Have you heard the one about the ghost of Stow Lake?
It’s been said that a woman in white, who suffered a tragic accident, now haunts Stow Lake. Supposedly, 100 years ago she sat down on a bench near Stow Lake to rest with her stroller-bound baby beside her. She fell into conversation with another woman and failed to notice that the stroller started rolling away.
They say her spirit is still searching for her baby. Some claim they have been approached by a barefoot woman in a white dress, asking if they’ve seen her baby. Others say that the Pioneer Woman statue near the lake moves or changes.
Whether you are a believer or a buster, urban legends are all in good fun. But sometimes it’s tricky to tell truth from fiction. Being the superstitious fraidycat that I am, I have no intention of ever wandering around Stow Lake at night, on the off-chance that I am approached by a creepy woman looking for her baby. No way. I am just going to take your friend’s friend’s cousin’s boyfriend’s and/or great-aunt’s friend’s word for it and avoid midnight strolls around Stow Lake at all costs.
The Bold Italic has already investigated San Francisco’s hard-to-believe tall tales; so here are a few more San Francisco urban legends that rank zero on the truth-o-meter, starting with the one about rent being the most expensive out of any city in the country — oh wait, that is true.
Russian Hill Got its Name for the Russians Who Settled There
This morbid truth is probably a blend of assumption and myth. One would think Russian Hill was named for its Russian immigrants. Nope. The truth is, Russian merchant and navel ships frequented San Francisco in the early 19th century, and the sailors who died here in San Francisco were buried in a small cemetery that stood on what is today known as Russian Hill. The cemetery was discovered during the Gold Rush era and has since been removed, but the name given to the area remains.
As most locals know, the city’s Russian community is predominantly rooted in the Richmond District.
The Birdman of Alcatraz Kept Birds on the Rock
Given his nickname, “Birdman of Alcatraz,” one would assume Robert Stroud, one of Alcatraz’s more famous inmates, kept birds while imprisoned there. The truth is, Stroud was the Birdman before arriving on Alcatraz.
Stroud reared, sold and studied birds while imprisoned at Leavenworth Penitentiary. His book, Diseases of Canaries, was published in 1933. He was unable to keep birds when he was transferred to Alcatraz in 1942 because he had previously used some of his bird-keeping equipment to secretly make alcohol in his cell.
San Francisco Is Seven Miles by Seven Miles
Some things just don’t fit into a square box; the city of San Francisco is one of them.
I was told that the city was seven by seven upon moving here and just assumed it to be true. Turns out, it’s almost true. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of San Francisco’s land area in square miles is 46.87 (2010), not 49.
The Castro Was the City’s First Gayborhood
While it was one of the first gay neighborhoods in the country, and the Castro district’s history of being a hub for LGBT activism in the 1970s is without question, it was not the first gay neighborhood in the city.
The first gay bars in San Francisco were located in what is today North Beach and the Financial District. OUT lists the bars Dash (1908), Finocchio’s (1936), Mona’s (1939) and the Black Cat (1951) as some of the earliest influential gay-friendly bars in the city.
The first “Gay Pride parade” went down Polk Street to Civic Center in 1972. Polk Gulch was once home to numerous gay bars and is considered to be the first predominately gay neighborhood in San Francisco.
In its former life, the Castro was called Eureka Valley and was considered a working-class neighborhood that was home to many immigrants. The Castro’s first gay bar was the Missouri Mule (1963).
Union Square Was a Railroad Stop
Some say Union Square was named for the Union Pacific Railroad. Not true! There has never been a train station at Union Square. It was named for the rallies that were held on the site in support of the Union Army during the Civil War. Sounds just like the progressive San Francisco we know and love.
