Ferryboat Sausalito History

Twas just days before Christmas and all through the ferry, many creatures were stirring, especially those merry.

The children were all waiting to come to the boat, to see their friend Santa come up from the float.

They come to eat treats and sing with the teacher, to ring jingle bells and hear stories of a long ago preacher.

Santa arrives all dressed in his finest, to see each child and ask of their kindness.

The children all smile and look up at Santa as he hands them a gift in a very nice style. They say they were good, but many of us know, some had trouble as they started to grow.

Their pictures are taken as they smile with Santa in hopes he knows what their wants are.

As Santa leaves and we wave good-bye, we can see the merry twinkle in his eye. He says he must leave and pick up his reindeer, that he left on West Island to rest for the journey.

As we look toward the sky we hear him exclaim, “Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.

The Fresno and the San Leandro Ferryboats are headed for demolition unless someone can save them.

Both ferries were built in the 1920's by the Southern Pacific Railroad to serve the Bay Area before the bridges were built.

In 1940, the Fresno was renamed Willapa and was sent to Puget Sound. Washington State Ferries eventually retired the vessel and returned it to San Francisco where the name "Fresno" was restored.

Both ferries were part of a plan to create floating offices and retail space at the Port of San Francisco. This was the vision of their owner Arnold Gridley. Unfortunately Mr. Gridley died in 2004 and his vision died with him. Since his death his son, Philip Wright, has tried unsuccessfully to find new owners. Meanwhile the vessels are rusting away at Mare Island.

It is estimated that it would cost at least four million each to restore the ferries.

It’s such a shame to see this great part of history vanish. Both ferries made their final runs across the Bay in 1958.

We learned a lot from the 1906 earthquake. Damage reports showed the destruction to buildings was strongly related to design and construction, as well as the type of ground upon which the structures were built. Maps show the most intense shaking was where ground was soft sedimentary soils. This was proven again in the Marina District during the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.

Baily's pier in Inverness on the southwest shore of Tomales Bay became 12 feet shorter after the 1906 earthquake.

From the Lawson report of 1908, it was written that, at the Point Reyes Station on Tomales Bay, the 5:15 train for San Francisco was ready. The conductor had just swung himself on when the train gave a great lurch to the East, followed by another to the West, which threw the whole train on its side.

On April 18, 1906, at 5:13 in the morning, an earthquake violently shook the people of San Francisco from their sleep. The magnitude was 7.8 and, almost immediately following, the city was engulfed in fire which burned for four days. The quake was felt from Coos Bay, Oregon, to Los Angeles and across the state into central Nevada. The zone of destruction was 400 miles long and 25 miles wide.

As many as 3,000 people died in those four days.

The San Francisco Bay Ferryboats played an important role in the 1906 earthquake by carrying passengers who had lost their homes to other cities around the bay.

The San Francisco Marina district, built largely on fill, collapsed in the earthquake.

Few people are referred to as “A Legend,” but that is what is said about our friend Hal Schell, who passed away on June 9, 2006.

Hal visited our Club on several occasions. I remember him saying, "I hope your know what you have here," talking about our Ferry Sausalito. He loved our museum and would call me from time to time to ask questions about the ferries or news about our Club.

Hal was best known for his column in The Bay & Delta Yachtsman magazine called "Dawdling on the Delta" which told us of all the happenings from the Yacht Clubs to the Fishing Derbies to Delta Maps and Tide Tables.

Hal was the sole caregiver to his wife Joanie, who has multiple sclerosis. He would sit for hours at his desk at home writing and making calls. He wrote the book, Hal Schell's I on the Delta, which shows the love he had for the Delta. He was almost finished with his second book when he suffered a brain aneurysm last April.

Hal will truly be missed as a person and a journalist who new everything you wanted to know about the Delta.

To continue to honor Hal's life and work, a "Delta History" display is planned in the new Discover the Delta Visitor's Center that will soon be built at the foot of the Rio Vista Bridge. Hal's family has asked that donations go to this center. Checks can be made to:

Discover the Delta Foundation
c/o The Hal Schell Memorial Fund
P.O. Box 609
Isleton, Ca. 95641

On July 14, 15, & 16,  Sportsmen YC will host the 53rd 4S Cruise.  The 4S started in 1953 when four clubs: Sportsmen, 
Sacramento, Stockton and San Joaquin got together for an over the bottom race.  The host club served sandwiches at the 
end of the race.  

This event has really changed in 53 years.  Now it is a three day event with games, food, entertainment and a lot of fun.

In 1986, Sportsmen YC donated the perpetual trophy, which is still used today, for the 4S games.  

In 1994, Sportsmen YC started the tradition of presenting medals to all the game winners.  Before that it was just the 
perpetual trophy.   

The 4S is a wonderful event where old friendships are renewed from year to year and new friendships are made!  Hope 
to see everyone there.

More from an article written by Jacob Stadtfeld from our friend Bill Knorp:

Mr. Stadtfeld wrote that during the summer before 1941, the year ferry service between San Francisco and the Marin County communities was discontinued, he was a "regular" aboard the many ferryboats operated by the Northwestern Pacific Railway. He can remember the pleasures of relaxation and conviviality enjoyed by commuters before the advent of the Golden Gate Bridge. He remembers the old double-ended and double-decked ferryboats Sausalito, Tamalpais, Cazadero and occasionally the Ukiah or Tiburon were all on the San Francisco to Sausalito run. They would be considered quite slow in these fast times. It took 25 to 30 minutes to make the crossing on a clear day, depending on the tide, and perhaps 10 minutes longer when the fog was bad.

