The San Franciscans: Lotta Crabtree

by Arnold Woods

Every year on the anniversary of the 1906 earthquake, people gather on Market Street at Lotta’s Fountain. The fountain survived the 1906 earthquake and became the place to meet and find others in the aftermath of the quake and fire. It became a symbol of San Francisco’s resilience in the wake of destruction. However, while the fountain’s significance is remembered today, many people today do not know the story of the Lotta of Lotta’s fountain.

Lotta’s Fountain on Market Street in aftermath of 1906 earthquake and fire, 1906. (wnp27.2575; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

Charlotte Mignon Crabtree was born on November 7, 1847 in New York City. Like many, her father headed west in 1851 to seek his fortune in the California Gold Rush and the rest of the family followed a few years later. The Crabtree family operated boardhouses in several mining camps, first in Grass Valley and later in Rabbit Creek. In these camps, little Lotta began performing song and dance routines and even toured through the mining camps. She learned to play the banjo and added that to her act.

Studio portrait of Lotta Crabtree with prop ivy-covered fence, 1870s. (wnp37.02654; Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

The Crabtrees moved to San Francisco in 1856 where Lotta continued to perform. She became the protege of Rowena Granice Steele, an author and performer, who had opened a theater and saloon called, “The Gaieties, Temple of Mirth and Song,” at what was then known as 77 Long Wharf. Long Wharf was a 4-5 block wharf that survived an 1851 fire and was refurbished with gates at Montgomery Street.1 Steele featured Little Lotta early on at the Temple of Mirth and Song. She proved very popular and by 1859, she had become known as “Miss Lotta, the San Francisco Favorite.2” By 1863, she was making appearances in Nevada as well.

Lotta Crabtree posed in men’s clothing, 1870s. (wnp37.02655; Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

Later in 1863, Lotta, just 16 years old, toured the East Coast, appearing in several plays and in her own song and dance act. By the time Lotta turned 20 in 1867, she was a huge star. Her starring turn in “Little Nell and the Marchioness” an adaption of Charles Dicken’s The Old Curiousity Shop written especially for her by actor and playwright John Brougham, was a smash in New York City. The New York Times called her “the Nation’s Darling” and “the Belle of Broadway.3” Lotta formed her own theatrical company and toured the U.S. and Europe.

Lotta’s Fountain with Palace Hotel in background, circa 1890. (wnp71.0715; Martin Behrman Negative Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

Although a national star, Lotta did not forget her San Francisco roots. To honor the city where she first rose to prominence, Lotta presented the city with a gift in 1875. On September 9, 1875, Lotta’s Fountain was unveiled at the corner of Market & Kearny Streets.4 The ceremony featured two military regiments, Mayor James Otis, the Board of Supervisors, and a large crowd. Lotta, however, did not attend the ceremony, but did send a representative to make a flowery statement about her love for the City to the attendees.

Deed from Lotta Crabtree to G.W. Eckstein, January 14, 1886. (wnp25.10380; Judith Lynch / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

By the 1880s, Lotta was the highest paid actress in the country, earning as much as $5,000 per week. Her mother Mary Ann managed her career and smartly used Lotta’s riches by investing in real property in San Francisco and other cities around the country. In 1885, Mary Ann bought a lot and built a cottage at a resort at Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey as a gift for Lotta. In May 1889, Lotta was badly injured from a fall in Wilmington, Delaware. She spent two years recuperating at her resort cottage before briefly attempting a comeback in 1891. The comeback was short-lived and Lotta retired for good in 1892.

Lotta Crabtree posed in drummer boy’s uniform, 1870s. (wnp33.00672; Agnes Manning Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

Lotta spent her retirement years traveling and painting. She never married or had kids. There were rumors that her mother did not want her to marry so as not to detract from Lotta’s youthful image, but the constant travel for her career surely took a toll on her social life. She made two final public appearances in San Francisco in 1915. The first was at a tribute reception in her honor on Saturday, November 6, 1915 at Lotta’s Fountain which brought tears to her eyes.5 Three days later, she was honored again at Lotta Crabtree Day at the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in front of 4000 people.6 Lotta passed away on September 24, 1924, leaving most of her $4 million estate in a charitable trust for the care of veterans, aging actors, and animals. Nearly a century later, her name is no longer as well known as it once was, but her legacy as one of San Francisco’s first superstars will always remain.

Notes:

1. “No. 77 Long Wharf: From Publishing Hall to Temple of Mirth,” by Dolores Waldorf Bryant, UC Press.

