Industrial San Francisco in the 1970s: Difference between revisions
(added SFMTA photo) |
No edit summary |
||
| (7 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
| Line 16: | Line 16: | ||
San Francisco in 1970 still had a strong traditional blue-collar working class based in construction, transport, warehousing, food production, and manufacturing. It is hard to imagine today, but the Bay Area as a whole was still very much an industrial center, bustling with automobile and truck manufacturing, oil refining, canning, brewing, baking, ship repair, steel and smelting, and more. Large heavy industrial plants included American Can, Peterbilt Truck, Mack Truck, Caterpillar Tractor, International Harvester, Brockway Glass, Owens-Illinois, General Motors, Ford Motors, AAA Shipyards, and assorted iron and steel works. | San Francisco in 1970 still had a strong traditional blue-collar working class based in construction, transport, warehousing, food production, and manufacturing. It is hard to imagine today, but the Bay Area as a whole was still very much an industrial center, bustling with automobile and truck manufacturing, oil refining, canning, brewing, baking, ship repair, steel and smelting, and more. Large heavy industrial plants included American Can, Peterbilt Truck, Mack Truck, Caterpillar Tractor, International Harvester, Brockway Glass, Owens-Illinois, General Motors, Ford Motors, AAA Shipyards, and assorted iron and steel works. | ||
[[Image:American Can Company January 11 1929 AAC-6318.jpg]] | |||
'''[[Live/Work Spaces for Artists: A Historical Perspective|American Can Company factory]] at Florida from 17th, Jan. 11, 1929.''' | |||
''Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library'' | |||
[[Image:Hamms Brewery AAC-6474.jpg]] | [[Image:Hamms Brewery AAC-6474.jpg]] | ||
| Line 22: | Line 28: | ||
''Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library'' | ''Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library'' | ||
[[Image:Hamm's-Brewery-under-renovation-at-Bryant-Street-at-15th-Street---1985.jpg|800px]] | |||
'''Hamm's Brewery under renovation, Bryant Street at 15th Street, 1985.''' | |||
''Photo: courtesy Max Kirkeberg Collection from diva.sfsu.edu'' | |||
[[Image:Rail ars at Bryant and Alameda 1964 AAB-2990.jpg]] | [[Image:Rail ars at Bryant and Alameda 1964 AAB-2990.jpg]] | ||
| Line 39: | Line 51: | ||
'''Bryant and Alameda with #27 streetcar turning, 1930s.''' | '''Bryant and Alameda with #27 streetcar turning, 1930s.''' | ||
''Photo: | ''Photo: C. R. collection'' | ||
[[Image:Bryant-Street-Storeroom---October-1928--PC077-78-Bryant-St-PH-Pan.jpg|720px]] | [[Image:Bryant-Street-Storeroom---October-1928--PC077-78-Bryant-St-PH-Pan.jpg|720px]] | ||
| Line 47: | Line 59: | ||
''Photo: San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Authority archives'' | ''Photo: San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Authority archives'' | ||
Many sights, sounds, and smells of San Francisco from that decade no longer linger. In the 1970s freight trains still rolled stealthily through the streets of the Mission under cover of darkness, moving finished goods out and raw materials in. One could smell the cloying sweet smell of white bread, as union workers moved tens of thousands of loaves of Kilpatricks Bread from dough to ovens to market on 16th and South Van Ness. On foggy mornings, a thick corrosive mist of vinegar would descend over the vicinity of Best Foods on Florida Street, as union workers bottled mayonnaise and other condiments. Malt and hops steam from the beer breweries made one’s nose flare, as would the acrid, burnt smell of coffee roasting in the MJB and Hills Bros coffee factories in the South of Market. | [[Image:Hostess-Bakery-on-Bryant-Street,-north-of-15th-Street---2000-.jpg|800px]] | ||
