Golden light on the steam ferryboat Berkeley, hub of the Maritime Museum of San Diego. I believe I took this photo a year or two ago.
Over the years, I’ve taken many photos around and aboard the historic steam ferryboat Berkeley. The beautiful old ship is the hub of the Maritime Museum of San Diego. I thought you might enjoy seeing some of these photographs. Read the captions to learn a little about the Berkeley’s fascinating history.
Berkeley, built in 1898, was originally operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad on San Francisco Bay. It was used to ferry up to 1700 passengers per trip between the transcontinental train terminus at the Oakland Pier and the San Francisco Ferry Building across the bay. The Berkeley was also used after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake to rescue thousand of refugees, which were brought out of the fire-devastated city safely over to Oakland.
Berkeley was acquired by the Maritime Museum of San Diego in 1973, and today she houses a large number of fascinating historical exhibits on her lower deck. She is both a National Historic Landmark and California State Historical Landmark, and a cool sight that many like to visit on San Diego’s Embarcadero.
Personally, I love to head up the stairs to the McKinney Deck, where passengers used to cross the water in elegance. I have often seen ferry visitors and members of the Maritime Museum of San Diego sitting on the beautiful wooden benches simply reading or enjoying a relaxing moment. It’s like being transported back into another era. The atmosphere is quite amazing, as you will see…
Plaque in front of the ferryboat Berkeley, which was the first successful West Coast-built ferry to be driven by a screw propeller as opposed to side wheels.Downtown San Diego skyscrapers and masts of museum ships HMS Surprise and Star of India can be seen in this photo of the Berkeley’s upper passenger deck and one of two pilot houses.Southern Pacific Lines logo on one pilot house.Photo over the roof of the ferryboat, with a black funnel projecting into the blue San Diego sky.I’m getting ready to look inside the pilot house on the east end of the Berkeley. I see the County Administration Building.The wooden wheel, binoculars and other instruments used to pilot the ferry.Many forms of communication were used during ferry operation. The Berkeley’s pilot houses contained radio receivers, the ship’s whistle, and two voice tubes.Standing outside, peering into the elegant Dan McKinney Deck of the Berkeley.Visitors aboard the Berkeley look at the beautiful long wooden benches and art glass windows of the upper passenger deck.Different art glass windows on the ship fill the passenger deck with many-colored light.More exquisite art glass. Passengers would cross San Francisco Bay in style.Walking through the passenger deck.Sunlight on one comfortable, warm wood bench. Wouldn’t you like to sit here?A painting of the ferry Berkeley and a relic from its history.More beauty aboard the old ship, which is now docked in San Diego Bay.I assume the fancy B is for Berkeley, but I’m not sure.Refreshments used to be purchased here during bay crossings. Today the Berkeley is often used for special events and drinks are still served.Over the years, countless thousands of passengers were served.Ferryboat Berkeley,1898, has been designated a National Historic Landmark. This vessel possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America.One of four old photos on the passenger deck. Berkeley was launched on San Francisco Bay on October 18, 1898.Berkeley was never a car ferry. The open deck below carried luggage carts for passengers transiting between the end of the railroad at Oakland and San Francisco across the bay.The Berkeley was heroine of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake story. She carried refugees to safety nonstop for three days and nights.In 1973, Berkeley was towed down the coast to San Diego to begin a second life as floating museum.And what a beautiful museum she is! I haven’t included them in this particular blog post, but many cool exhibits can be seen on the lower deck, where ferry passengers used to park their luggage carts.Gazing down some steps at a museum workshop aboard the Berkeley.Gazing from the passenger deck outside toward San Diego Bay. Other museum ships, including Californian and San Salvador, are docked along a float west of the Berkeley.One of the ferry’s old lifeboats.Looking up at the pilot house on the steam ferry’s bay-facing end.Some folks on the other end looking out at downtown San Diego and the Waterfront Park.An old sign above one doorway says Lunch and Grill Room on Lower Deck.That old sign was uncovered beneath accumulated paint. Working on an old vessel is a bit like an archaeological dig.Looking from the Embarcadero at the Berkeley, over the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s deep diving submarine USS Dolphin.The handsome steam ferryboat Berkeley now greets visitors on San Diego Bay.People walk through history aboard a beautiful old vessel.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
Female face spray painted on electrical box in East Village at F Street and Tenth Avenue.