2. Charlotte Mignon “Lotta” Crabtree bio The Museum of the City of San Francisco website.

3. “Lotta Crabtree bio,” History of American Women website.

4. “Lotta’s Fountain: Its Final Presentation to the City of San Francisco,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 10, 1875, p. 3.

5. “Tears Dim Eyes Of Lotta As City Cheers Idol, Home,” San Francisco Chronicle, November 7, 1915, p. 1.

6. “Lotta Weeps With Happiness as Big Crowd Demonstrates Affection,” San Francisco Chronicle, November 10, 1915, p. 11.

Chutes At The Beach: A Closer Look

by Arnold Woods

After the Fillmore Chutes burned down, Irving Ackerman, son of the original Chutes owner, Charles Ackerman, promised to rebuild, but did not.1 As such, the Chutes amusement parks, which started at the Haight Street Chutes, then moved to the Fulton Street Chutes, before landing in the Fillmore District, ended for a while. However, the Chutes story was not yet done.

Shoot the Chutes under construction, early 1920s. (wnp66.211.jpg; Laurie Hollings Photo Album / James R. Smith Collection)

Even before the first Chutes appeared on Haight Street, carnival games and refreshment stands had begun popping up in the 1880s near the terminus of the Park & Ocean Railroad Line at Ocean Beach, just south of the Cliff House. This amusement area was unorganized and the various concessions were individually owned. San Franciscans would come out west on weekends to visit one of the roadhouses, play games, and dip their toes in the ocean. In 1906, Charles I.D. Looff, a master builder of carousels, had plans to install one of his carousels at the Steeple Chase Park at 8th and Market in San Francisco.2 After the great quake and fire on April 18, 1906 destroyed Steeple Chase Park though, Looff sent the carousel to Luna Park in Seattle instead. However, since Luna Park served alcohol, Looff finally moved the carousel back to San Francisco in 1913 and placed it among the concessions at Ocean Beach. It was advertised as the Looff Hippodrome.

View north at Chutes amusement park, circa 1922. (wnp66.204; Laurie Hollings Photo Album / James R. Smith Collection)

Looff died in 1918 and his youngest son, Arthur, took over the family’s West Coast operations, including the Ocean Beach carousel. There he got to know John Friedle, who ran a candy stand and some game concessions. Together, they began ambitious plans to turn the north Ocean Beach area into an amusement park to rival Coney Island in New York. They formed a partnership, simply called Friedle & Looff. With Looff’s building skills and Friedle’s management expertise, they installed the “Old Mill,” a thousand-foot long water ride in a tunnel featuring exotic scenes, and the “Figure Eight” roller coaster.3 However, the coup de grace came with the acquisition of a license to use a block of property just to the south of Sutro Heights.

View south at Chutes ride and lagoon and Midway, circa 1922. (wnp66.158; Laurie Hollings Photo Album / James R. Smith Collection)

The centerpiece of Friedle and Looff’s grand amusement park plans was a new “Shoot-the-Chutes” ride, which they claimed to be the biggest in America. Built at Balboa and La Playa facing south, the Chutes towered over the the rest of the park. Capitalizing on the popularity of previous Chutes rides at other locations in the City, Friedle and Looff in 1921 named their burgeoning amusement park, Chutes at the Beach.

Chutes boat splashing down in lagoon next to Midway, 1920s. (wnp66.111; Laurie Hollings Photo Album / James R. Smith Collection)

By the end of 1921, Friedle & Looff had 10 rides, including the Shoot-the-Chutes. The “Coney Island” of San Francisco was a rousing success, attracting tens of thousands of people on Sundays and holidays.4 The following year, they added the Big Dipper roller coaster which had big drops and cars moved quite fast on it. While Friedle and Looff got along well, apparently their wives clashed and it resulted in Friedle buying Looff out of the Chutes at the Beach partnership in 1923. Friedle’s brother William began acting as John’s second-in-command.

Chutes at the Beach, circa 1928. (wnp14.3826; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

In 1923, George Whitney arrived and purchased a shooting gallery at the amusement park. He continued to acquire other concessions, by himself at first and later with his brother Leo. The Whitneys photo studio proved to be very popular as George was able to rapidly develop the photos and deliver them on the same day they were taken. Meanwhile, several lawsuits against Chutes at the Beach worried Friedle. The exact date is unclear, but sometime in the late 1920s, Friedle sold Chutes at the Beach to the Whitney Brothers and went back to his native Germany. His brother William stayed and retained ownership of the Looff’s Hippodrome, Big Dipper, and Chutes Tavern. The Whitneys renamed the park officially calling it Whitney’s at the Beach, but it was generally known and advertised as Playland at the Beach.

