Good resource for a pulp era breakdown of San Francisco's neighborhoods...

[CorPse]

Hey Gang,

I'm putting together some info for a Bay Area pulp game, and I'm having a tough time getting a breakdown of what the various neighborhoods were like in SF in the 1930s.

Anybody know of a good resources for this type of information? The one or two things I've been able to find are for the current neighborhoods and don't really speak to what neighborhoods were most prominent in the Pulp era or what the demographics, etc., were then.

Any help appreciated...

--cP

[st barbara]

It is a different game system I know, but I believe that Chaosium put out a supplement for their "Call Of Cthulu" game covering 'Frisco in the 1920's. If you can get hold of a copy it might be of some use.

[CorPse]

Ah, yes, CoC stuff is usually high-quality.

Do you remember a title?

Thanks for the help...

--Charles

[CorPse]

Aha!

Secrets of San Francisco

http://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/50214/sec...-san-francisco

[tunglashr]

Charles, I have two copies of that if you want one.

[Kharis2000]

Take a look here:

http://www.digitalbookindex.com/_sea...edwriproja.asp

There's a Work Progress Administration guide to San Francisco circa 1940 available as a freely downloadable PDF here. (As well as a lot of other cities and states)

[Kap]

Charles, I have two copies of that if you want one.

I'll take it if he doesn't want it...

[CorPse]

Charles, I have two copies of that if you want one.

Crappity crap. Already got one from Amazon, but it didn't set me back too much. Thanks for the offer J, and I hope this not finds you well!

[CorPse]

Take a look here:

http://www.digitalbookindex.com/_sea...edwriproja.asp

There's a Work Progress Administration guide to San Francisco circa 1940 available as a freely downloadable PDF here. (As well as a lot of other cities and states)

I just discovered these over the weekend, and picked up a reprint of the one that covers SF. It's difficult to describe the detail in the one I've got, and I'm guessing the whole series has an astonishing level of detail. Not that everyone is going to need this sort of stuff, but just in casual reading I've come across the per mile price of a cab ride, some excellently evocative restaurant names (like a Chinese place called Forbidden City), and an "aquatic park" that used to be in the North Beach area.

Yes, I'll be enjoying my grandparents tax dollars at work for many weeks to come...

In any case, thanks for the links. These are just fantastic.

[Tasha]

I just discovered these over the weekend, and picked up a reprint of the one that covers SF. It's difficult to describe the detail in the one I've got, and I'm guessing the whole series has an astonishing level of detail. Not that everyone is going to need this sort of stuff, but just in casual reading I've come across the per mile price of a cab ride, some excellently evocative restaurant names (like a Chinese place called Forbidden City), and an "aquatic park" that used to be in the North Beach area.

Yes, I'll be enjoying my grandparents tax dollars at work for many weeks to come...

In any case, thanks for the links. These are just fantastic.

Don't forget Playland at the Sea (Amusement Park at Ocean Beach) and Sutro Baths (Swimming Pools, and Ice Rinks). It's pretty easy to find out stuff about both. Somewhere there's a map that has historical pictures of SF. I don't remember the URL, but it's very interesting.

Also the World's fair was in SF in 1939 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden...nal_Exposition which was held on Treasure Island, Treasure island became a Naval base during WWII until the 80's or so when it was closed like most military bases on the West Coast.

Another good link http://www.outsidelands.org/cgi-bin/...read.cgi?448,0 about the 1925 California Diamond Jubilee. Also about the Western Neighborhoods.

[CorPse]

Don't forget Playland at the Sea (Amusement Park at Ocean Beach) and Sutro Baths (Swimming Pools, and Ice Rinks). It's pretty easy to find out stuff about both. Somewhere there's a map that has historical pictures of SF. I don't remember the URL, but it's very interesting.

Also the World's fair was in SF in 1939 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden...nal_Exposition which was held on Treasure Island, Treasure island became a Naval base during WWII until the 80's or so when it was closed like most military bases on the West Coast.

Another good link http://www.outsidelands.org/cgi-bin/...read.cgi?448,0 about the 1925 California Diamond Jubilee. Also about the Western Neighborhoods.

Cool. I'll have to check this stuff out as well.

At this point it looks like we'll be starting the game at the beginning of 1933 with the progress on Golden Gate Bridge as a visual metronome to mark the passage of time. My hope is to be playing by the first weekend in March.

If all goes well I plan to have a pickup game in my back pocket, based on this campaign, for when I come down to KublaCon. (I've discovered that the very peculiar registration system for RPG games at the Con makes it very difficult to actually get into games with my friends!) An off the books game we can run for ourselves and others gives us a nice fall-back position.

[lemming]

I need to look at some of the stuff I just unpacked while doing some cleaning. I've got a banner from the '39 world's fair (some security guard gave it to my mom) and I think there are a few other items from there. She also worked at Playland, I think while she went to college, but I don't think she kept anything from then.

[lemming]

Looks like I have a ticket book for the fair, some hiking maps of Mt. Tam (where they lived) and a few other odds and ends.
No idea when this bar menu from the Pilot House at Bernsteins dates from. Pint of Guiness Stout for 65 cents.

And the War memorial Opera House recently opened in '32. Though I think the Hansel & Gretel presentation was 12/26 & 12/27 of 1931 based on this beatup program.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Fra...ng_Arts_Center

[CorPse]

Great stuff Lem... please post if you find anything else of interest.

BTW - discovered a surprising fact last night. San Jose is considered the 10th largest city in the US by population, which means it's technically the biggest city in the Bay Area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_US_cities

[lemming]

I've got some scanning to do. I should see if I can find my box of postcards, I'm sure some are of the Bay Area of that time.
My grandfather worked on the bridge, but I think just in the off season since he usually sailed up to Alaska in the 30s to the Salmon canneries there.
Somewhere is his diary of one of the voyages, but the only thing I remember about it is a few days out.
"One of the china men died so he was tossed overboard."

1933 is also the last year he was in the Communist Party.