The time consumed in making the crossing was sufficient to allow for complete relaxation. Many passengers would read newspapers while others visited with friends. Inside the cabin of the main deck, friendly and sometimes noisy card games would be going on. Boards, stored in racks at the end of the rows of seats which ran crosswise to the deck were provided for the convenience of the passengers. The players supported the boards on their knees and if games were not completed at the end of the trip, they would be continued on the return trip. To get the proper seats and a playing board, one of the foursome would run down the gangplank and board the ferry as soon as the gate or door was opened. This was usually backed up by cheers.

Our Ferry expert, Bill Knorp, recently sent me an article that was written by Jacob A. Stadtfeld, a third generation San Franciscan. Even though the article was written some time ago, I think you will find it very interesting.

Mr. Stadtfeld wrote that many of the ferries had restaurants, but the one he remembered best was the one on the Sausalito. He described it as being located below the main deck and next to the boiler room. On cold, wintry, or foggy days,
he said it was very comfortable to sit up at the old oak counter, which had turned white with the constant scrubbing it received with strong lye soap. He said on the morning run you could order ham and eggs. The ham was cut 3/8 of an inch thick and was accompanied by corn meal muffins baked in the galley oven. Including hot coffee, the tab for this feast was about 40 cents and a 10 cent tip was appreciated. Adjoining the little restaurant was a small bar where the homeward bound commuter could douse down a couple of concoctions while discussing topics of the day with his friends or even the bartender who grew to know all of his regular customers by first and last names.

With so many new members, I thought I would repeat some historical facts about our Sausalito.

Most of our members know that our present bar was originally in the Ladies Lounge at the 1939 World’s Fair on Treasure Island, but did you know that our roadside galley was the original bar?

Did you know there was a pot belly stove between the present bar and the dance floor? In the old days members sat around the stove to talk and there were large booths where the shuffle board game is located.

Did you know the original poker room was in what we now call the laundry room? There is still a sign on the wall that reads, “Only Members Allowed to Play on Party Nights.”

Did you know that in the past, guests were only allowed to visit twice a year without joining the Club?

Did you know there was a restaurant under the San Francisco end (harbor end) of our ferry? Ask Lonnie or Alice about the stairs that went to the restaurant that was under their cabin.

Recently, I received a package from Rick and Barb Backman of Oro Valley, Arizona. Rick is the nephew of Clarence (Barney) and Edna Busby, who were members since 1931. Barney and Edna loved the Club and were very active members. Barney won fifty cents in a contest to design our Club burgee. About 13 years ago, at a Club picnic, Edna gave me one of the most prized possessions in the museum: a brass plaque from the hat of one of the officers of the Sausalito. It says “Deck Hand No. 2.”

Now they have sent me a box of Sportsmen Bulletins back to January 1939. The following was written in the January 1939 Sportsmen Bulletin: “1939 was a very successful year for Sportsmen Inc. Some of the most outstanding activities being the purchase of property, the dredging of a fine boat harbor, the moving of the club house and filling the harbor to capacity with inboard cruisers and small boats. Some fine job, I’ll say. Let’s make 1940 another history making year for Sportsmen Inc.”

At the Work Party on Saturday, January 7th, the Museum received a good cleaning. I want to thank Audrey Coach and Elaine Rasmussen for helping me accomplish this task.

In case you didn't see the San Francisco Chronicle on November 30th, Carl Nolte did a wonderful article about our Club and gave a historical account of the collision at sea between the Sausalito and the San Rafael on this same date November 30, 1901.

Bill Knorp, our Ferry expert, was mentioned in the article and he wrote to me and said, “The article by Carl Nolte was wonderful and right on all counts. It is good to know that something from the Bay Area's maritime past and from the turn of the century is brought back. Those early days mentioned in Mr. Nolte's article are treasurable memories." Bill Knorp rode all the San Francisco Ferry Boats, but his favorite was the Sausalito. He told me when he entered the Sausalito Ferry, it was like entering a lovely Victorian home.

When Carl Nolte came to visit the Ferry, he could hardy believe she was in such good shape after all these years. He is the Executive Vice President of the Historical Liberty Ship, The Jeremiah O'Brien, and was aboard her when they took her back to Normandy for the anniversary of D-Day.

Our Sausalito is so precious and it is important that she is also recognized by historians of San Francisco, Sausalito, and the Maritime community; I am happy to say, she is.

On Saturday night, December 10th, Santa came to visit by boat to the delight of many little ones. As I read stories and sang with the children, they could hardly wait to see Santa come up the stairs to the Clubhouse. When he appeared, it was a historical happening. Gary Mills Jr. helped Santa out this year, as did his mother Penny. Years ago, Penny helped her husband, Gary Mills Sr. in the same capacity for about 25 years. This was a historical, full circle event enjoyed by everyone.

If you should happen to have old newspaper articles, photos, other artifacts, or personal knowledge relevant to the history of The Ferryboat Sausalito, please contact Historian Kathie (please see "Contact SYC Staff" on Home Page).
Thank you.