Cable Cars are a Special San Francisco Treat

  When you think about the city of San Francisco, one of the first things that comes to mind are its iconic cable cars. It’s impossible to imagine the city, one of America’s most scenic, without its unique clanging, grinding public transportation system.

  The cable car system was the brainchild of Andrew S. Hallidie, a transplanted Englishman and engineer. One day in 1869, Hallidie was watching a horse-drawn streetcar attempt to climb one of San Francisco's steep streets.

  The animals struggled, partially making it up the hill before slipping on the wet cobblestone road surface and being dragged by the heavy car back down to the bottom of the hill.

  Hallidie thought there had to be a better way. He began developing a plan for an underground system of thick metal wires, which would continually circulate. Streetcars would be designed to clamp onto these cables, and thereby be able to be pulled forward, including up San Francisco’s steep hills.

  Over the next four years, he worked on his designs for the project, and then lobbied for funds to built it. Despite considerable skepticism, Hallidie succeeded in gaining support and, on August 2, 1873, the first cable car made a run from the top of Clay Street, down Nob Hill's steep east side.

  The test was so successful that within seven years, the city had installed eight lines with more than 112 miles of cable.

  Fortunately, "Hallidie's Folly," as it was originally called, not only weathered the early criticism but also later attempts to remove the system in the name of modernization (the fate of nearly every other cable car system later built in America).

  Today, three cable car lines operate in San Francisco—and will in perpetuity, under the provisions of a city charter amendment adopted by the residents in 1971. Additionally, the system was designated a national historic landmark in 1964 by the National Park Service.

  The most popular routes are the two Powell Street lines, both of which can be picked up at the turntable at Powell and Market streets, in the heart of the shopping district.

  The Powell-Mason branch takes riders through Union Plaza, over the top of Nob Hill, then down to a turntable on Mason Street, about two blocks from the center of Fisherman's Wharf.

  The Powell-Hyde line is a tad more dramatic a ride, taking you from the same starting point, up to Nob Hill, then veering west through some steep terrain, over Russian Hill, before coasting to Victorian Park, at the northern end of Fisherman's Wharf.

  The latter route is probably the busiest in the system, so be prepared to wait in line at both ends of the ride.

  The third cable car line is the Van Ness-California route, which runs from the foot of California Street, near Market Street, in the financial district, then travels northwest, through Chinatown, to Van Ness Avenue at Nob Hill.

  Riding on a cable car is not only a reasonably cheap thrill— it only costs $5 to ride each way, which is a bargain in a pricey city like San Francisco—but an essential part of playing tourist in the city.

  Plus there is something magical about standing on the running boards of a cable car (for the full effect, the best place to stand is in the front, hanging onto an exterior pole), feeling the brisk ocean breeze against your face.

  The steep, somewhat frightening inclines, sharp turns, diverse sights, broad buffet of sounds and exotic odors, including the metallic smell of the cable car brakes, are all part of the experience.

  Additionally, San Francisco's brakemen, who are the guys manipulating the levers and brakes that control the cable car, are often showmen. Most have their own styles in the way they ring the car's bells and bark out the various stops along the way.

  Of course, for those not quite ready to hang on the outside, dodging the occasional automobile, there are plenty of seats within the cable car.

  A few other facts about the cable cars:

  • Despite evidence seemingly to the contrary, cable cars do not travel any faster than nine-and-a-half miles per hour.

  • Cable cars have three brakes, so they are difficult to dislodge from the underground cable.

  • Some 7 to 9.7 million passengers travel on the cable cars each year.

  • San Francisco’s cable cars operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

  For those wanting to learn more about the cable car system, there are excellent exhibits and tours available at the Cable Car Barn and Powerhouse, which is the nerve center for the system. The museum is located at Washington and Mason Streets and is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday (closed on Mondays). Admission is free.

  For more information about San Francisco's cable car system, go to: https://www.cablecarmuseum.org/.

