Podcast Transcription

508 – Beep’s Burgers

Nicole: [00:00:00] It's Outside Lands San Francisco, podcast of Western Neighborhoods Project. Your weekly dose of friendly neighborhood history.

Hello again, Outside Landers, I'm your host, Nicole Meldahl.

Arnold: And hello again Outside Landers. I am your co-host, Arnold Woods.

Nicole: Now continuing our stroll down Ocean Avenue, this one is very near and dear to my heart. It's also very near and dear to the heart of our co-founder, Woody LaBounty, and he informed us of that via text message late last night. Because, and I'm sure we're not the only ones, right? Because if you've spent any time near City College or out there by S.F. State, then it probably took you a mere few seconds to guess our preview about where we were taking [00:01:00] you this week. That's right. The neon sign of Beep’s Burgers is one of the West side's most iconic and enduring landmarks. And its burgers have helped generations of students at City College and S.F. State, including myself, survive midterms and finals.

Arnold: Now Beep’s has been around since 1962. Coincidentally, the year I was born.

Nicole: Oh.

Arnold: This plot of the Outside Lands has been serving hamburgers to locals for much longer than that as we discovered when we began researching this business address at 1051 Ocean Avenue. And just like other businesses we've covered on this podcast, this one highlights how San Francisco was a place where first generation Americans from places like Italy, Russia, et cetera, this is where they thrived.

Nicole: Yes. I'm so excited to bring this history. As always, I get really excited about the people who ran these businesses and we're just like, eh, it's a business with [00:02:00] hamburgers, move on. So, my bad on that one. But I love the stories of people on the West side, and the earliest references we found for a business in this location is an October 1940 advertisement in the San Francisco Chronicle for Turbi’s Ram Shack. As the ad promised, here you could find, and I quote, “something new! Delicious!,” exclamation points, “Turbi’s Ram Burger. It's the best, tastiest, tenderest, meatiest morsel in town. Ram Burger and milkshake, 25 cents. Also Edy's grand ice cream and candies.” End quote. I mean, freaking sign me up.

Arnold: So, allow us to unpack some of the names here for everyone. First, we assume it was named Ram Shack in honor of City College's athletic teams known as the Rams and their mascot, which is, unsurprisingly, a [00:03:00] ram.

Nicole: Yeah.

Arnold: It was called Turbi’s and Selling Edy's ice cream because the shack was owned and operated by a man named Edward Ernest Turbiville who lived nearby at 123 Jules Avenue, between Holloway and Grafton.

Nicole: And given Edward's history, it's curious that he found himself in the neighborhood slinging shakes and burgers, cause the Turbivilles were not originally from San Francisco and also didn't live here for very long. Born in Oklahoma, Edward married a woman named Gladys McClellan in Grants Pass, Oregon in 1912. And then, next year they were living in, you know, the metropolitan mecca of Hobart, Oklahoma. Edward came to California by 1916 and actually settled in Marysville, where he supported his wife and two children by working as a warehouse man, I'm pretty sure, for the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Arnold: Now, his parents, Alden Henry and Anna Turbiville came to [00:04:00] California at the same time, living in Gridley, which is just south of Chico. By the 1920s, Edward and Gladys were living in Roseville, where she divorced him in 1926 and moved back to Oregon. However, their children, Felicia and Edward, Jr., stayed in California with their father.

Nicole: Yeah, Edward remarried to a woman named Edna Mae Caldwell in Sacramento in 1931, and the couple raised their children from previous marriages together. Felicia married in 1937, Edward Jr. in 1939, both in Virginia City, Nevada. And we think the Ram Shack was run by Edward from 1940 until about 1945 when the restaurant changed hands.

Arnold: Aside from this brief interlude, he spent the majority of his adult life in the Roseville-Citrus Heights area near Sacramento, working as a conductor for the railroad. According to his obituary in July [00:05:00] 1966, he retired in 1955. After get this. 43 years with the Southern Pacific Company, which would mean he started working for them in 1912. Makes you wonder if his work brought him to San Francisco and he opened up a side hustle in the Ingleside.

