29 episodes

Retelling forgotten stories from San Francisco's golden past, 1776 - 1906, based on newspapers, books, and personal accounts, of the time. San Francisco enthusiasts, California gold rush fans, and garden variety history geeks can discover this boom and bust city, built on the discovery of gold. Ho boys ho! For Californio! *I do my best to accurately reflect the facts, and sources, in my episodes.*

Monkey Block San Francisco's Golden History Girlina

    • History
    • 5.0 • 19 Ratings

Retelling forgotten stories from San Francisco's golden past, 1776 - 1906, based on newspapers, books, and personal accounts, of the time. San Francisco enthusiasts, California gold rush fans, and garden variety history geeks can discover this boom and bust city, built on the discovery of gold. Ho boys ho! For Californio! *I do my best to accurately reflect the facts, and sources, in my episodes.*

    S3 Ep7 3rd Yr in Review, Sparkletack Interview Host Richard Miller

    S3 Ep7 3rd Yr in Review, Sparkletack Interview Host Richard Miller

    Listen to me fan girl Richard Miller, the host of Sparkletack. The original podcast on San Francisco history, 2006 - 2009. 

    I modeled my podcast after Sparkletack so getting to interview him was a huge honor. 

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    • 41 min
    S3 Ep6 Part 2 of Interview with Edwin Bryant

    S3 Ep6 Part 2 of Interview with Edwin Bryant

    Today, we do not cover Edwin Bryant's best 1848-selling book but I do have a friendly conversation, with Mr. Bryant. Please sit back and enjoy the rest of my talk with Edwin Bryant. 

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    • 32 min
    S3 Ep5 Interview With Edwin Bryant, 1848 Best Selling Author

    S3 Ep5 Interview With Edwin Bryant, 1848 Best Selling Author

    Today, I virtually interview Edwin Bryant, the author of the 1848 best seller, “What I Saw in California, Journal of a Tour, 1846- 1847”. Through the magic of AI generated voices, I simulate a virtual conversation with Edwin Bryant; a journalist, turned overland traveler, turned the second American Alcalde of Yerba Buena, and then finally, a bestselling author. 
    About 95% of the words our guest speaks, are taken directly from his book. I only made minimal changes to past tense descriptions and similar small changes. 

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    • 36 min
    S3 Ep4 Where Juana Lived - Jonathan Lammers Interview

    S3 Ep4 Where Juana Lived - Jonathan Lammers Interview

    Today’s episode is an interview with a new listener and accidental friend of Monkey Block’s Facebook Page that led to IMs on Facebook, a rabbit hole on Juana Briones, and then to an online interview. 

    monkeyblocksf@gmail.com (email me directly)
    monkeyblocksf.buzzsprout.com (for transcripts and cited sources)
    buymeacoffee.com/monkeyblocksf (support the podcast)
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    • 33 min
    S3 Ep3 Hudson Bay Co. in Yerba Buena and William Glen Rae 1845

    S3 Ep3 Hudson Bay Co. in Yerba Buena and William Glen Rae 1845

    The story of the Hudson Bay Company, in Yerba Buena, has been reduced to a few sentences that are very Hudson Bay Company-centric. “That place was miserable, and we didn’t make any money, so we left.” It always felt like the guy who says, “Yeah, well, I didn’t want that job, anyway.” 
    Today’s episode is peripherally about the English Hudson Bay Company’s short-lived post in Yerba Buena. But, it’s mostly about the people involved at the store, whose credit to that history has been lost over the last two centuries. And, they deserve to have their story retold to a current audience. Maybe, retelling this story today, it can become a part of early San Francisco's history, again. Once you hear the story, you’ll know what I mean.

    I will respectfully tell this story, and, need to provide advisement to my listeners that this episode contains a delicate topic that can be challenging for some people. We discuss self-harm and I’ll dance lightly around any details. 

    monkeyblocksf@gmail.com (email me directly)
    monkeyblocksf.buzzsprout.com (for transcripts and cited sources)
    buymeacoffee.com/monkeyblocksf (support the podcast)
    twitter.com/monkeyblocksf (follow me)
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    • 31 min
    S3 Ep2 La Plaza Yerba Buena 1835-1846

    S3 Ep2 La Plaza Yerba Buena 1835-1846

    I have found myself drawn to a specific piece of land that figuratively and literally became central to the Pueblo de Yerba Buena. Why was it left empty? And, considering it shows up on every Yerba Buena and early San Francisco map, why is it hard to find early information on it? 

    monkeyblocksf@gmail.com (email me directly)
    monkeyblocksf.buzzsprout.com (for transcripts and cited sources)
    buymeacoffee.com/monkeyblocksf (support the podcast)
    twitter.com/monkeyblocksf (follow me)
    facebook.com/MonkeyBlockSF (follow me)

    • 29 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
19 Ratings

19 Ratings

Ramonsim ,

Great Story Telling

I am enjoying your podcast episodes! I am native San Franciscan who enjoys the rich and often notorious history of this town. I hope you keep up the good work!

technotami ,

If you love SF history, you will ❤️ this podcast

Girlina shares interesting spinets of SF’s past. At times can you imagine you’ve been dropped into the past. She researches topics throughly and shares interesting points of view that aren’t usual mainstream. You never know what to expect which makes listening fun & educational. 👍

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