This Is How San Franciscan’s Got Around 100 Years Ago

The cable car lives on, but most residents of the Bay Area commute inside and outside of the Peninsula via BART, Caltrain, auto and that ever-so-controversial tech bus. Back in 1917, the transportation options were a bit more, shall we say, limited. Don’t forget, this was before both the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges were built. So a ship might have been your best connection between Oakland and the Embarcadero. The Cable Car certainly made those steep hills more manageable for downtown movers and shakers, but we can’t help feeling sorry for the horses that hauled coaches in the decades prior.

7×7 compiled a selection of drawings and photos that reveal what transport was like for early San Franciscans. You can check it out here.

Photos courtesy of SFPL and State Library