Nicole: I wonder if I'll work for WNP for 43 years. I've already got 10 under my belt.

Arnold: Yeah, I guess I have 24 under my belt.

Nicole: Oh, we should start giving out little like, you know, 10-year anniversary things like medals or, well, maybe cheeseburgers. Maybe every 10 years you’re with WNP, we take you to Beep’s Burgers.

Arnold: That works for me.

Nicole: Yeah. More on brand, right? So, so I'm also wondering too if Turbi's Ram Shack had like a railroad outpost vibe. Cause, and I really hope that. I was also wondering too, if we look at the records for the [00:06:00] property, it says it was constructed in ‘62 when we get Beep’s Burgers. But I'm wondering if, if it was modified from the original structure that was there in the 1940s. Ongoing research that we have to do. And also, we weren't able to find any photographs of this restaurant. So, if anybody out there has a lead, please let us know because the Ram Shack continued on into the 1950s next run by Frank E. Feldman and his wife Clementine, or Clementina, depending on what records you find from about 1947 to, or 1945, excuse me, to 1947.

Arnold: Let's get into the Feldman's. We'll just call it Clementine. She was a San Franciscan, the daughter of Emma Tardelli and Frediano Pardini, who was a native of Italy. We are wondering if they are any relation to the Examiner photographer Fred Pardini, who took some of the most iconic civil rights [00:07:00] protest photographs in our OpenSFHistory archive. He also photographed the Beatles’ 1966 concert at Candlestick, and we want those photos for our OpenSFHistory archive.

Nicole: Yes.

Arnold: So if you have 'em, let us know. But alas, we were not able to confirm that the Examiner photographer is related to the guy who ran the Ram Shack by the time of this recording.

Nicole: It's a real throwback to our super early podcast episodes where the guys were like, huh, I wonder this, gee golly, what's this about? I don't know. One fact about history. Oh, the good old days. So, it looks like her, the, it looks like her parent, her dad, Tardelli worked at a rock quarry and Pardini worked at, in cement. Which would make sense that their kids would meet, right? Because cement needs quarried rocks. I don't know. That's a real leap of, of history faith there. But, and also, [00:08:00] Clementine first married a baker named Adolph Lombardi in 1919, but that marriage was O-V-E-R in just a few years. She quickly remarried to Frank Eugene Feldman in June 1924, and by the time the 1930 census rolled through town, the couple already had a child named Melba.

Arnold: So, both parents worked according to the same census. Frank worked as a clerk at a jewelry store, and in 1942, Clementine was a sales manager for the Weinstein store. We don't know why they decided to run a burger restaurant called the Ram Shack for a couple years at the end of World War II and thereafter, but they decided to move on. Or really what happened to them was, after 1948, is the business entered what we like to call the Rosenberg-Wasserman era.

Nicole: Ah, yes, the Rosenberg-Wasserman era. A [00:09:00] classic era in Ram Shack history. From 1948 until about 1955, the restaurant was run by Florence Rosenberg with the support of her husband, Paul Commer. Florence was the daughter of Bertha Josephowitz and Max Rosenberg, who came to the United States from Prussia around 1895. Max and Bertha were married in New York, and by 1910, the Rosenbergs were living in Oregon where Max worked as a wearing apparel salesman. So, a lot of weird threads that sort of run, like common threads that run through all of these narratives. It's super interesting.

Arnold: The 1920 census captures the Rosenbergs in San Francisco where Max worked as a keeper for a secondhand store. I'm assuming that's a bookkeeper for secondhand store.

Nicole: Maybe.

Arnold: Maybe.

Nicole: And maybe he was just like, he was just like kept the store. He was like the manager or something like that. [00:10:00] I have no idea.

Arnold: Perhaps. And then, then Florence also had a job as a filing clerk for a paper store. She then marries Pincus “Paul” Commer in 1925.

