1st Place Winner

San Francisco Cable Cars
The San Francisco Cable cars in action, with a downhill view to Alcatraz NHL in San Francisco Bay.

San Francisco, California
Photographed by Thomas Fake

The San Francisco Cable Cars are the only cable cars still operating in a city in the United States. This traction locomotion system was designed to accommodate steep grades and began operation in August 1873. A cable Car Museum is located in the original power house and car barn at Washington and Mason Streets, a part of the NHL boundary. The Cable Cars are operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, the city's public transit system.

For more information on the Cable Cars, visit the San Francisco Cable Cars website and the Cable Car Museum website. For more information on Alcatraz, visit the Golden Gate National Recreation Area website.

 

2nd Place Winner - Tie

Virginia City Historic District- 4th Ward School

The pristine interior of the Virginia City 4th Ward School classroom includes original maps, desks and books. Thousands of people enjoy this facility each year.

Virginia City, Nevada
Photographed by Ronald M. James

The discovery of the Comstock Load, a rich silver strike in 1859, launched Virginia City as the first silver boomtown. It subsequently became the prototype for mining towns in other western states. This NHL includes Virginia city, Gold Hill, Silver City and Dayton, as well as surrounding hillsides associated with historic mining activity.

For more inforamtion on Virginia City, visit the NPS Historic Nevada Cities Travel Itinerary.

 

2nd Place Winner - Tie

BALCUTHA and Alcatraz Island

The BALCUTHA at anchor within San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park and a view toward Alcatraz in the distance.

San Francisco, California
Photographed by Thomas Fake

The BALCUTHA is the last square rigged vessel afloat in San Francisco Bay and one of two remaining in the Pacific. The BALCUTHA was built in Glasgow, Scotland in 1886 and participated in grain, lumber and salmon trades between California, England, and Alaska. The BALCUTHA had a second career as an extra in several films after being renamed, Pacific Queen in 1934. The BALCUTHA was restored, both physically and in name, in the 1950s.

Alcatraz Island was the site of the first lighthouse on the Pacific Coast, constructed in 1854. The island also has a history of serving the nation during the Civil War, as the site of an American Indian occupation in the 1970s, and as a home to various species of flora and fauna. Alcatraz gained notoriety when it became a federal penitentiary for the nation's most notorious criminals. The penitentiary was closed in 1963 and is currently open to the public for tours as a unit of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Ffor more information on the BALCUTHA, visit the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park website. For more information on Alcatraz, visit the Golden Gate National Recreation Area website.

 

Honorable Mention

Virginia City Historic District- Piper's Auditorium
John Piper's Opera House, shown in its 3rd 1885 incarnation, was a nationally famous venue for traveling shows.

Virginia City, Nevada

Photographed by Ronald M. James

The discovery of the Comstock Load, a rich silver strike in 1859, launched Virginia City as the first silver boomtown. It subsequently became the prototype for mining towns in other western states. This NHL includes Virginia City, Gold Hill, Silver City and Dayton, as well as surrounding hillsides associated with historic mining activity.

For more inforamtion on Virginia City, visit the NPS Historic Nevada cities travel itinerary.