USA > California > San Francisco County > San Francisco > San Francisco, a history of the Pacific coast metropolis, Volume I > Part 36
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Horse Racing
Bull fighting and bear baiting shared popularity with horse racing in the Fif- ties. Running races were in vogue but there were no planned meetings as in later
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days when the amusement was converted into a pursuit whose principal object was to separate foolish men and women from their money. The races in the period we are describing were usually attended with betting, but the bookmaker was almost unknown. Those who frequented the track, which was situated in the Mission district, were mostly men in search of diversion, with a sprinkling of followers of the turf, and a few who believed that the sport tended to improve the breed of horses, a matter of much more consequence in those days when automobiles were undreamed of, and when "2:40 on the turnpike road" was still a phrase with a meaning for those who heard it, and thought it represented the highest possible achievement of a trotting nag. There were many native Californians whose ac- complishments rivaled those of the circus rider, and they were easily tempted to exhibit their dexterity in the management of their steeds. They were not, how- ever, permitted to enjoy supremacy without a contest. There were plenty of Amer- icans ready at any time to attempt any feat which appeared extra hazardous and as a result there was plenty of dare-devil riding added to the major attractions of the somewhat informal meets which drew the crowds Missionwards on Sundays and other days of the week.
Pugilism during the Fifty decade was in much favor. The noted characters of the ring, John C. Heenan, nicknamed the Benicia Boy, Yankee Sullivan, Tommy Chandler and other pugilistic celebrities, gave exhibitions of boxing which were conducted under London prize ring rules, no attempt being made to conceal the object of the contests by prescribing gloves. The fights were always with bare knuckles, and when the "pugs" succeeded in drawing blood the onlookers were as much delighted as a modern crowd is when a like result is produced in a regulated ring, which suggests that there may be something amiss in the assumption that the growth of wealth and luxury tends to brutalize people. Some of these notable exponents of the "manly art" conducted themselves in a fashion that brought them under the observation of the Vigilance Committee. Their associates were usually of the vilest character and their presence was regarded as a menace to the com- munity, hence some of them were politely invited to deport themselves, and one of them, "Yankee Sullivan," narrowly escaped having his neck stretched.
Meetings on "the field of honor" were quite common during the Fifties. They differed essentially from the affairs which have made the duel ridiculous, for the combatants usually shot to kill. They were not lacking in the formalities with which the French are pleased to invest their encounters. There were seconds and rigid requirements of various sorts, but the outcome was never ludicrous. Navy revolvers and rifles were the favorite weapons, and as those who used them, as a rule, knew how to shoot, the consequences were almost invariably serious. There was no privacy surrounding these meetings. Announcements were sometimes made in the newspapers a day or two in advance of a duel and a crowd would turn out to witness the spectacle. Benicia was a favorite resort for duelists, and when a particularly interesting affair took place the steamboats would carry loads of pas- sengers to the scene of the conflict. Political quarrels were chiefly responsible for these meetings, the politicians of the period laboring under the delusion that a stain upon their honor could be wiped out by killing somebody. In some cases there was ground for the suspicion that quarrels were deliberately provoked by bullies for the purpose of getting rid of persons obnoxious to them, or to the group with which they trained. Newspaper men scem to have been frequent victims of
Pugilistic Contests
"The Field of Honor."
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the curious idea that a statement could be clinched by shooting the person resenting it; and the aggrieved individual, oftener than otherwise a politician, labored under the hallucination that his reputation would be repaired by killing his alleged calumniator.
Numerous Celebrations
There were other diversions far less exciting and demoralizing than bull fights, bear baiting, horse racing and the duello. The foreigners, who formed a large proportion of the early population of San Francisco, by the introduction of their habits contributed considerably to the modification of the desire for the more violent forms of amusements, and helped to introduce the taste for music and the kindred arts. The Turner Gesang Verein, an organization of the Germans, who were estimated to number at least 6,000 in 1854, gave frequent entertainments, and its annual cele- bration on May Day, at a local resort known as Russ' Gardens, generally drew out the entire population. May Day was also marked by the festivities of the school children. On the 1st of May one thousand pupils of the schools, of both sexes, marched through the streets to the schoolhouse in Broadway, receiving the plaudits of the admiring crowds who watched the progress of the tastefully dressed children in the train of their queen for a day.