Nicole: Yeah. Originally from Warsaw, Russia, so this is when we do not yet have an independent Poland, right? Paul arrived in New York in 1911. He lived in Brooklyn with his mother, Molly, and was working as a clothing cutter when he registered for the draft in World War I. He did serve with the 11th Cavalry during the war and then ended up in San Francisco after his discharge in 1922. This is very common. San Francisco was a port town, so a lot of military dudes came in and out and their brief time in San Francisco, during both major wars, inspired them to move here afterwards. And I'm not sure if he actually did come through here, but this is a very common pathway for discharged soldiers.

Arnold: By [00:11:00] 1931, this couple has two children, a daughter and a son, and they were living on 3rd Avenue. When Paul registered for the draft again during World War II, the family lived at 575 7th Avenue and he was working out of the post office at 30th and Geary. That's my neighborhood. Eventually Paul became a well-known real estate broker, and we'd like to think his career emerged from his first job with the postal service surveying properties as he delivered the mail.

Nicole: Again, not factual history, but it feels right. As Florence took over the Ram Shack, the Commers lived at 262 16th Avenue and they were very active in the local Jewish community with Florence in particular, a fervent Zionist donating much of her, donating much of her time to the Richmond District chapter of the Mizrachi Children's Organization. Now, this organization was founded in New Jersey as an educational charity that built vocational schools for observant [00:12:00] Jewish girls in Palestine and Jerusalem. And during the war, it shifted to financing childcare centers for Jewish refugees. And it's actually still around. It's the largest religious Zionist educational nonprofit organization in the United States, now known as AMIT. A-M-I-T.

Arnold: And in 1948, Florence handed the Ram Shack over to her sister Alene and brother-in-law, Melvin Wasserman. The Wassermans would run the restaurant for the next 14 years. Alene actually married Motel, his actual name, but known as Melvin Wasserman, in November, 1926, four months after he, who a native of Romania, became a naturalized citizen. And just to show you how close the families were, Pincus Commer is listed as a witness on their marriage certificate.

Nicole: Yeah, the son of a Russian father and Romanian mother, Melvin came to the United States in 1921 and [00:13:00] worked as a bookkeeper for the Union League Club on Post Street in the 1930s and 1940s. The Wassermans started out in the Richmond District before switching to the other side of the Park, with son Milton attending Washington High School before serving in the Army during World War II.

Arnold: By the 1950s, Alene and Melvin were both working in the restaurant, and when the couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary at home in 1951, all three of their children, Milton, Irving, and Joyce, were with them. And again, just like the Commers, they were an active part of the Jewish community in the Sunset District. For example, their daughter Joyce, hosted a meeting for the Jewish Youth Congress at their home at 2178 35th Avenue back in 1953.

Nicole: So, the Rosenberg-Wasserman era is coming to an end. The last reference we have for the Wassermans in connection with the Ram Shack was in 1960, and by 1962, [00:14:00] beep beep, Beep’s Burgers was in business.

Arnold: And this is the era, era that you all want to hear about.

Nicole: Yeah.

Arnold: The people we have to thank for this space age cheeseburger joint are brothers Steven and George Essaff. They transformed the, transformed the Ram Shack into Beep’s Burgers, overhauling the restaurant, and installing the neon sign that prominently features a classic USSR Vostock One rocket. It's named Beep’s after the beep beep sound made by satellite rockets at that time. And if there's one thing you take away from this podcast, we're pretty sure that's gonna be it.

Nicole: Yeah. They're like, duh, genealogy. Hey man, I know why it's called Beep’s Burgers. So, with roots in Lebanon, the Essaff family made its way through Missouri, Ohio, and Texas before landing in San Francisco in the 1920s. Essaf George Essaff, [00:15:00] that's not, that's not a stutter, they, that's his full name, married Victoria Esse in September 1923, while they lived on California Street near Divisidero. This is where the whole family got its start. Their marriage certificate notes that both sets of parents, Zarcifie and George Essaff, as well as Adele and Peter Esse were born in Syria. And in the 1930s and 1940s Essaf George ran the Essaff Grocery on Divisidero Street.

