SFCityGuides.org - It was started by the SF Public Library by a librarian to give tours to visiting dignitaries of the City Hall building. 2 cool things about them, the Tours are free, and the organization is almost complete staffed by Volunteers, they have 2 paid employees, who basically co-ordinate the happenings. some 300+ volunteers give some 80+ tours, 365 days a year, rain or shine. The organization is now a non-profit, with offices on the 6th Floor of the Main Public Library in the Civic Center. The organization does get money from the City, for the Hotel Tax, and has corporate sponsor such as the Omni and Palace Hotels among others, (there are tours of these 2 historic hotels, BTW.
Naughty and Brawdy Tour given by Carolyn Bailey
This tour really is a 2 block walk of Maiden Lane, next to Union Square, and while it is short on sights, it is RICH in colorful San Francisco History.
NAMES ...
Maiden Lane was named that in 1924 after the Maiden Lane in New York and London, which are "streets of Gold".
COOL FACTS ...In Gold Rush days, there were some 50,000 men in San Francisco, and only 800 women!
- Prostitutes made so much money in just 2 weeks that they could retire, and live comfortably the rest of their life!
- A San Francisco Prostitute would charge 16 oz of Gold to light a Man's Cigar, at todays value of gold ($1628 an oz, that would be $26048 - at the value of Gold in 1848, that would be about $981 to Light a Cigar.) They charged 32 oz of Gold if they were to stand CLOSE!
- Girls made more money
. if they were Fair Skinned
. if they were red heads
. if they were Jewish
- There were street walkers
There were women that worked out of the Bars, and rented rooms for 75 cents, or a dollar a day, (about $29 a day in today's dollars)
- There were brotherls
- There were Parlor Houses were there were fine wines, fine food, and the best ladies!
If a lady was a sex worker in an East Coast city, and lacked the money for Passage to San Francisco, the boat captain would take them to San Francisco, and once they arrived, they were given 48 hours to get the money to pay for their passage, and DID!
BUILDINGS ...
Building in San Francisco during the Gold Rush era were usually 2 stories and made of wood. Like the with the fire escape in the photo below.
WHY PROSTITUTE
In the mid 1800's women did not have many career opportunities, they could teach other women, they could be seamstresses, they could cook, or they could prostitute. At this time women were not even allowed to owe property!
CHINESE GIRLS BROUGHT TO SAN FRANCISCO
Part of San Francisco's dark past is the trade of young Chinese girls. In China girl children are not valued, it was a cultural thing, ships captains could sail to china and buy a girl for $30-$90 from a family, and bring her back to San Francisco, where she would sell at auction for $3,000 to $9,000 ($88,235 to $264,705 in today's dollars). These girl's life expectancy was no more than 6 years!
Dovey Monument
Michael G. Dovey Monument in San Francisco's Union Square the woman sitting a top it is none other than Alma Spreckles! Seems that Mr. Spreckles was so taken were her beauty upon seeing the statue, that he had to meet her, and did. They fell in love, got married, and set the way for Alma to become the "Great Grandmother of San Francisco", ad creator of many iconic San Francsico sites, such a the Legion of Honor!