Bottom of the Shoot-the-Chutes ride at Chutes at the Beach, circa 1930. (wnp4.0995; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

During the 1930s, Playland at the Beach managed to get through the Great Depression with the Whitneys even buying, refurbishing, and reopening the Cliff House on August 5, 1938.5 Leo Whitney retired in 1939, but George continued to run the park. Playland thrived during World War II because San Francisco was a major military launching point for Pacific Ocean operations. The park expanded to four full city blocks between Fulton and Cabrillo Streets on the north and south and 48th Avenue and the Great Highway to the east and west. It also included the former Ocean Beach Pavilion to the north of Balboa Street on the Great Highway.

Aerial view of Playland with Shoot-the-Chutes ride, circa 1949. (wnp4.0939; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

While Playland was doing well in the post-World War II years, the Shoot-the-Chutes ride, nearing 30 years of existence, was not as exciting as some of the other rides and no longer as popular as it once was. It also took up a lot of space. On February 15, 1950, the Shoot-the-Chutes ride was demolished. After George Whitney’s death in 1958, Playland itself went into decline. It would finally close on September 4, 1972. It would be demolished and replaced by condos. The Chutes had been a San Francisco mainstay for the better part of 50 years, but their era was now over.

Notes:

1. “San Francisco’s Lost Landmarks,” by James R. Smith, Word Dancer Press, 2005, p. 44.

2. “San Francisco’s Playland At The Beach: The Early Years,” by James R. Smith, Craven Street Books, 2010, p. 1.

3. “Pacific Coast Has Its Own Coney Island In Amusement Park of John Friedle,” San Francisco Chronicle,January 19, 1921, p. 5.

4. “Chutes At Beach Gives San Francisco Great Play Center,” San Francisco Chronicle,January 18, 1922, p. 46.

5. “Famous Cliff House Reopens After 13 Years,” San Francisco Chronicle, August 6, 1938, p. 14.

Fillmore Chutes: A Closer Look

by Arnold Woods

In recents weeks, we talked about the Chutes of San Francisco, beginning with the Haight Street Chutes, a water ride amusement park in the Haight-Ashbury district from 1895 to 1902 and then moving to the Fulton Street Chutes, basically the same water ride amusement park, but then in the Inner Richmond district. When the Fulton Street Chutes closed, like the Haight Street Chutes before it, the Chutes were not done. This time, Irving Ackerman, the son of Charles Ackerman, the original owner of the Chutes, closed the Fulton Chutes so he could move the operation to what he hoped would be a better location. The new Chutes were opened on Fillmore Street.

Fillmore Chutes under construction, 1909. (wnp37.03379; Abraham Lipman – photographer / Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

After the 1906 earthquake, the Fillmore area, which was outside the area hit hard by the earthquake and fire, became the new commercial center of San Francisco while the devastated downtown area was rebuilt. One of the new businesses there was the Coney Island Amusement Park. On March 8, 1909, Ackerman announced that he had purchased a 13-year lease for the Coney Island Park property and would spend $250,000 to move the Chutes there and upgrade the site.1 Although initially smaller, Ackerman would expand the property to fill the entire block bounded by Fillmore, Webster, Eddy and Turk Streets. He also promised some exciting new attractions.

Looking down Chutes ride under construction, 1909. (wnp37.03376; Abraham Lipman, photographer – Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

For the new Chutes, Ackerman traveled across the country to check out other amusement parks, such as Coney Island in New York and the Riverview Exposition in Chicago.2 Ackerman examined what were the most popular features of the other parks he visited and bought duplicates of some.

View north of attractions at Fillmore Chutes during construction of expanded area, 1909. (wnp37.03383; Abraham Lipman photographer – Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

Attractions from the prior Chutes locations included the Railway, merry-go-round, Circle Swing, shooting gallery, and photo studio. Among the new amusements was “Dante’s Inferno,” a labyrinth with hills and drops. It included the “Devil’s Slide,” where patrons could take an escalator to the summit and ride small mats down a steep slide. There was also a human roulette wheel that spun riders in the center around ever faster until the centrifugal forces sent them sliding into the gutter on the outside. People could also spend time in the Dancing Pavilion and there was an outdoor screen on which motion pictures were shown.