Arnold: Now you're already probably confused.

Nicole: Oh yeah.

Arnold: So let us add this caveat. Many members of the Essaff family were named George, just like George Foreman names all of his kids, George. And we've done our best to keep them all straight. Essaf George lived on a flat on Eddy Street with his wife and children, and worked down the street at the Divisidero grocery store until the 1950s, when according to his daughter Emily's obituary, the flat [00:16:00] was quote, “taken by the city for public housing.” End quote. And so, they moved to the Sunset District.

Nicole: Just like George Foreman, that's, that's not something you hear on WNP’s podcast very often.

Arnold: It's a George thing. We name our kids George. All of them.

Nicole: I mean, your nickname was Woody. So, like the same could be said that like founding members of WNP we're all generally named Woody. Anyways, members of the Essaff family had already slowly been kind of moving to the West side before they moved over, fully moved over in the 1950s. We have George N. Essaff welcoming the birth of a daughter in 1937 while living at 1528 11th Avenue. He eventually moved to 1499 9th Avenue by the time he was listed as brother Thomas George Essaff’s emergency [00:17:00] contact on his 1940 draft card. And Thomas lived at 1461 Funston Avenue at the time. And another brother, Roger, lived also on 11th Avenue on a different block when he registered for the draft. So, they're all sort of like clustering around like the inner Sunset area.

Arnold: And this is what immigrant families do. They all tend to live right near each other. Steven and Tom…what’s that?

Nicole: The modern version of this is like Friends, like doing this too, like the building on Balboa.

Arnold: That too. Of course, none of our audience knows what that's a reference to, but…

Nicole: Email us if you wanna know what the “building” is. WNP history up in this joint too.

Arnold: So, Stephen and Thomas were both peripherally involved with the military during World War II. Thomas was a civilian construction worker with the [00:18:00] 12th Naval District, that was captured in the fall of Wake and became a Japanese POW in 1942. He had signed up the day after Pearl Harbor and wouldn't be released until October 1945. When he returned home, newspapers nationwide covered his story.

Nicole: Yeah, like, like a ton. And just 18 when the U.S. entered the war, Stephen enlisted in the U.S. Army at Camp Beale, Marysville, just before the war ended in August 1945. So, Stephen caught a lucky break on that one. He worked as a photographer with the Medical Corps and found himself at Dibble General Hospital in Menlo Park the next year. He continued to work as a photographer after the war, living on Eddy Street with his family in 1950. And that year, Thomas made the news again, this time as part of a group called Workers of Wake, Guam and Cavite that was seeking financial compensation from the Japanese government for [00:19:00] their poor treatment as POWs.

Arnold: Now after he was discharged from the Army, Stephen picked up work as a photographer with the International News Photo service, until it merged with United Press. Thereafter, he began working for the San Francisco Examiner, just like our good friend Fred Pardini did. There he met a young courier who lived at the YMCA named Una B. Daigneautl. I'm probably pronouncing that very wrong.

Nicole: Yeah, that's a tough last name.

Arnold: The couple were married in May 1954. They honeymooned in Mexico and then settled in the Sunset District at 1418 15th Avenue, near the Essaff family. And it was in time to welcome the birth of a daughter in March 1955.

Nicole: The Essaff family still owned a market at 537 Divisidero, though when the 62-year-old, we're gonna throw another George at you, George Louie was robbed by two [00:20:00] hoodlums in June 1959. The Examiner reported, and I quote, “as Essaff sprawled, stunned on the floor, the two men cleaned out the register and fled.” End quote, Which is a big old, yikes. It's hard to imagine that other members of the family were, would see their father, uncle, grandfather, I really can't keep track of the Georges at this point, and be like, you know what, we should order, we should open a small business here in San Francisco that serves hamburgers. But they did. They did it. That's exactly what they did.

Arnold: And that gets us to the opening in 1962 of Beep’s Burgers.

Nicole: Here we are.