Check out three cool street art faces I spotted while walking around downtown San Diego! They’re painted on electrical boxes at the intersection of F Street and Tenth Avenue in East Village.
I recognize two of the faces!
Funny Star Wars street art in San Diego. Jar Jar Binks says Meesa Lova Comic Con.Cool street art in East Village shows a colorful Jimi Hendrix.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
A guy with a super cool steampunk outfit spread his mechanical wings for a photo as I entered the library!
Check out these cool photos from Steampunk Day at the Library!
I headed over to San Diego’s Central Library early this afternoon not really knowing what to expect. And what I experienced absolutely blew me away!
San Diego Steampunk, Gaslight Steampunk Expo, and the Friends of the Central Library put on an event that still has me smiling as I write this! You wouldn’t believe all the awesome steampunk costumes and gizmos and props and gadgets and inventions and artwork that filled a good chunk of the library’s first floor. I saw original stuff inspired by Lewis Carroll, H. G. Wells, Jules Verne… Some of my favorite authors! There were also a couple lectures and something called Tea Dueling, which I missed. Perhaps next year…
The participants, most of whom are makers, were all super friendly and eager to tell me about what they had created. I pocketed lots of business cards and flyers, and have tried to provide photo captions that accurately describe what I came across.
So what did I see? Take a look!
Steampunk Day at the San Diego Central Library promotes S.T.E.A.M. learning. Readers, students and imaginative people can explore concepts in science and technology! And enjoy excellent literature and learn some history, too!Dozens of local steampunk enthusiasts had gathered in the library to have fun and provide creative inspiration for young and old alike.A super nice lady had a table full of steampunk crafts she had made. Like others participating in the event, she is a member of San Diego Steampunk.Library visitors during Steampunk Day could pose with Victorian costume accessories and props for a cool photo.One of the first things I saw was an awesome model of Jules Verne’s Nautilus from the classic Disney movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!Richard Ferrell aka Colonel Malcolm Weatherby was holding a ray gun at the ready. Like many other steampunk enthusiasts, he makes his own props.This ray gun from Steampunk Arsenal is a fusion of glass bottles and imagination.It’s The Mad Hatter! And her mobile table is set for tea! Or perhaps A Moveable Feast! (Okay, I’m sorry–it’s the library.)I didn’t get the names of these folks, but they had some of the most inventive stuff. The blue liquid on the right is composed of distilled moonbeams.That gadget up at the top of this photo propels a courageous adventurer through time.I believe this guy said he’s Gandalf the Brass. His staff emits different colored light, depending on the magic. Should he defeat a Balrog, he might become Gandalf the Gold.Steampunk writer Madeleine Holly-Rosing had a table displaying some of her books. If you like reading steampunk fiction, you should probably check it out!Madeleine Holly-Rosing is author of comic book series Boston Metaphysical Society. Kind of like a steampunk The X-Files I was told. Sounds cool!Maleficent greeted me at the Steampunk Public table. I learned she’s not really evil, just a bit misunderstood.And look at all the cool contraptions created by Steampunk Public! Sheer fun and human creativity!In a glass library display case I discovered steampunk collage art by Ramona Szczerba. She calls these curious vintage fictions.Imaginative uniforms exhibited during Steampunk Day by the San Diego Costume Guild. They create costumes representing many different eras.Goggles and top hats everywhere!A British explorer or officer or eccentric character from a weird alternate reality–I’m not sure which! But he was super nice!Taking an image using patented Spectral Photography.Kids in the Children’s Library were busy making Mad Hatter hats!A scary steampunk vampire looked me over when I stepped outside. Perhaps she was getting a bit thirsty. “Fangs for nothing!”More awesome steampunk cosplay near the Central Library’s auditorium.This guy on the time machine materialized from the future right as I took a photo. I don’t know whether he saw any Eloi or Morlocks.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
Two vaqueros chat during an event in Old Town San Diego that reenacts fascinating Californio history.
I enjoyed the Trades That Shaped the West event in Old Town San Diego last Saturday so much, I decided to return today to experience another Stagecoach Days event: Days of the Vaqueros!
Days of the Vaqueros invited curious visitors to experience what life was like when San Diego was a part of Spain, then Mexico. The emphasis was on the vaqueros–the first true cowboys. During the era of the Californios, wealthy ranch owners employed vaqueros to manage their stock.