'''Hostess Bakery on Bryant Street at Alameda Street, 2000, when it was still 'Home of the Twinkie."'''' | |||
''Photo: courtesy Max Kirkeberg Collection from diva.sfsu.edu'' | |||
Many sights, sounds, and smells of San Francisco from that decade no longer linger. In the 1970s freight trains still rolled stealthily through the streets of the Mission under cover of darkness, moving finished goods out and raw materials in. One could smell the cloying sweet smell of white bread, as union workers moved tens of thousands of loaves of Kilpatricks Bread from dough to ovens to market on 16th and South Van Ness. | |||
[[Image:East-on-16th-Street-from-Shotwell-Street---1983.jpg|800px]] | |||
'''East on 16th Street from Shotwell, 1983, with Kilpatrick Bread Bakery at left and [[16th and Folsom|US Steel Warehouse]] further east.''' | |||
''Photo: courtesy Max Kirkeberg Collection from diva.sfsu.edu'' | |||
On foggy mornings, a thick corrosive mist of vinegar would descend over the vicinity of Best Foods on Florida Street, as union workers bottled mayonnaise and other condiments. | |||
[[Image:Best-Foods-north-on-Florida-from-18th 1978 Max-Kirkeberg-collection.jpg]] | |||
'''Best Foods factory on Florida at 18th, looking north in 1978.''' | |||
''Photo: courtesy Max Kirkeberg Collection from diva.sfsu.edu'' | |||
[[Image:South-at-the-east-side-of-Florida-Street-from-Mariposa-Street---1995.jpg|800px]] | |||
'''Former Best Foods factory on Florida Street, as seen from Mariposa Street in 1995.''' | |||
''Photo: courtesy Max Kirkeberg Collection from diva.sfsu.edu'' | |||
[[Image:1950-Sanborn-Map Best-Foods-Mariposa-and-Florida Vol-6-Sheet-553 00813 06 1950-9-0553.jpg|800px]] | |||
'''Sanborn Fire Insurance map, 1950 edition, showing Best Foods complex on Mariposa and Florida with mysterious underground tunnel.''' | |||
''Map: San Francisco Public Library digital collections'' | |||
Malt and hops steam from the beer breweries made one’s nose flare, as would the acrid, burnt smell of coffee roasting in the MJB and Hills Bros coffee factories in the South of Market. | |||
[[Image:Hills Brothers nd AAC-7041.jpg]] | [[Image:Hills Brothers nd AAC-7041.jpg]] | ||
| Line 59: | Line 105: | ||
''by Jesse Drew, from his essay "San Francisco Labor in the 1970s,'' in the anthology "Ten Years That Shook the City: San Francisco 1968-78" (City Lights Foundation: 2011), edited by Chris Carlsson.'' | ''by Jesse Drew, from his essay "San Francisco Labor in the 1970s,'' in the anthology "Ten Years That Shook the City: San Francisco 1968-78" (City Lights Foundation: 2011), edited by Chris Carlsson.'' | ||
[[Image:Ten Years small 87286100958430M.gif]] Find the book at [ | [[Image:Ten Years small 87286100958430M.gif]] Find the book at [https://citylights.com/foundation-books/10-years-that-shook-the-city-sf-68-78/ City Lights]! | ||
[[category:Ten Years That Shook the City]] [[category:1970s]] [[category:labor]] [[category:Mission]] [[category:SOMA]] | [[category:Ten Years That Shook the City]] [[category:1970s]] [[category:labor]] [[category:Mission]] [[category:SOMA]] [[category:1920s]] [[category:1930s]] [[category:1960s]] [[category:1980s]] [[category:1990s]] [[category:Corporations]] | ||
Latest revision as of 21:51, 23 November 2021
"I was there..."
Listen to an excerpt from "San Francisco Labor in the 1970s" read by author Jesse Drew:
<iframe src="https://archive.org/embed/3TenYears--laborInThe1970s" width="500" height="30" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" allowfullscreen></iframe>
by mp3.