Arnold: And although we never found a single advertisement in local newspapers promoting the spot, we see job wanted ads for waitresses and such starting in 1963, and running consistently through the 1970s. Some of the things are, a little cringy, wouldn't pass muster [00:21:00] now. Like asking for young, attractive girls for their waitresses.

Nicole: Oh yeah.

Arnold: But it was a sign of those times. The Essaffs weren't involved in the day-to-day operations for all that long, even though the building, even today, is still held in the Una Essaff trust.

Nicole: So, George, the, one of the Georges, moves on in the 1970s. In February 1977, an ad in the Chronicle read, and I quote, “REMEMBER,” in all capitals, “me, George at Beep’s Burgers. Come see me at my new restaurant, the Big Bite, 418 Linden Avenue, South San Francisco. Bring this ad, receive $1 off on $2 or more purchase in April after 2:00 PM daily. So, he runs this ad in February and he is like, look, bring this in two months from now for a dollar off. But [00:22:00] only if it's, if it's a purchase of $2 or more. I love this advertising campaign so much. Not only do you have to cut that ad out, you have to remember to bring it in two months later.

Arnold: I wonder if anybody cashed in on this coupon.

Nicole: It's so good. Anyways, transitioning to a more somber piece of news, a few years later, on December 18th, 1978. We lose George. He dies here in San Francisco. So, the Essaff era of local restaurants, the George Essaff era of local restaurants is officially over.

Arnold: Meanwhile, Steven never stops working as a photographer for the San Francisco Examiner. Photo credit, credits listing Steve Essaff in the Examiner increased exponentially through the 1970s into the early 1990s. In 1983, he won first place in the portrait [00:23:00] category at the Annual California Press Photographers Association Awards. And by 1985, Steve was a lab chief for the Examiner.

Nicole: So, an article in January 1988 recalled his impact and role at the paper, and I quote, “there are 11 shooters at the Examiner with Lab Chief Steve Essaff, picture assignment editor Penny Gladstone, and Director of Photography Judith Carlson. They give the news visual and visceral form. At their best, the pictures they make proclaim what has happened so vividly and so completely that the newspaper's front page and section fronts served to prove the proverb, proverb,” sorry, “one picture really is worth a thousand words.” End quote. Side note, if this podcast ever goes past the West side, we need to do one on the amazing women of the San Francisco Examiner [00:24:00] Photography department, because seeing Penny and Judith in charge there made me very happy.

Arnold: So, throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Essaff obituaries pop up in the papers. When Steve died on November 9th, 1995, he was remembered for his distinguished career as a quote, “inside man,” end quote, at the Examiner. His long obituary read, and again quote, “before the arrival of automated developing machines, an inside man developed film and printed pictures taken by other photographers. On rare occasions, Mr. Essaff would also be sent out on assignments, which he enjoyed and excelled in.” End quote.

Nicole: He was also remembered as the former owner of Beep’s Burgers. His obituary continued, and I quote, “after retiring, he continued his hobby of cooking and did all the cooking at his Millbrae home. I have no idea [00:25:00] where anything is in our kitchen, said Una, his wife of 41 years.” End quote. Which is an adorable quote to put in your obituary.

Arnold: So when Una dies, which doesn't happen until June 2018, we get a glimpse into the Essaff's life in the Sunset where they raised four children on Judah near 26th Avenue. Her obituary reads quote, “though Una claimed not to enjoy cooking, she became skilled at making all of the traditional Lebanese dishes that were made by her mother-in-law Victoria. Living within a few blocks of Golden Gate Park, afforded Una with lots of fun activities to do with her children. The Zoo, Hall of Science, Japanese Tea Garden, and Playland at the Beach, were all favorite family spots.” End quote.

Nicole: Love it. So, the restaurant has been owned by the Essaff family since 1962, although it's been managed by several people since George and Steve stepped away in the [00:26:00] 1970s. And I'm very excited to tell you that in 2014, it was taken over by Samantha Wong, a graduate of San Francisco State University, who has done wonders for the restaurant. Now, I've always been a big fan of Beep’s, but I must say from the time that I started eating them, these cheeseburgers in the early, in the early 2000s until now, the quality has improved somewhat. And she truly respects its history, is reviving its menu with a lot of love, and she even restored the famous neon sign. So, big props to Samantha for being amazing.