Foreign Residents
The Germans, unlike the Latin peoples who made their homes in San Fran- cisco in the early days, were not disposed to clannishness and did not seek to keep in touch with each other by establishing themselves in a particular residential dis- trict. At no time was there anything like a German quarter, although there were as many of that nationality in the City as of any other kind of foreigners. On the other hand the French and Spanish exhibited a decided inclination for social intercourse with their own kind and failed to mingle as freely with the population generally as the Germans. There were about 5,000 French in the City in 1854, and already at that time they had a theater of their own, in which plays and operas were acted and sung in their own language. They showed little inclination to become citizens, few of them becoming naturalized, but they admittedly made a distinct impression on the manners of the people, and had a decided influence in the moulding of the taste of the women, who eagerly copied the styles of dress which they introduced from France. The annalist, in his enumeration of the occupations of the French residents, leaves it to be inferred that they were chiefly engaged as hairdressers, cooks, wine importers and shoe blacks and fails to dwell on their activities in commerce, but the colony was fairly well represented in all the walks of trade and a little later, although there was a large relative diminution of the importance of the French element in the City, that nationality boasted several prominent merchants noted for their enterprise.
The Spanish speaking population of San Francisco was not as great as the fact that the state had been occupied by people who had owed allegiance to Spain and Mexico would suggest. About the middle of the Fifties there were probably 3,000 who could be described as of Spanish extraction and they were made up of Mexi- cans, Chileans, Peruvians and a slight sprinkling of natives of Spain. The colony in those days was located chiefly on Dupont, Kearny and Pacific streets. It was not regarded with admiration by the chroniclers of the period, who doubtless im- parted some of their prejudice to their statement that on the whole the Spanish speaking people were illiterate, and that the most of them were only fitted for "menial and servile" pursuits. One writer unhesitatingly classes them with the Chinese and Africans. Unlike the French they had no paper of their own, but were
Latin American Population
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content with a page in a tri-weekly issued by a Frenchman. Many unsavory crimes were committed in the quarter and then, as now, dance houses were a conspicuous feature of the locality.
In other countries in which the Spanish planted themselves their language gained and maintained a firm hold, but its tenure was short in California after the American occupation. There was a disposition on the part of the earliest legis- lators to recognize Spanish, and some documents were printed for the benefit of people who did not understand English, notably the inaugural message of Governor McDougal, of which 1,000 copies in Spanish were authorized by the assembly. The senate, however, had refused to sanction the publication of 3,000 copies of the statutes in that language, and the attempt to perpetuate the practice begun in the lower house was soon abandoned.
The Chinese quarter became a conspicuous feature of San Francisco as early as 1850, and after that date the number inhabiting it increased rapidly. The earli- est immigrants from China, as a rule, made their way to the mines as speedily as possible, but very soon the commercial instinct asserted itself and Oriental mer- chants established themselves in the City who acted as intermediaries for their countrymen, and a growing number found their way into households as servants. The latter very generally had their lodgings in the district which, almost from the beginning, was known as Chinatown. In 1852 it was estimated that 20,000 Chinese arrived in the port of San Francisco and the population of that race in the state numbered at least 27,000. The propensity of the race to crowd together exhibited itself from the first. The theory that congestion in cities is due to the rapacity of land owners receives no support from a study of the life of the Chinese in San Francisco. They lived together because they liked to, and not because circumstances compelled them to herd. Even when they might have spread themselves over the entire landscape they preferred to huddle, and Chinatown in 1854, and during the rest of the decade, presented all of the characteristics which has given it its unde- sirable notoriety. In a description of the quarter at this time we are told by the writer that basements were used by barbers, and that "in apartments not more than fifteen feet square three or four different professions" were often represented, "and these afforded employment to ten or a dozen men." Then, as during many years after, "no corner was too cramped for the squatting street cobbler," and the venders of sweetmeats and conserves infested the sidewalks or "crouched under overhang- ing windows" or in dark doorways.
