Wild Times at Sutro Heights

The upcoming SF Archives Crawl, October 19^th, 2019 from 1-5pm will feature 10 items from the Sutro related to our library’s founder, California entrepreneur and philanthropist, Adolph Sutro. Among the items featured will be two volumes of photographs of Sutro Heights, created by famed California photographer, Isaiah West Taber. The images show the extensive 20 acre garden at Sutro Heights. This massive property had a full time staff of 17 to tend to the flower beds, hedge mazes, and other flora. The album also features views of the terraces overlooking the Pacific and some of the 200 replicas of Greek and Roman statuary that were imported by Sutro, apparently to expose visitors to European culture.

Adolph Sutro encouraged San Franciscans to come out and use the park. The sign at the front entrance (see below) gave the basic rules for visiting. At one point, Sutro Heights was offered up as a permanent public park to San Francisco on the stipulation that the Pacific Railroad would agree to a single fare trip from downtown out to the ‘Heights.’ At the time, municipal rails were owned by the railroads and the trip required a transfer which was not free. They declined, and Sutro built his own train. It opened in 1895.

Sutro Heights was a busy park in its heyday with thousands of San Franciscans enjoying the gardens, the Cliff House, and the Sutro Baths. Just outside the entrance to Sutro Heights was the Ocean and Park railroad. Colorful descriptions of inebriated passengers causing trouble abound. One article talks about three men who had too much to drink, one of them deliberately kicking a woman waiting at a stop. The incident almost caused a mob to enact their own justice against the offender, if not for the intervention of the police. The Call describes a busy scene from Sutro Heights in 1896 in which a Captain Thompson and his men had to keep “pedestrians, cyclists and horse-vehicles from becoming disastrously mixed up.”

Visitors were attracted to the heights for many things: the gardens, the views of the Pacific, and the conservatory. They were also attracted to other novelties at the Heights, one of which was certainly Sutro’s pet monkeys. His favorite, Jack, was allowed to roam free at Sutro Heights until his mischievous behavior caused him to be locked up. As one report describes, Jack “would follow the gardeners and tear up plants they had put down, steal and hide things.”  One day he decided to steal a rooster, took it up high into a tree, and plucked out every feather with exception of the tail feathers. On the upside, Jack did adopt and care for a sick kitten.

A May 8, 1886 piece in the Pacific Rural Press talks about other ideas that Sutro had in mind for the Heights. Specifically, he had a “plan to construct a fine building according to his own designs which [would] contain the library and abundant room and conveniences for those who desire to pursue special studies and investigations.”

In 1895, Sutro closed his townhouse at the corner of Hayes and Fillmore and moved permanently with his children to the Heights. His final days were spent with his daughter Dr. Emma Sutro Merritt who was given power of attorney. Her sister Clara was so upset with Emma’s removal of Sutro from Sutro Heights that she tried to spook the horses on the ambulance transport which was moving him out to Emma’s home. Sutro was apparently not cogent and in need of more care than could be provided at the Heights. This family disagreement and his will caused disruptions in the family after the death of Adolph Sutro in 1898.

This collection consists of 52 photographs of Sutro Heights with images of the statuary and gardens, exterior and interior views of the Sutro residence, outdoor scenes, dwellings, rock walls, groves, vases, and one group portrait of employees seated on the lawn.

Sutro Library will be one of many institutions tabling at the Labor Archives & Research Center on the 4^th floor of the J. Paul Leonard Library. Come on by to see this collection as well as our other objects that make up The Histories of California.

Today’s post was written by Diana Kohnke, Librarian at Sutro Library.