Arnold: Then in 2020, one of our favorite local artists, Jeremy Fish, reviewed Beep’s as part of a series that shared the best burger joints in San Francisco. He said quote, ‘if burger spots were pants, Beep’s would be Ben Davis. If burger spots were comedians, Beep’s would be Robin Williams. [00:27:00] If burger spots were jackets, Beep’s would be a Derby. If burger spots were bridges, Beep’s would be the Golden Gate. And if burger spots were teams, Beep’s would be the 49ers.” End quote.

Nicole: Such an epically good paragraph. I love Jeremy Fish so much. So much. And you know what? We couldn't agree more that Jeremy's Guide to Burgers leads you to Beep’s burgers. So do yourselves a favor. See what Jeremy and us are talking about. And you know what? I have some very exciting news. As of March 2023, Beep’s, a San Francisco legacy business, is now open until 2:00 a.m., making it one of the few spots you can actually get eats on the West side in the wee hours of the morning. That and like Toyose on Noriega I think are two of the only places where you can wander in a little drunk and get what you need. Or sober. But probably mostly [00:28:00] drunk.

Arnold: And back in my youth, I may have been able to stay up that late, but not so much anymore. But it does lead us to Say What Now?

Nicole: So, we include this tidbit in the Say What Now section, because it has nothing to do with history per se, but it is less a nugget of unrelated information, information and more of a question. So, when you go to Beep’s and you order a burger, it comes with mayo on it. If you order a Beep’s burger, it comes with two patties and Beep’s sauce. So, what is the Beep sauce?

Arnold: And we really don't know the answer to that. It is described as mayo mixed with a red sauce. Some think it's just Thousand Island dressing. One reviewer described the Beep sauce as quote, “not much, but it lent a [00:29:00] kind of warmth and intimacy to the flavor. Beep’s chose a saucy restraint.” End quote. So, dear listeners, does anybody actually know what beep sauce is made out of? I told you this is more of a question and is not so much informational.

Nicole: Why, okay. I ate a lot of cheeseburgers. Cheeseburgers were near and dear to my mom's heart. And just in general, what I was raised on. Why is all the special sauce, no matter where you go on any cheeseburger, it's always some sort of red situation mixed with mayonnaise. Am I wrong? It's always that.

Arnold: Yeah. No, I think that's, no, no, I take that back. The McDonald's special sauce is like, Thousand Island dressing mixed with maybe mayo or something else. So it's not so much red.

Nicole: But, it's also like always Thousand Island. Like why at some point did every burger joint be like, ooh, Thousand Island is so special that we [00:30:00] put it on a burger. And that in itself is just mind-blowingly special. I don't know. I have a lot of questions about when and how this happened. Anyway.

Arnold: I wonder, I wonder if it's just ketchup and mayo.

Nicole: And like relish, right?

Arnold: Maybe.

Nicole: Like if it's got stuff in it.

Arnold: Yeah.

Nicole: Oh my God. Is anyone still listening to this podcast? They're like, oh, good grief you guys. Next. I think now Arnold, it's time for listener mail.

Arnold: Indeed it is Nicole. And the easiest way to send us a listener mail is to send an email to podcast@outsidelands.org. But really, any email to our organization is gonna end up in your email box.

Nicole: Yeah.

Arnold: But you can also take advantage of social media presences on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and post a podcast comment there, cause we tend to post the podcast to those [00:31:00] sites.

Nicole: It's true. Will we have a TikTok soon? Maybe. Our, our new, our new volunteer, Drew Moss, has been circling the TikTok. Which by the way I phrase that, lets you know that I'm too old to manage that account. So hopefully Drew never leaves us. As we mentioned last week the Burning Man podcast post on Facebook generated a lot of responses. Chrysanthe had heard of Burning Man before, but noted, and I quote, “don't know much about it, but had read that there was some nudity involved, so always assumed it was done at Marshall Beach.” End quote. Of course, Marshall's Beach is just north of Baker Beach and is known for its nudity. These two beaches are the only official clothing-optional beaches in San Francisco, though some people will bare all at other beaches on occasion. In any event, [00:32:00] thank you for your comment Chrysanthe.