The Chinese of "the Fifties" were not regarded as particularly picturesque. The squalor of the quarter seemed to be more resented then than later. Although there was no sign of active opposition to their presence in San Francisco there were frequent expressions of disapprobation of the constantly increasing flood of the yellow immigrants, and predictions were made in which possibilities of disaster largely figured. In the interior there were numerous collisions between the Chinese miners and those of other races, but in the City the bustle and activity attending the constant expansion of business and population, and the troubles growing out of bad municipal government occupied the people too fully to permit them to give much attention to what subsequently was conceded to be a great menace.
For a while the "China Boys," with their dragons and gandy banners were welcome additions to the parades which celebrated every event of importance, and sometimes their prominent men were asked to take part in demonstrations that were
Spanish Language Loses its Hold
Chinese Quarter
Too Busy to Bother About Chinese
The "China Boys"
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not altogether disconnected from politics. An occasion of this sort was the funeral solemnitics commemorative of Henry Clay, when all business was suspended, and the whole town was draped in mourning. The resolutions of condolence were par- ticipated in by the Chinese merchants, who wore the outward signs of grief even though they may not have deeply felt the loss of the statesman. In pioneer days great men were not allowed to pass away without recognition. The funeral of Clay testified to the affection of San Franciscans for the Kentuckian. Bells were tolled and many citizens wore mourning, not only while in the procession, which was headed by bands playing funeral dirges, but for days afterward. Not every great statesman was thus honored. When Daniel Webster's death occurred a few months after that of Clay, a proposal to pay his memory equal honor was rejected. The necessity of practicing economy was given as an excuse, but the fact that the former was from Massachusetts probably influenced the decision against public mourning.
Route of Early Parades
The route of the parades on national holidays as late as 1856 was not so long as that laid out for more recent demonstrations. The weary wanderers who cover several miles in a modern procession, marching from some place of formation near the foot of Market street, to a point far north on Van Ness, will be interested in the statement that the participants in the great celebration which was held to sig- nalize the successful consummation of the work of the Vigilance Committee formed at Third and Market streets, marching from thence to Montgomery, turning up Clay to Stockton, along Stockton to Vallejo, then to Powell, traversing that strcet to Washington as far as Kearny, along which they proceeded to California, thence to Sansome, to Clay, to Front and Sacramento to headquarters, the Fort Gunny- bags alluded to in the account of the Vigilante trouble. Within these boundaries were situated all the shops of importance, and they also embraced the hotel district of the period. Plainly the object of the projectors was to give an opportunity to all to witness the spectacle and considerations of a straightaway march were not entertained.
Russ' Gardens and the Willows
Mention has been made of the attractions of Russ' Gardens, which was a favor- ite place of resort during the Fifties and was quite out of town and boasted some trees which were not always refreshingly green. The visitors, in addition to discussing the refreshments provided, were entertained with performances of various kinds. The celebrated Blondin gave an exhibition which the critics agreed was very won- derful, of his ability to climb a tight rope, ascending from the ground to the peak of a pavilion trundling a wheelbarrow before him. The Willows was another sylvan retreat. Its proprietors maintained a small menagerie, but the drawing card of the resort was the singing and dancing. It was chiefly patronized by the French colony and its "air" was in direct contrast to that of the Russ place, which was as decidedly Germanic as the Willows was French.
