10 - San Francisco's Seaside Playground

Transcription of accompanying audio with additional text and description at the very end.
Woman's Voice.

This is stop 10.

It’s called, “San Francisco's Seaside Playground: Going to the Cliff”.

The text begins, “they made their way across the endless sand dunes on foot, on horseback, in horse-drawn buggies and steam trains."

Beneath this text is a black-and-white photograph of eight men and women dressed in Victorian clothes seated in a large open automobile. Behind them is a mounted policeman. The caption reads, “Cliff House motor coach, circa 1906."

The Yelamu were the first, walking to Lands End to hunt and fish. Their children ran and played games in the sandy cove below, and at sunset, families gathered around bluff-top fires to sing, laugh, and tell long-remembered stories.

To the right of this text, is a drawing of a laughing woman with a child, with dunes and seagulls in the background. The caption reads, “Ohlone mother and child.”

Next to it, is a newspaper drawing of two people on horseback and a carriage racing along the beach at high tide, with another couple seated on the dunes. A small building sits above on the cliff. The caption reads, “Ocean Beach, Appletons' Journal, 1870."

The text reads, “Later, the Americans came to look at the sea lions on Seal Rocks and race their spirited horses along Ocean Beach's hard-packed sand. They were the swells, the sports, the big-money class of Gold Rush San Francisco, and by the 1860s, several taverns had opened to accommodate their needs, like Seal Rock House, Lakeside House, and, most famous of all, Cliff House.”

To the left of this text, is a black-and-white image of a crowd of people, some wearing costumes, at what appears to be a formal party with entertainment. The caption reads, “Cliff House dinner party, circa 1910.”

Beneath it, the text continues, “The gentry gave way to working-class families who came to picnic on Ocean Beach, gaze at the sea lions, and spend their hard-earned nickels and dimes. Adolph Sutro began opening his fabled attractions in the 1880s-gardens at Sutro Heights, a lavishly rebuilt Cliff House, Sutro Baths and its museum. San Franciscans referred to a day at these entertainments as ‘going to the Cliff.’”

At right is a black-and-white image of a group of men and women in old-style bathing costumes with the caption, “Happy bathers at Sutro Baths, October 1906.”

Automobiles and streetcars brought a new generation seeking seaside recreation, and a collection of arcade games and rides evolved into Playland at the Beach. But by the 1950s, most of the aging attractions had begun their slow decline. Sutro Baths, which had been transformed into an ice rink, shut down in 1966 and later burned in a spectacular fire, and Playland was demolished in 1972.

Left of this text, is a black-and-white photo of two men in suits and hats perched inside a mocked-up automobile. The caption reads, “Tintype portrait with backdrop, circa 1910.”

Right of the text, is another black-and-white image, this one showing three women in white ice skates crouched on the ice near a wall. Captioned, “Sutro ice skaters, 1952.”

Next are two color photos.

The one on the left, showing a couple doing the tango and the one on the right showing a jogger. The captions are, “Tango dancers at Merrie Way and Jogger at Lands End.”

When it became clear that some of the city's last stretches of undeveloped shoreline were at risk, a movement arose to protect them. By 1980, the entire Lands End/Ocean Beach area had been acquired by the National Park Service and became part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

ADDITIONAL TEXT AND DIRECTIONS:

DESCRIPTION: A large photograph of a labyrinth outlined with stones.

DIRECTIONS TO VISITOR CENTER: Walk straight ahead about three steps. You'll find yourself at the reception desk. If you want to learn more about Lands End-related merchandise here, just ask one of the staff at the desk.

DIRECTIONS TO NEXT STOP: 3D TACTILE MODEL: To get there, turnaround from the desk and walk ahead to exit the visitor center. Once outside, take 4 steps and turn left. Take 10 steps and you'll find yourself on the sidewalk that runs beside the Lands End Lookout. Turn left and walk 28 steps until you reach a low cement wall. From here, turn right and follow the wall walking 34 steps. Turn right. Walk 8 steps and you'll find the model at waist height.