For a couple of decades–from the early 1820s to the mid-1840s–cattle hides were the primary export of Alta California. Merchant ships from the East Coast (and other places about the Pacific Ocean) would trade the plentiful hides for finished goods that were in high demand in early, geographically isolated, sparsely populated towns like San Diego.
Someone checks out Days of the Vaqueros activities. The banner hangs on the Robinson Rose House in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.Taking place during Old Town’s summer weekend Stagecoach Days, today’s event primarily celebrated life in San Diego when the small town and Alta California were part of Mexico.Ladies pass by in period dresses. One of many cool sights at the Days of the Vaqueros event in Old Town San Diego.Tables contained information about life during the era of huge Mexican land grant ranches worked by vaqueros. Vaqueros, the first true cowboys, were mostly indigenous people employed to manage cattle by the wealthy land owners.A vaquero shows a visitor to Old Town how to properly handle a rope.The visitor successfully lassoes his cow–the rear end, that is–first try!A gentleman who used to work for Buck Knives makes unique knife handles out of elk antlers. He has developed his own technique, which takes great skill and precision.A hat maker shows how beaver felt material was steamed then pushed over a hat-form block.What’s cooking on the campfire? Some tasty pozole, I was told!Pozole is a traditional Mexican soup or stew, made from hominy, meat and various vegetable seasonings.Decorating eggshell cascarones. Near the end of a fiesta, Californios flirted by cracking eggs filled with scented water or confetti over the startled head of someone they liked.A group called Los Californios played authentic early California music–tunes that were preserved over a century ago on wax cylinder sound recordings made by Charles Lummis.A couple dances to the happy, gentle music.Publications by a nonprofit project called San Diego Friends of Old Time Music. Author Vykki Mende Gray is helping to preserve the musical history of California.A display of braided ropes and rawhide, once commonly used by vaqueros as they worked on the large cattle ranches around San Diego.On this table I see more ropes, a canteen, iron brands and boot spurs.A gentleman who teaches school students visiting Old Town about history holds up an illustration of bear-baiting, which early Californians found entertaining.These guys were making adobe bricks. I learned earth and water are mixed, and straw or manure are often added for strength and cohesion.Authentic adobe bricks take weeks or months to properly dry. When hard, these bricks will possibly be used in new construction or to restore existing exhibits inside Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.Traditional dancing in the courtyard of Casa de Estudillo of Los Camotes (which translates the sweet potatoes), a tune from old Mexican and Spanish California.
…
This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool stuff to check out!
Here’s the Cool San Diego Sights main page, where you can read the most current blog posts. If you’re using a small mobile device, click those three parallel lines up at the top–that opens up my website’s sidebar, where you’ll see the most popular posts, a search box, and more!
To enjoy future posts, you can also “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
People stroll down El Prado, checking out a huge variety of gourmet food trucks on a late Friday afternoon.
If you haven’t been to Food Truck Friday in Balboa Park, you’re missing out!
Not only is there all sorts of yummy food, but there is grass to picnic on and live music and juggling and hula hoops and checkers and crafts for the kids and colorful flowers and splashing fountains and amazing architecture and smiles and . . . I could go on and on! And the museums are open late, too!
Balboa Park’s special magic adds spice to an already tasty meal!
Balboa Park’s Food Truck Friday promises yummy eats and fun through September in the Plaza de Panama and along the length of El Prado.Feasting on the grass in sunny Balboa Park. Food Truck Fridays is the place to be for a festive family-friendly dinner.Kenny Shelton the awesome juggler was getting warmed up. He and other entertainers can be found throughout the park.A beautiful photo of the Plaza de Panama, its fountain, flowers, and the sunlit House of Hospitality during Food Truck Friday.If you live in San Diego, this giant checkerboard and these hula hoops are waiting for you!Musicians were playing under the Balboa Park Conservancy canopy near the Plaza de Panama fountain.The San Diego Model Railroad Museum had a table in the plaza where young kids could apply dots of paint to fun trains!And nearby, Spanish Village Art Center had their own cool table where kids could be creative!I spotted a Puppet Shows sign traveling through the plaza. So naturally I had to investigate…The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theatre in Balboa Park is now presenting The Little Mermaid! A pelican puppet says hello and invites you all to the show!A truly Happy Friday in San Diego’s always amazing Balboa Park.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
A man walks along slowly, rhythmically, playing bagpipes.
