Video Tour Of San Fran Circa '05
 

Take a streetcar ride down Market street around 1905

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=

I don't see no illegals :D

That was a great find AG. Everyone wore hats, kids, men and women. The cars drove any direction they wanted without light signals or stop signs. What a difference 105 yrs makes.

I've been doing a little research on Chinese immigration, both legal & illegal, here's a little something from the year after that film was shot..
"The 1906 San Francisco earthquake allowed a critical change to Chinese immigration patterns. The practice known as "Paper Sons" and "Paper Daughters" was allegedly introduced. Chinese would declare themselves to be United States citizens whose records were lost in the earthquake".

Sorta like the INS/ICE computer data-base crashing, I imagine for the era..

I've heard that illegal Chinese leftover from the goldrush/railroad days were a real problem in Ca. infact the "Hippie-dippy" City of Arcata, in Humboldt County imposed a $50 a day fine on illegals living in It's City...that's a chunk of change for those days.

In 1917 immigration from Asia was almost completely banned, I forget the name of the act, but here's a map of the "barred zone".

Wow. I started with the video. But the music is truly awesome.

Who is that?

You might be thinking of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act.


http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=old&doc=47

When I lived in SF, I had a great Dane, and a huge friendly pittbull, and loved walking Them in Chinatown...not one person would get within a 10' radius of Me.
Kathy...there were numerous immigration acts in regards to the Chinese back then, but thanks for the link.

What building is that at the end of the street?

From what I recall from looking at an old Sears catalog those cars cost around $300.