Arnold: So we also had Catie chime in on Facebook saying, quote, “I stumbled on it by accident back in, I think, 1981. Just out for a walk and saw what I thought was a bonfire, sort of a party happening around it. Very fun.” End quote. If it was 1981, I'm sorry, Catie, but it wasn't Burning Man. Just some prior Baker Beach bonfire, which was not all that uncommon. Perhaps you're misremembering the year though since Burning Man started just a few years later in 1986. But, in any event, thanks for letting us know Catie, and we hope you were actually at one of the real Burning Mans in the mid-to-late 1980s.

Nicole: Yes, absolutely. And you know what? I don't know if Catie or Chrysanthe were our members, but just, Arnold just, just, just imagining that they aren't, like maybe you could explain some of the benefits [00:33:00] of membership and donating.

Arnold: There are just so many of them.

Nicole: Oh.

Arnold: So, first of all, you get discounts on events. You get our quarterly membership magazine, and you can get that either hard copy or digital, depending on how much you sign up for as a member. And there's other exclusive perks. And your membership just generally supports all the good work we do and make available for, get this, free most of the time.

Nicole: Yep.

Arnold: So, there are things like this podcast. It is absolutely free. And because you listen to it, we hope you enjoy it and your membership or donation helps us continue to give it out for free. Then there's our OpenSFHistory photo archive. Currently over 54,000 old historic photos of San Francisco. You help us continue to keep scanning and [00:34:00] continue to upload photos to that, which is happening these days.

Nicole: Well, the uploading. Scanning still working on. But the uploading is definitely happening thanks to Arnold Woods.

Arnold: Then there's our Cliff House collection. And we have an update on that coming up now in announcements.

Nicole: Yeah, because everyone keeps asking me every time I set foot out of my house, totem pole update y'all. So, we're holding steady right now as the National Park Service reviews its relevance and complicated cultural history in sort of rethinking its permanent residence on GGNRA, GGNRA land where it has always lived for its entire life. So, stay tuned for details. And maybe, you know what Arnold, maybe we should do an entire podcast on this totem pole so that the history is out there even though it, it is already out there on, in multiple formats on our website. [00:35:00] But nonetheless, we can, we can bring the totem pole energy to bear on the podcast. And, if you have a hard time reaching me in July, that's because WNP is hosting a Johns Hopkins University Museum Studies graduate student seminar. And I will be teaching emerging museum professionals the WNP approach to history. That's why, that's right friends, we are sending, we are sending this approach and it's nonsense and it's fun and it's incredibleness to students that will scatter across America and then bring the WNP vibe to whatever unfortunate nonprofit they end up at.

Arnold: And maybe they'll start history podcasts around the country.

Nicole: Yes. And y'all should know that we're doing this because Johns Hopkins is paying us for the pleasure. And WNP is hard hustling for that history money right now, which is why we need [00:36:00] you to give us your money and become members.

Arnold: Which you do by clicking on the big orange donate or membership buttons at the top of every page on our website.

Nicole: Yes.

Arnold: And if you missed our recent Restoring the Windmills event at the 4 Star Theater, unlucky you if you did, didn't, you can still stop by our home for history at 1617 Balboa Street to the Golden Gate Park Windmills exhibit that are in our front windows. But if that's too much for you or you don't live close enough to do that, we also have an online version of the exhibit at outsidelands.org.

Nicole: Yes. Sorry Arnold. Maybe you wanna tell them about our July 6th event, since I should tell 'em about the event after that.

Arnold: So, on July 6th, we're having yet another Zoom event.

Nicole: Zooming.

