When San Francisco was incorporated in 1850, the western side of the City was nothing but sand dunes and scrub, separated from the metropolis by Russian Hill[1], Nob Hill and Lone Mountain[2]. There was literally not a tree to be found, and the US government owned all the coastal land between the Cliff House[3] and Fort Funston[4]. Two decades later Golden Gate Park[5] was established and Adolph Sutro[6] began buying land near the western end of the Park. He purchased the already existing Cliff House and began building Sutro Baths. Since there was no easy way for San Franciscans to get to these public attractions, Sutro hired his cousin, Gustov Sutro, to develop a transit system that linked downtown to the Cliff House. Gustov’s plan, however, could only go as far as Presidio Heights. It was important that one company own a transit system that went from one end of the City to the other so that passengers would only have to pay one fare. Gustov Sutro ultimately sold his plan and land rights to Powell Street Railroad, which was developing two cable car lines, one of which went from the Ferry Building[6A] to California and Presidio (where the Jewish Community Center stands today). These two cable car lines and the steam train line that went from California and Presidio to the Cliff House and Sutro Baths became the Ferries and Cliff House Railway (FCHR), incorporated in 1887.
The steam train consisted of open, partially open and enclosed train cars, pulled by the engines at either end. The train route was 3 1/4 miles long, traveling down California, making a right at the base of City Cemetery (where the indigenous and poor were buried and is now Lincoln Park) and continuing around the cragged cliffs of Lands End. Because there were no trees at Lands End (unlike today), passengers were afforded unobstructed views of the Golden Gate and Marin Headlands. After passing through two tunnels, one 240 feet long, the line ended at Pt Lobos and 48th, just across from Adolph Sutro’s estate.
In 1891 President Benjamin Harrison visited San Francisco and was photographed taking the train ride out to the Cliff House. For the 1894 Midwinter International Exposition[7] in Golden Gate Park, a spur line was added at California and 7th, traveling down 7th to a small wooden depot at the northern edge of the Park that still exists today. Having loud, coal-fueled steam engines barreling through the Richmond District was tolerated because, other than the occasional squatter, the area was undeveloped.
In 1905 FCHR was bought by Market Street Rail, which replaced every cable car and steam train with electric trollies. The two tunnels at Lands End were blasted open (“daylighted”) to make room for electrical lines for the trollies. When completed, one trolley traveled from the Ferry Building to the Cliff House (known today as Muni’s California #1). Occasional washouts would temporarily halt service around Lands End, but the road was always quickly repaired. Then in 1925 a landslide took out a huge chunk of the cliffside. That portion of the route was permanently closed, with trolley service simply continuing straight down California to the ocean. The Lands End portion of the route was converted into a hiking trail that still exists today.
[2] Lone Mountain: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3762
[3] Cliff House: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3811
[4] Fort Funston: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3821
[5] Golden Gate Park: story coming April 4th
[6] Adolph Sutro and Sutro Baths: story coming March 14th
[6A] Ferry Building: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=5219[7] 1984 Midwinter International Exposition: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4428
