V. Traverso Co.

Books

In the year 1883 many fruit ranchers in California began to receive letters from San Francisco. Each letter was signed "L. Scatena & Company, by A. P. Giannini." Each told about a reliable firm in San Francisco which paid fair prices for fruit and vegetable crops and sold them promptly to hotels, restaurants and groceries.

But when the rancher took their produce to this firm they discovered that Mr. A. P. Giannini was just thirteen years old! He was Amadeo Peter, Mr. Scatena's stepson.

A. P. Giannini grew up promoting the fruit and vegetable business of his step-father on the San Francisco waterfront. As a very successful adult he established the Bank of Italy for the benefit of the Italian people living in San Francisco.

Since its publication in 1972, "San Francisco's Telegraph Hill" has been considered the definitive history of one of the San Francisco's oldest and most beloved neighborhoods.

David F. Myrick has long had an interest in the history and geography of the western United States which began when he learned that one of his ancestors left Vermont in 1850 by covered wagon to come to San Francisco. Living on Telegraph Hill for almost three decades, he shared his enthusiasm for this special place with his neighbors. After serving for five years as editor and publisher of the neighborhood journal Telegraph Hill (no The Semaphore), he wrote the history of the hill.

Contents include: The Place; The History; The Marine Telegraph; The People; The German Castle and the Cable Car Line; Early Quarries and the Sea Wall; The Gray Brothers, Incredible Quarrymen; Pioneer Park; Coit Tower; Telegraph Hill in Print; North-South Streets: Sansome and Battery, Calhoun, Montgomery, Kearny, Grant, Stockton, Washington Square; East-West Streets: Broadway, Vallejo, Green, Union, Alta, Filbert, Greenwich, Lombard, Chestnut, Francisco and Bay; Streets of the Past Donors of Pioneer Park; Streets of the Past.

A look at the City in 1969. Several photos of the Telegraph Hill neighborhood.

Illustrated with more than four hundred on-the-scene photographs, this definitive volume tells the dramatic story of the four days of upheaval and destruction that swept the city when a violent earth tremor rocked the land, succeeded rapidly by a devastating fire that destroyed nearly thirty thousand buildings and left over a quarter million people homeless.

Seventy-two colorful stories about the men and women, the places and events that have contributed to San Francisco's flamboyant history are included in this one-volume edition of Samuel Dickson's three popular books, San Francisco Is Your Home, San Francisco Kaleidoscope, and The Streets of San Francisco.

This book difficult to find except electronically. Harold Gilliam is a former environmental columnist for the "San Francisco Chronicle."

Articles

It would doubtless be quite impressive to know how much of San Francisco's food is supplied by the Italian population. We may as well let it go at the fisherman's estimate that it is all of the fish. A considerable Italian agricultural population ship their produce to Italian commission merchants. Italian names are more conspicuous along produce row than any others. California fruit has become almost an Italian commodity. Pasta, macaroni, spaghetti, tagliarini, vermicelli, and all other varieties—where do they come from? Italian factories.

The Italians have their own chamber of commerce. They have tried to get at some idea of imports. This is practically impossible for the reason that but a small percentage of Italian goods pays customs duties in this port. Large quantities are received at New York or other ports, and shipped through commission merchants and wholesalers. Italian olive oil is produced. Italy once made wine and shipped it to California and bought wine in California and shipped it to Italy. The passing of wine has made many changes, but little difference in the volume of business transacted here by Italians.

This blog has information about early San Francisco and how the Italian community influenced the City. Also, find some interesting recipes.