Arnold: It's happening at 6:00 p.m. that day [00:37:00] and the event is called, San Francisco: Then and Now. And on this webinar, our good friend and former National Park Service Ranger, John Martini, demonstrates how he uses rephotography of historical images to research iconic Bay Area locations like Alcatraz, Fort Point, and Sutro Baths. You will see dozens of comparisons showing San Francisco in the 19th century alongside views from today. This program is free, but oh, please make us happy and make a donation at the time you sign up to get the Zoom link. We suggest $10, but really any amount would be helpful to us. And all proceeds will be split evenly between the WNP and John Martini.

Nicole: Absolutely, and here's a big announcement. Speaking of the fact that WNP will hustle for history, I've been tapped to moderate a couple virtual programs for the California Historical [00:38:00] Society, which is a distinct honor. This starts on Tuesday, July 11th, 2023. Author Jean Pfaelzer will talk about her new book, California: A Slave State, which connects the Golden State's historic toleration of enslaved labor as a free state in the Union, to today's persistent global trade in human beings. And I know that doesn't sound like a West side specific topic, and it's not, but there are West side subjects covered in this book. It was a truly eye opening to me. I'm still reading it, but it provides a wealth of context to our podcast, episode number 449, the case of Ephraim Merida. Specifically about how African-Americans couldn't testify on their own behalf here when, when their either freedom or their land claims were contested. So anyways, I hope you can all join us for this free Zoom program. This is not a WNP event. This is an event put on by the California Historical Society, and they're [00:39:00] wonderful. So go to their website, CaliforniaHistoricalSociety.org to register in advance.

Arnold: And if you missed our great Clement Street Pub crawl back, a couple months ago, we're redoing it. We're having a second run. It's happening on July 15th. We added a second date because of the popular demand of it, and it was such a fun time the first time around. I'm sure it's gonna be just as fun, if not funner the second time around. So that event is $20 for WNP members, and if you're not a WNP member, it's $30. Which is really only $20 less than WNP membership. So why not become a WNP member?

Nicole: Hey-O!

Arnold: And your ticket will gather you a brand new collectible beer coozie on this pub crawl.

Nicole: Designed by our dear Jamie O'Keefe. It has the Cliff [00:40:00] House on it. So, if you're into the Cliff House, if you're into drinking, and you're into history, and you don't like to leave the Richmond District, man oh man is this the event for you. Anywhosit. As always, you can find all these events on our website outsidelands.org, and we're adding events all the time, so you should join over 350 followers and get up on the WNP Eventbrite train. That came out weird. But, that way you'll get emailed the second an event hits the internet and you can also join our monthly email list by going to our website. So, you'll be the first in the know about all kinds of WNP stuff. And Arnold, I think we made it, I think it's the end of the podcast now.

Arnold: Just barely. We made it. Got through a bunch of hard names in this podcast.

Nicole: Lots of hard names. I mean, you know, WNP and the West side has a vibrant, like immigrant history. Not WNP, I'm as, I'm as white [00:41:00] bread as it gets. But, but yeah, that's what you get when you have a diverse population on the West side.

Arnold: And Nicole, now that we're at the end of this podcast, do we have a preview for next week?

Nicole: Arnold’s like please stop talking. Yeah, I, first of all, I'm so glad we could record this podcast specifically to pander to Woody LaBounty Ingleside preferences. He's definitely not still listening to this, this episode. But it also feels like it's time for another interview. So, we'll see what I pull outta my hat for next week. Until that time, I'm Nicole. Meldahl.

Arnold: And I'm Arnold Woods.

Nicole: And this has been another episode of Outside Lands San Francisco. Thanks for being with us history friends.

Ian: Outside Lands San Francisco is recorded by Ian Hadley. Content creation and media production at ihadley.com.

Nicole: To learn more about the Western Neighborhoods Project and more on San Francisco history, go to Outsidelands.org. You can also find us on social media at Facebook, which is outsidelands with an S, at Twitter, which is outsidelandz with a Z, and on Instagram, which is outsidelandz, also with a Z. And check out our historic San Francisco images website at OpenSFHistory.org.