Popularity of the Circus
The writer of the "Annals" in deprecating the indisposition of the municipal authorities to anticipate the future by providing breathing places for the people, and scolding them for failing to make the Plaza attractive mournfully remarked that there was not even a circus oval. The oval may have been lacking but not the circuses, for during 1849 and 1850 there were two rival organizations entertaining the public. One of the tents was pitched at Kearny above Clay and the other on Montgomery below California. The taste for this form of amusement was so pro- nounced that a third company entered the lists, being operated on the west side of
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Portsmouth square. The prices of admission ranged from $3 in the pit to $5 for a private stall. The performances only dimly foreshadowed the "marvels" of the modern circus "under three tents," but the patronage accorded indicates as great a degree of appreciation of this mode of entertainment as that displayed in 1912 when the circus comes to town.
The statistical presentation of the amusement business in the early Fifties fur- nishes conclusive evidence that San Francisco was entitled to the reputation she achieved of being "a good show town." In 1858 there were five American theaters, a music hall for concerts, a French theater and a theater in which German and Spanish performances were made a specialty. Occasionally one of these houses was closed, but as a rule three or four were running. These theaters were not ramshackle affairs by any means, and the professionals who appeared on their boards ranked with the best then playing in the country, the actors being lured by high rewards offered by the flush miners. The first professional performance given in the City was in Washington hall, which was situated in the second story of a building on Washington street. This was in January, 1850, and it is recorded that, although the attendance was good, the actors were poor and not worth the price of admission. "The Wife" and "Charles II" were played on this occasion. This essay was soon followed by another in a house on Kearny, between Clay and Sacramento, in which an English company exhibited its ability. Then a French vaudeville troupe came on the scene, its talents being exhibited in a building on Washington street near Montgomery. The Jenny Lind theater was first opened over Maguire's Parker House saloon. After its destruction in the fire of 1851, Maguire built the new Jenny Lind theater, which was afterward converted into a city hall.
The advent of so many theaters soon undermined the popularity of the circus. The fickle populace transferred its affections to the more serious drama and gave it a strong support. It is noted that "The Hunchback" was played twenty-one nights during February, 1852, to crowded houses. The company that gave this performance made a tour of the mining regions and the management realized a profit of $30,000 in a nine months' engagement. The "Julia" was a Mrs. Baker, a great favorite. She was supported by her husband, Lewis Baker, who shared her popularity. Some interesting facts are related in connection with this engage- ment, which apparently revived a waning interest in the drama. The people were out of conceit with the bad actors who at first inflicted themselves upon the amuse- ment-loving public, but the Bakers changed this feeling to one of lively apprecia- tion, as may be inferred from the fact that shortly after their advent there were three theaters running simultaneously.
The Metropolitan theater, an excellently constructed building of brick was opened on the night of December 24, 1853, with a stock company, but the man- agement soon made a feature of introducing stars. Many of the most prominent actors of the day trod its boards. A list of them amply justifies the assertion made in the "Annals" that "stars of the first magnitude appeared." Some of the names are not familiar to the modern theater-goer, but their reputation was national dur- ing the Fifties and for years afterward. It is not surprising that great artists were tempted to visit California. Crowded houses usually greeted them, and as the rates of admission were $3 for dress circle and parquet; $2 for the second circle
Amusements in the Early Fifties
Appreciation of the Drama
Stars Visit California
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and $1 for the place allotted to the "gods," the management was usually enabled to offer terms which much larger cities on the Atlantic seaboard could not rival.
Love of Music
The love of music manifested itself in as marked a fashion as did approbation of good drama. A music hall was erected by Harry Meiggs in 1849 on Bush near Montgomery streets, in which concerts and oratorios were given. In 1854 opera was presented in Italian, English and French at the Metropolitan and Union thea- ters. Four prima donnas gratified audiences with their notes, and the seasons were represented to be profitable. Among the more noted singers were Mesdames Anna Bishop and Biscaccianti, who achieved great local reputations. Among the actors who pleased the theater-goers of the Fifties in San Francisco were some whose names were American household words. There was Lola Montez, J. B. Booth, Jr., Edwin Booth, Samuel Murdock, Matilda Heron, Oceana Fisher, Laura Keene, and a large number of less notable people whom the San Franciscans persisted in liking as well as some who came to them heralded by fame.