Just before sunset I found myself at Ruocco Park, between the USS Midway and Seaport Village. Many were out in the warm air enjoying life. I saw people talking, laughing, creating music, walking, skating, sitting, catching a ball on the grass . . .
People at a picnic table and on the grass at Ruocco Park.Couple rolls down the Embarcadero on inline skates and a skateboard.Kid looks with yearning at an ice cream seller’s cart.Folks quietly talk as the sun approaches the horizon.A family walks along and gazes out at a sunlit ship.A slow walk along San Diego Bay at Ruocco Park.A couple sits on a bench inside a work of public art, The Riparium, in a corner of Ruocco Park.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Jogging and biking past the historic adobe ranch house in Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve.
The second oldest residence in San Diego County can be found inside Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve. The adobe ranch house was built in 1824 by Captain Francisco María Ruiz, who was Commandante of San Diego’s presidio. He built two small adobe buildings on Rancho Santa Maria de Los Peñasquitos, his large 8,486-acre Mexican land grant north of the Presidio and Mission San Diego de Alcalá. It was the first land grant by the Mexican government in this area. The grant was made in 1823, just two years after Mexico became independent from Spain.
The historic adobe ranch house has been modified, enlarged and restored by various owners over the years, and today is a popular destination for visitors to Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve. People often bike or hike through the picturesque ranch, and motorists can park in a nearby lot. Picnic tables are plentiful; there are goats and chickens to captivate children; and guided tours are available on weekends.
I toured the ranch recently and took photos of its various features. There are a variety of interpretive exhibits within the adobe house. Please read these informative displays (click to enlarge the images) to learn more about this fascinating place’s long and colorful history.
(What is the oldest structure in San Diego County? You’ll be completely surprised! I blogged about that here.)
The Los Peñasquitos Ranch House is open daily from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Guided tours are at 11:00 am on Saturday and 1:00 pm on Sunday.The ranch house is nestled among some shady trees. Two small adobe buildings were originally built in 1824. The house was enlarged by Captain George Alonzo Johnson in 1862.Plaque describes the establishment of the Johnson-Taylor Adobe Ranchhouse in 1862. The residence and later additions were used as a hotel, bunkhouse, and quarters for a working cattle ranch into the 1960s.A sculpture inside the courtyard, located on the east side (rear) of the ranch house. The planters were probably used by the residents to grow herbs and flowers.Part of the ranch house’s long porch beside the courtyard.Inside a living room that today contains museum-like exhibits, looking north out a window at various small structures on the ranch, including a chicken coop and goat pen.The Californio Period, 1821 to 1850, included vaqueros (cowboys) living at Peñasquitos. The American Rancher Period, 1850-1970, began after California became a state.1823-1834 timeline of the Mexican land grant of Santa Maria de Los Peñasquitos, that was made to Captain Francisco María Ruiz.In 1859 Captain George Alonzo Johnson married Maria Estéfana Alvarado, daughter of Francisco María Alvarado, who bought the ranch from Ruiz in 1837.A hand blown and painted glass pitcher and drinking glass that belonged to Maria de Jesus Alvarado de Sepulveda, daughter of Francisco María Alvarado.The large earthenware olive jar was found under the ranch house floor during an excavation in 1983. Used for food storage, it was probably made in Spain or Portugal in the early to mid 1700s.Captain George Alonzo Johnson, a pioneer and businessman, came to California in 1849 during the Gold Rush. He became a rancher and horse breeder.Historical newspaper articles describe the ranch house, outbuildings and grounds of George Alonzo Johnson’s ranch.Floor plan of Rancho Peñasquitos from 1975 HABS survey.A drawing of the Los Peñasquitos residence of Colonel Jacob Shell Taylor, who purchased the property in 1882. He raised Durham cattle and thoroughbred horses and would found Del Mar.Various branding irons on display in the adobe house that were discovered around the ranch. Included are early Spanish irons used by rustlers.Rancho Peñasquitos courtyard photo taken circa 1889, showing ranch employee H. T. Sandford and his family.Photo of the San Diego-Escondido Stage Line circa 1906. In the mid-1800s, Peñasquitos was a way station on the wagon road between San Diego and Warner’s Ranch.Porch along the front (or west) side of the adobe ranch house, which faced the so-called Road to Yuma.I spotted someone riding a horse past the ranch house. Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve is an ideal place for those who love to ride down peaceful trails.Looking west at a meadow north of Peñasquitos Creek. I posted photos of those sycamores in the distance a few weeks ago.An artificial pond south of the ranch house was filled with water from the adjacent spring house for irrigation of a nearby citrus grove.The rock Spring House was constructed around an artesian spring. Water from the spring was used by the Native American Kumeyaay for as many as 12,000 years!The Mohnike Barn was constructed in 1912 of adobe and wood. Charles Mohnike, a rancher who purchased the property in 1910, was the builder.The Mohnike Barn is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places along with other ranch structures.An octagonal concrete reservoir to the north, uphill from the ranch house. Photographic evidence shows water might have been pumped up here by windmill.More ranch structures just west of the barn.These friendly Nubian goats like to greet hikers and those on bicycles.These chickens were wondering what I was up to.The southeast corner of the adobe ranch house.One last photo of the courtyard, a focal point of the ranch house, which has seen many lives, much history.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
A Wells Fargo stagecoach takes a turn around La Plaza de Las Armas in San Diego’s historic Old Town.