Dante’s Inferno and Devil’s Slide at Fillmore Chutes, July 1909. (wnp26.1163; Weidner / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

The new Fillmore Chutes opened on July 14, 1909. Huge crowds showed up for opening day. People who arrived in the afternoon ate dinner at the park for fear that they would be unable to get back inside in the evening.3 Sure enough, that evening, people crowded the streets for two blocks around the Fillmore Chutes trying to get in. The park closed all but the Fillmore entrance early in the evening, but the crowd pounded on the other entrances demanding to be let in. Ten policeman showed up in a likely vain attempt to control the mass of humanity.

Interior of Fulton Chutes park, circa 1910. (wnp37.01868; Abraham Lipman photographer – Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

At the opening and for a while thereafter, the Fillmore Chutes featured several daredevil performers. One act, called Desperado, made a daring leap from a 70-foot tower to a wooden chute 3-feet wide and 25-feet long and from there slide down into the waters with great momentum.4 Florence Spray would dive from a 70-foot ladder into four feet of water in costumes that were changed frequently. A bicyclist called Demon would ride his bike down the Chutes slide as fast as he could with the bike on fire and then somersault at the bottom into the lake. Meanwhile, Giuseppe Sirignano conducted the Royal Banda Roma orchestra with entertaining music for patrons. In the ensuing months, other exciting performers, such as triple-bar acrobats, Australian gymnasts performing “kangaroo” acrobatics, a contortionist, and a Parisian aerialist, would be brought in.5

Barkers for Crazy House and Panoramascope at Fillmore Chutes, circa 1909. (wnp4.0989; Abraham Lipman photographer / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

In addition to the daredevil performances, animals also gave performances. First was the flea circus performing “surprising feats.6” In a dramatic change in size, the fleas were followed by elephants. The star elephant, a youngster named Mike, wore costumes and danced a waltz. Mike also dressed like Teddy Roosevelt with a large hat and glasses and fired a gun filled with blanks at the other elephants who would play dead. The Fillmore Chutes also brought in professional boxers to give sparring exhibitions, notably including heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson, who was then using San Francisco as his home base for training and bouts.

Man and woman posing for studio portrait in prop car at Fillmore Chutes photography studio, circa 1909. (wnp37.02164; Abraham Lipman photographer – Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

As Ackerman was able to take over additional land, he made plans to expand the park. He received a permit to build a new Chutes theater and on October 31, 1909, a cornerstone for the theater was laid.7 The new Chutes Theater opened on New Year’s Eve 1909 with a line-up of singers, dancers, yodelers, and a ventriloquist.8 The New Year’s Eve expanded Fillmore Chutes debut also featured the return of a zoo and a new aquarium, although Wallace the Lion had been on display for several months.

View of Fillmore Chutes entrance after fire, 1911. (wnp37.01871; Abraham Lipman photographer – Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

The Fillmore Chutes were a great success, but it proved to be short-lived. After midnight on May 29, 1911, a fire broke out and soon engulfed the premises.9 The blaze started in a barber shop operated by the Bondy brothers. A water heater was apparently left on and caused ignition when the water ran out. It was unclear if this was accidental or deliberate as the owner of the shop stated he was having problems with the brothers. The fire killed three people and injured seven more. Although the new Chutes Theater building with its concrete construction survived the inferno, must of the rest of the park was gutted.

View of Fillmore Chutes after fire, 1911. (wnp37.03563; Abraham Lipman photographer – Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

Ackerman did not rebuild the Chutes after the fire. The land was sold and used for other purposes. The Chutes attraction would disappear from San Francisco at that time, but the Chutes were not yet done with the City.

Notes:

1. “The Chutes Will Move Downtown,” San Francisco Chronicle, March 9, 1909, p. 5.

2. “Preparing For Opening At The New Chutes,” San Francisco Chronicle, July 4, 1909, p. 42.

3. “Vast Crowds Attend The Opening Of The New Chutes,” San Francisco Chronicle, July 15, 1909, p. 13.

4. “Open-Air Bill At New Chutes,” San Francisco Chronicle, July 18, 1909, p. 22.

5. “Free Picture Show Is Newest Thing At Chutes,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 19, 1909, p. 23.

6. “Elephants Come To Cheer Crowds,” San Francisco Chronicle, August 1, 1909, p. 18.

7. “Lay Cornerstone Of New Chutes Theater,” San Francisco Chronicle, November 1, 1909, p. 2.

8. “Finer Chutes Is Approved By All,” San Francisco Chronicle, January 1, 1910, p. 7.

9. “Three Dead And Seven Injured In Chutes Fires,” San Francisco Chronicle, May 30, 1911, p. 18.