History in Motion

Streetcar Tracks Battle the Mud on Bayshore Blvd, 1915

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Thursday, January 5, 2017

This week, we take a look back 102 years to a muddy winter scene on Bayshore Boulevard at Oakdale Avenue on January 1915.

Black and white photograph showing intersection of Bayshore Boulevard and Oakdale Avenue on January 8, 1915. Streetcar tracks receed into the distance away from the camera. to the left is a hillside covered with grass, trees, and some wooden fencing.  To the right is a small, flat-fronted building which houses the "Oakdale Bar", today this houses the Old Clamhouse restaurant.
This view looks north on modern day Bayshore Boulevard (then San Bruno Avenue) and Oakdale Avenue (then 15th Avenue) of 25 Line streetcar tracks and the Oakdale Bar. Photo taken January 8, 1915.

 

Nearly everything pictured in this 1915 shot has changed over the last century, from the street names, to the streetcar tracks, to the empty hillside on the left which now holds Hhighway 101. 

However, one thing remains from this long lost scene- the flat-front building seen at frame right. This small building, home to Oakdale Bar in 1915 is today home to the Old Clamhouse, which claims to be San Francisco's oldest restaurant.

Detailed view from previous photograph showing flat-fronted building housing the "Oakdale Bar" the building is wooden with horizontal plank siding and a gabled roof.
The Oakdale Bar in 1915 at the corner of Bayshore Blvd. and Oakdale Ave., today home to the Old Clamhouse restaurant.

 

However old the restaurant is, one thing we know for sure is that it has been served by public transit for at least 100 years. The United Railroads of San Francisco Company’s 25 Line provided service to and from downtown for residents of the Mission, Bernal Heights, Portola and Bayview neighborhoods.

Today, this area is served by Muni's 9 San Bruno and 9R San Bruno Rapid bus routes, which are being improved through the Muni Forward 9 San Bruno Rapid Project.

To explore more San Francisco history, check out the SFMTA Photo Archive and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.