Critical Audiences
The audiences of the period counted themselves excellent judges of a perform- ance and some of the early visitors were disposed to concede the claim. The large pecuniary rewards received by some of the admittedly good actors tempted many of inferior talent to try their fortune on the San Francisco stage, but the pioneers boasted that only merit was recognized, and the fact that they extended a liberal support to stock companies of acknowledged ability, while turning a cold shoulder to stars lacking brilliancy, supports their claim. An attempt to introduce the claque, we are told, proved unsuccessful, the reason assigned for its failure was the general intelligence of the theater-going public and its disposition "to reward the meritorious and to condemn the upstart." The miscellaneous character of the population of early San Francisco was perhaps responsible for the fact that in the infancy of the local drama the actors at times had their feelings hurt by undeserved criticism, but on the other hand they not infrequently received substantial tokens of approbation in the shape of presents of nuggets thrown over the footlights. But this sort of demonstrativeness did not endure long. "The peanut eaters of the upper circles and the gentlemanly loafers in the parquet were speedily subdued into gentility, and the quiet decorum of the parlor soon superseded the noisy bustle of the circus."
Church Fairs and Public Balls
The milder diversion of the church fair was not unknown to the pioneers, and its lottery accompaniment, and the propensity of those who conducted such entertain- ments to "brazenly exact unreasonable prices for worthless goods" was censured, but in their way these gatherings were fully as popular as the public balls, the religious and irreligious alike patronizing them. Not infrequently the public dances under the auspices of foreign societies drew larger crowds than the balls promoted by Americans, who were not indisposed to admit that there were some things that foreigners could do better than Yankees.
No Exclusive Society
The decade of the Fifties had nearly closed before any sign was witnessed of a tendency to form social groups. The pioneers very early exhibited a desire to erect themselves into an exclusive cult, entrance into which was based solely on priority of arrival. Only those who arrived in California earlier than the close of 1850 were admitted to membership, and while the organization exhibited social desires and distinctly proclaimed its purpose of benefiting those who belonged to it, there was no affectation of superiority; that came later when the reputation of the state had become so well established that it was regarded as a distinction to
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have been identified with its beginnings. In that particular the pioneers did not differ essentially from other aristocracies, whose claims are based on the fact that their ancestors were earliest in spying out the land and getting it into their possession.
Otherwise the pioneers were very democratic, as indeed everybody who lived in San Francisco in the Fifties had to be unless disposed to flock by himself. There was no trace of exclusiveness in San Francisco for many years; that feature of life only became apparent, or at least did not make itself conspicuous until men by perseverance or good fortune had accumulated or become possessed of wealth. Be- fore 1856 all sorts of people mingled in public affairs without asking questions about their neighbors, which would have been a superfluity. People knew all about the present mode of life of those they met, and whatever ambiguity there may have been about their past they did not seek to clear up, perhaps because of an instinct- ive dislike for disillusionment.
It was not unusual for courtesans to intrude themselves into perfectly respect- able gatherings. Their presence for a time called forth no strong protest, and one may venture to suspect that the reason for refraining was the very natural one that it was felt to be unkind in an unsettled community to inquire narrowly into antecedents or to seriously scrutinize the mode of life of anyone not actually under the ban. . There is no doubt that this peculiar laxity, or liberality, was chiefly due to the disregard of the necessity of sanctioning sexual relations shown by men who attained prominence through their abilities, and that it did not meet the approval of women whose status was well determined, but they were helpless. It was also in a measure promoted by the presence of a not inconsiderable number of enter- prising individuals who were trying to redeem the errors of early life under new names, and were therefore disinclined to be censorious, or to insist upon too close a scrutiny of credentials.
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