would punish his gym class for something minor by having them run the sand doons all class long.
The sand doons were soft and hilly and the class came back with a ton of sand in their shoes. Somehow the sand got into the drain pipes and clogged them up and they had to shut down the showers and had a hell of a time cleaning the sand out of them.
For the Outside Lands writers out there, someone needs to write a book on the "Empty Lots of the Outside Lands," showing photos of the lots from years past and their development and stories.