Richmond tour, Soskin selfie, history hero, and more
Hi everybody!
When I started this podcast back in 2016 I wasn’t thinking it would lead to a side-hustle as a tour guide, but this summer I’ve discovered… I really enjoy leading boat tours! I love seeing the East Bay from a totally different perspective, watching sunsets from the water is always mind-blowing, and my favorite part is all the cool people I’ve met on the trips. Podcasting can sometimes feel like a solitary venture, so the opportunity to have lots of face-to-face conversations with other local history fans has been a treasure.
Anyway, since my Oakland/Emeryville historical boat tours have been so much fun, I'm adding another route. The new tour will cruise from the Emeryville Marina up along the shorelines of Berkeley, Albany, and Richmond. Along the way, I'll be sharing stories about the ecological, industrial, and cultural history of this ever-changing stretch of bayfront, so expect to hear about mighty shipyards, toxic waste dumps, one of America’s last whaling stations, marshland restoration projects, and much more.
Since the fall and winter weather can be unpredictable, I'm only doing two of these trips this year (October 20th & 27th) before taking a break for a few months. I'll be announcing more dates for the Oakland and Richmond trips starting in spring of 2020, but if you want to join one of the first runs, here’s the ticket link. (There are still a few tix left for the 10/6 Oakland tour, too.)
As always, you can bring your own drinks and snacks! Also, shoutout to Jonathan Haeber for joining me on a location-scouting trip along the Richmond shoreline a few weeks ago. If you want to read about taking historical curiosity to the extreme, check out his photo essay about sneaking aboard the Mothball Fleet in Suisun Bay a few years ago. He risked very serious consequences to get some incredible shots like this…
New episodes
Betty Reid Soskin is such a living legend that she doesn’t even need an introduction. I’m just gonna say that getting a chance to sit down and interview her for a few hours was a life-changing experience. Here’s the episode. I don’t usually take selfies with my guests, but I was so star-struck that I had to capture the moment:
More East Bay Yesterday news
When I announced that I’d be doing a live podcast taping about BART history, I asked the Twitterverse if folks had any questions they want me to ask BART historian Mike Healy and WOW you guys did not disappoint. Expect us to delve into everything from (possibly true) conspiracy theories to questions about station architecture and lots more. This free event is happening on October 9 at the Oakland Library – and it’s free, so show up early if you want to secure a seat. [Event info / Facebook event page]
Shoutout to Erin Baldassari for quoting me in this great piece on the East Bay Dragons: “Bay Area’s oldest black motorcycle club celebrates 60 years in Oakland."
I finally visited the Golden Gate Model Railroad Museum and was really happy to see, the Key Route Inn, one of my favorite (long lost) Oakland buildings included in the scenery. (Be sure to check out the Museum's website if you want to remind yourself what the Internet looked like in the early 2000s)
In other news…
I was really sad to hear that longtime Oakland historian Jeff Norman passed away recently. Here's a 2002 SF Chronicle article about his public art installations in Temescal and a link to his book Temescal Legacies. For those who want to hear more about his achievements, I believe there will be an obituary honoring Jeff in an upcoming Oakland Heritage Alliance newsletter.
Speaking of OHA, tickets are now on sale for the annual Partners in Preservation Awards.
Friend and occasional collaborator Sue Mark of Commons Archives has spearheaded an incredible effort to gather, publish, and share “many materials that were, up until now, stored in basements, locked in file cabinets and forgotten boxes.” I’ve checked them out and these books are a treasure for anybody interested in Oakland history. Don’t miss the Golden Gate Local Collection Book Launch.
I haven’t been to the Red Oak Victory in many years, but this article makes me want to go back for another visit soon: “Volunteer electrician ensures Richmond WWII vessel remains in shipshape”
Scott Saul, who I interviewed for the Richard Pryor episode, recently published a fascinating new article (along with co-author Tessa Rissacher) about “Berkeley's Rainbow Sign and the Secret History of the Black Arts Movement.” Here’s a taste: “With its all-female leadership and its balance of black nationalism, experimental art, and the politics of respectability, the Berkeley cultural center Rainbow Sign suggests some of the hidden complexities of the Black Arts Movement as it translated itself into the 1970s…”
I recently mentioned on Instagram that I miss the old Bay Bridge and judging by the outpouring of responses, I’m not the only one. East Bay Times photojournalist Jane Tyska dug up this awesome series of the bridge’s dismantling for those of us who want to re-live the old span’s final months.
If you haven’t seen “Welcome to the Neighborhood” yet, California Historical Society is hosting a screening along with a panel discussion about Black displacement in the Bay Area. The film is a great short doc about battles over the construction of BART in Berkeley and how those struggles connect to the present day.
Podcasting superstar Avery Trufelman found a really cool image of downtown Oakland’s “Jewish Cultural Experience” mural that shows the piece long before it was all faded and tagged over. (And if you haven't listened to "Nice Try!," Avery's podcast series on attempts to build utopias, it's reeeaaaaally good.)
My favorite West Bay historians have announced their fall/winter free public talks and, as always, the lineup looks awesome. Head over to Shaping SF to see the details.
Finally…
In my last newsletter I asked if anyone could help out with some website problems and Oakland history hero Gene Anderson came to my rescue! Thanks to Gene, the site now has a search function – and a lot less bugs! As if that weren’t enough, Gene was inspired by one of the stories on my boat tour to build a page on the Oakland Wiki all about the Bay Bridge trolls. If you want to see some more of Gene’s work, check out “Legendary Locals of Oakland.”
Don't forget to support East Bay Yesterday if you can afford to kick down a few bucks. I wouldn't be able to do this without your help!
-Liam
PS: I found this image in the Oakland Library's BART archives and it gave me flashbacks to some hazy "last BART of the night" experiences...