History Found in Nearly Every Building in Genoa

Historic Genoa trading post in 1911 (before it was destroyed by fire)

  Some of Nevada’s oldest surviving buildings can be found lining the streets of Genoa. In fact, anyone who has ever studied the state’s history is aware of Genoa’s role in the state’s development. It was the state’s first town as well as home of the first printed newspaper and site of the first territorial government meetings.

  Located about 13 miles south of Carson City via U.S. 396 and Jack’s Valley Road, Genoa was settled in 1849 when Mormon traders built a crude log enclosure, without a roof or floor. The post was abandoned, but just two years later, traders returned and erected a more permanent trading post and fort, known as the Mormon Station, a short distance from the original site.

  Today’s Mormon Station State Historical Monument in the center of Genoa is a replica of the original wooden complex that provided goods to those traveling on the Emigrant Trail to California.

  The replica fort, constructed in 1947 on the site of the original, which burned in 1910, contains interpretive historic displays about the area and includes a beautiful, shaded picnic area.

  The Mormon Station, however, is only the most obvious example of Genoa’s rich past. If you wander the streets of this historic community, you can find that nearly every house and lot have a story.

  Sadly, the fire of 1910 that destroyed the original Mormon Station, also burned many of the town’s other pioneer buildings and, no doubt, signaled the end of Genoa as the seat for Douglas County. That authority was shifted to the larger town of Minden in 1916.

  Still, plenty of pieces of the old town have survived, including the John S. Childs building near the southwest corner of Nixon and Main streets. The first floor of this brick structure was erected in 1862 and served as a dry goods store for many years. In 1874, the local Masons Organization constructed a second floor to serve as a lodge.

  Adjacent to the Childs/Mason building is a one-story stone structure, now an antique shop, which was constructed in the 1870s as a dry goods store.

  Next door, is the Old Genoa Bar, located in a building that is said to have been built in the 1850s. The bar, which boasts uneven wooden floors and a hodgepodge of historic political posters on its walls, claims to be the “oldest thirst parlor” in the state.

  At the corner of Carson and Main streets is a brick Victorian home built in the mid-1850s by William J. "Lucky Bill" Thorington, a gambler, shrewd businessman and, allegedly, a polygamist.

  Thorington was hanged in Genoa in 1858 for aiding a horse thief, although some historians believe he was killed by those jealous of his success and unconventional lifestyle. The house was later owned by Judge D.W. Virgin, who was the county’s first district attorney.

  The Raycroft/Depot House, located near the Thorington home, can trace its pedigree to the 1850s. The original building, which has been covered-up by later additions, served as the law offices for Senator William Stewart, one of Nevada’s first U.S. Senators, and Judge Virgin. It was later used as a newspaper printing plant, a butcher shop, and a stagecoach depot.

  The Pratt House, located on Nixon Street adjacent to the Genoa Community Church, was built in 1872 by local newspaper publishers A.C. and Alice Pratt. Now known as the Genoa House Inn, a bed and breakfast, the two-story Victorian is one of the most photogenic homes in Genoa.

  The Pink House, located south of the Mormon Station Park, is one of the most historic homes in town. It was constructed in 1853 by John Reese, one of the founders of the Mormon Station trading post. In 1870, it was moved to its present location by a prominent merchant, J.R. Johnson and later was home of Judge Virgin and his family.

  The magnificent Kinsey House, located northeast of the Pink House, was built in 1856 by Stephen A. Kinsey, one of the original Mormon Station settlers and the first postmaster in Carson Valley.

  Strangely, while the Kinsey home appears to be constructed of wood because of its classic white balconies and columns, it is actually a brick building. Like many of Genoa’s historic houses, it is a private residence so be careful not to disturb the residents.

  The Genoa Courthouse Museum at Main and 5th streets, is a two-story, brick structure that was built in 1865 and served as the Douglas County Courthouse until 1916, when the county seat was moved.

  For the next four decades, the building was used as a school. After 1969, it has been a local museum. The courthouse, which has been restored, contains dozens of exhibits describing the community’s rich history.

  For more information about Genoa, go to: https://travelnevada.com/cities/genoa/.