Previous stop: Friday of the Purple Hand
Next Stop #4: Occupied Ohlone territory
San Francisco in 1970 still had a strong traditional blue-collar working class based in construction, transport, warehousing, food production, and manufacturing. It is hard to imagine today, but the Bay Area as a whole was still very much an industrial center, bustling with automobile and truck manufacturing, oil refining, canning, brewing, baking, ship repair, steel and smelting, and more. Large heavy industrial plants included American Can, Peterbilt Truck, Mack Truck, Caterpillar Tractor, International Harvester, Brockway Glass, Owens-Illinois, General Motors, Ford Motors, AAA Shipyards, and assorted iron and steel works.
American Can Company factory at Florida from 17th, Jan. 11, 1929.
Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
Hamm's Brewery, 1964, at 1550 Bryant Street.
Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
Hamm's Brewery under renovation, Bryant Street at 15th Street, 1985.
Photo: courtesy Max Kirkeberg Collection from diva.sfsu.edu
Rail cars at Bryant, Alameda, and Treat Streets, 1964, adjacent to Hamm's Brewery.
Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
Bryant and Alameda, former Twinkies factory (now Uhaul) at right), 2014.
Photo: Chris Carlsson
Bryant and Alameda with #27 streetcar turning, 1930s.
Photo: C. R. collection
Bryant Street MUNI Storeroom which stretches to Alameda (where the small tower indicates the Continental Bakery, home of the Twinkie in later years) and is visible in the two photos above, still in use in 2014, seen here in October 1928.
Photo: San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Authority archives
Hostess Bakery on Bryant Street at Alameda Street, 2000, when it was still 'Home of the Twinkie."'
Photo: courtesy Max Kirkeberg Collection from diva.sfsu.edu
Many sights, sounds, and smells of San Francisco from that decade no longer linger. In the 1970s freight trains still rolled stealthily through the streets of the Mission under cover of darkness, moving finished goods out and raw materials in. One could smell the cloying sweet smell of white bread, as union workers moved tens of thousands of loaves of Kilpatricks Bread from dough to ovens to market on 16th and South Van Ness.
East on 16th Street from Shotwell, 1983, with Kilpatrick Bread Bakery at left and US Steel Warehouse further east.
Photo: courtesy Max Kirkeberg Collection from diva.sfsu.edu
On foggy mornings, a thick corrosive mist of vinegar would descend over the vicinity of Best Foods on Florida Street, as union workers bottled mayonnaise and other condiments.
Best Foods factory on Florida at 18th, looking north in 1978.
Photo: courtesy Max Kirkeberg Collection from diva.sfsu.edu
Former Best Foods factory on Florida Street, as seen from Mariposa Street in 1995.
Photo: courtesy Max Kirkeberg Collection from diva.sfsu.edu
Sanborn Fire Insurance map, 1950 edition, showing Best Foods complex on Mariposa and Florida with mysterious underground tunnel.
Map: San Francisco Public Library digital collections
Malt and hops steam from the beer breweries made one’s nose flare, as would the acrid, burnt smell of coffee roasting in the MJB and Hills Bros coffee factories in the South of Market.
Hills Brothers coffee factory just north of the Bay Bridge, n.d.
Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
In the early morning, shiny tanker trucks would block sidewalks with their hoses pumping syrup and chocolate into the side of the brick Hostess plant on Bryant, producing Twinkies and HoHos for the West Coast. Hundreds of workers clocked into the Schlage lock factory in Visitation Valley. Levi’s Jeans still had sewing operations in San Francisco. The bright lights of welding torches from the AAA Shipyards would flicker across from Mission Bay piers, where fisherman and happy-hour blue-collar workers would pry open Rainier Ale and Mickey’s wide mouths. Itinerant workers and bohemians could still try their luck in the ILWU hiring hall, vying to unload ships that tied up on the San Francisco docks.
by Jesse Drew, from his essay "San Francisco Labor in the 1970s, in the anthology "Ten Years That Shook the City: San Francisco 1968-78" (City Lights Foundation: 2011), edited by Chris Carlsson.
Find the book at City Lights!