SAN FRANCISCO: The Barbary Coast

As I've mentioned before, my novel takes place in 19th century San Francisco, at the height of the cities most notorious times.  Since then a lot has changed, but strong are the echo's of this great western American cities past.  Before conducting my research like many people I associated San Francisco soley with the 49er's.  No, not the NFL football team but the original gold rushers of the 1840's.  More than I could have dreamed my research uncovered so much more about this culture clashed city.  The most notorious area of San Francisco, and a key background element in my novel, is encompassed by what was formerly known as The Barbary Coast.  Roughly nine blocks bound by Montgomery street, Washington street, Stockton street and Broadway, the Barbary coast became most synonymous with vile liquer, vulger women, lude establishments, bawdy entertainments and Shanghiing.   

Around 1860 the area which was an outgrowth of what had been known as Sydney-Town became The Barbary Coast.  Named after the North African Coast (Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Egypt) - the name Barbary was derived from the Berbers.  Berbers are indigenous North African peoples west of the Nile Valley.   

The gold brought men by the hundreds from all over- Asia, Europe, Australia, South America and Eastern United States!  Arriving off ships in search of the "mother lode", they headed straight to the mines, often returning  to the city broke or with little gold to show for their efforts.  At the end of the 1840's the cities population was a stagering 20-25,000 with only about 300 residents being women; two-thirds of the female population were prostitutes.  Yes, the city was ripe for degradation.  Hungry for female companionship and entertainment, sailors, miners and sojourners kept saloons, gambling halls, opium dens and houses of ill-repute thriving.  By the 1850's and 60's, crime was rampant along the Barbary Coast.  If a fellow weren't careful he may find himself drugged or clubbed only to wake up broke, and aboard a ship bound for some faraway port.  This was known as Shanghiing, sailors were particularly vulnerable to this type of forced recruitment.

Crime in the streets and corruption in governement offices plagued the city.  The 1906 earthquake and subsequent fires, which destroyed most of the establishments along the Barbary Coast, ushered in a new San Francisco.  Some establishments were quickly rebuilt, but by this time anti-vice campaigns had begun to gain steam.  Led by the San Francisco Examiner anti-vice campaigns and the Red Light Abatement Act of 1914 passed.  The days of pimps, prostitutes, and coarse entertainment were numbered.  In 1917 the police blockaded the Barbary Coast, and evicted the resident prostitues.  It was over.  The 21st century would soon usher in to the city a new age of liberal idealism, art, music, and iconic literature.  Ironically, today San Francisco's Financial District resides on the graveyard of what was formerly known as The Barbary Coast.   

What I hope to express in my subsequent blogs to follow, are little vingettes of the people who thrived here amongst the violence and degradation.  There were so many memorable characters and events that helped to shape this uproarious neighborhood in San Francisco; certainly many will make their way into my novel.  This city has had a decidedly volitile history and out of the ashes it's been reborn time and again.  It is my hope to keep alive some of its most celebrated character's, and more importantly...for my readers to fall in love with them as I have.