Here come photos from today’s Trades That Shaped the West event, which took place in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park!
A wide variety of demonstrations drew curious visitors to a cluster of tents in the park’s grassy plaza. Early San Diego in the 1800’s was completely different from our modern city of gleaming skyscrapers. In many ways, life back then was both simpler and more difficult. Many household objects that are manufactured today were crafted using raw muscle and sweat. Most ordinary tasks were neither easy nor automated.
One hopes that historical reenactments like this continue for generations, so that people don’t forget the unique and meaningful lives of our ancestors.
You might notice this isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about this annual event. I’m so fascinated by San Diego’s history, I decided to experience Trades That Shaped the West again!
Stagecoach Days is celebrated every Saturday in Old Town during the summer. There’s a different themed event every week!
Aspects of frontier life were reenacted today in Old Town San Diego. Visitors watch as a stagecoach passes by!History comes to life during Stagecoach Days in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. There’s a different theme each Saturday in July and August.Many fascinating demonstrations could be viewed by the public at the Trades That Shaped the West event today.Young and old alike watched two blacksmiths at work with an anvil and small forge.A wheelwright explains his craft. To make wagon wheels required great skill. Like cars today, wagons were an important part of life in the 1800’s.The bent metal band tyre would be expanded with heat, then contracted using cold water once carefully placed around the wooden wheel.We take laundry machines for granted today. Years ago in the Old West, cleaning clothes required a whole lot more work!Irons, washboards and other objects from daily life generations ago were on display.These ladies were weaving baskets. Basket-weaving is said to be the oldest of all human crafts.The local Native American Kumeyaay would use willow baskets to protect their gathered acorns and other food from insects.This portable green forge is being used for the first time. The handle turns a belt which operates an air blower. I recognized this blacksmith from the Fall Back Festival in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.Local blacksmith hobbyists created all the items you see here, including the ornamental snake (which took about an hour and a half to make) and the huge padlock!This crafty gambler tried to entice me into playing a game of chance. Nice try!A gentleman had a table containing old tintype photographs. He also had antique cameras on display that were used for daguerreotype photographs.A new wheel is being produced by several wainwrights, trades people who craft and repair wagons and carts. These guys belong to the California Historical Artillery Society.A variety of useful tools on their table. Many look familiar today.The members of the California Historical Artillery Society were attending the annual Trades That Shaped the West event for the first time.Sign shows average blacksmithing prices in the mid 1800’s. The prices were much higher in Northern California during the Gold Rush.These guys also had a traveling battery forge, used by the Army long ago. Today they are often used in Civil War reenactments.I noticed that a snake oil salesman had drawn a crowd!An old lady with a bad case of lumbago was eager to try Dr. Montbank’s Tonic Elixir.I’m not sure it helped much.A guitar, a fiddle, and a bottle. These frontier musicians were getting themselves ready to provide a bit of Western entertainment.Visitors to Old Town were walking in front of the Colorado House and enjoying a sunny San Diego weekend.Look what’s coming! These pack animals have transported the mail all the way from San Antonio!The Overland Mail Delivery arrived exactly at one o’clock!I guess this would qualify as Ground Mail.The small Old Town encampment excitedly greets the four-legged mail carriers.Mail is handed out to many of the event participants!These creative young folk are too busy writing their own letters to notice.An educational reenactment of history was enjoyed today in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park!
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
Cool San Diego Sights! 