William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection

Item set

Title: William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection
Description: Capturing the rich history of the early twentieth century, the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection (Identification #96-07-08) highlights well-known landmarks, historic events, and scenic vistas from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, from the Deep South to Canada, and from Mexico to Cuba. Scenes across the Golden State are captured in stunning shots from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite and the Central Coast to Southern California cities. The collection features nearly 3,000 photographs taken by native Californians William M. and Grace McCarthy from approximately 1905 to 1938. The McCarthys traveled extensively during the early years of automobile travel, as newly constructed highways connected people and places throughout the United States and beyond, providing pictorial documentation of a pivotal period in our nation's history.

William M. McCarthy (1876 – 1956) and Grace C. Kane (1878 – 1957) wed in the early 1900s and lived in San Francisco for most of their lives where William was stationed as an armament expert for the U.S. War Department. The collection features photographs of the McCarthys' travels, as well as the many family members and friends they encountered along the way. Always ready with his camera, William McCarthy also captured remarkable images of significant events, including shots of San Francisco before and after the 1906 earthquake, the fire that destroyed that city's iconic Cliff House in 1907, the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and their 1938 journey into Mexico along the newly constructed Pan American Highway. The original black and white photographs, mounted in eleven albums, make up one of the few private collections preserved by the California State Archives. The entire collection was digitized by the State Archives' curatorial staff.

To request a high-resolution scan of one or more of these images, contact the California State Archives at ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov or (916) 653-2246. Please include the Title or Identifier for each photograph in which you are interested, as well as the desired format (tiff, jpg, pdf) and resolution (DPI) for the requested scan. Duplication fees will apply.

DISCLAIMER
The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the creators of the materials presented (William and Grace McCarthy) are theirs alone. As noted in image descriptions, certain photographs are restricted or have been cropped due to sensitive content deemed unsuitable for online distribution.
Date: 1905-1938
Contributor: Audrey Fullerton-Samora of Sacramento, great niece of William and Grace McCarthy, donated the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection to the California State Archives in 1996.
Creator: William M. McCarthy
Publisher: California State Archives, a division of the California Secretary of State's Office
Rights: The California State Archives, a division of the California Secretary of State’s Office, owns the copyright to the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection. The images and content may be used for personal use, research, or educational purposes. For any use of these materials, please credit the “California State Archives, William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection, Identification #96-07-08.” Commercial use or distribution of the images or content is not permitted without prior written permission from the California State Archives. Please note that the materials contained in this collection may include copyrighted material (such as postcards) not held by the California State Archives. Additionally, other limitations, such as the right of publicity, may limit use of the materials in this collection.

For more information about the copyrights related to this collection or to request permission to use the digital images or content, please contact the California State Archives at ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov or (916) 653-2246.
Identifier: Collection ID#96-07-08

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McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 074
Caption: "Veu-Deleu [sic] Santa Cruz Beach," c. 1910. Ocean shore scene with waves and high spray. The Vue de L'eau (View of the Water) was a station on the Santa Cruz, Garfield Park and Capitola Electric Railway electric streetcar line. The station, built in 1891, was located at the very end of the line, on a promontory overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It featured an observatory on the top story. The same company also built a casino, ballroom, and restaurant nearby. The station burned down in 1925. See also 96-07-08-alb08-192.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 073
Caption: "Tea Garden Golden Gate Park," c. 1912-1915. View of the five-acre Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Established in 1894 by George Turner Marsh for the Midwinter Exposition of that year, it is the oldest public Japanese Tea Garden in the U.S.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 072
Caption: "Music Stand Golden Gate Park," c. 1912-1915. View of the Spreckels Temple of Music, commonly known as the Music Stand or the Bandshell. The Temple was built in 1899-1900 at the west end of the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park. A gift to the City of San Francisco from sugar magnate Claus Spreckels, the Temple has been extensively renovated over the years to repair earthquake damage.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 071
Caption: "San Diego Exposition," c. 1915-1916. View of an artificial lagoon, with the Commerce and Industries Building (tower at left, now called Casa de Balboa) and the Foreign Arts Building (tower at right, now called the House of Hospitality). The Panama-California Exposition was held in San Diego in 1915 and 1916 to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal. It was smaller in scale and less well-funded than the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in 1915 in San Francisco. See also 96-07-08-alb04-111, and 112.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 070
Caption: "Linnard Hotel Santa Barbara.," c. 1920. Grace McCarthy sitting in front of the Hotel Potter. Opened in 1903 by Milo M. Potter, the hotel sold in 1919 to the Santa Barbara Hotel Company, controlled by D.M. Linnard. The famous luxury resort burned down in 1921. See also 96-07-08-alb04-097.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 069
Caption: "Apple Show Watsonville.," c. 1910-1913. Display of apples at the Apple Show in Watsonville, held annually from 1910-1913. The four-day festival featured parades, displays, dances, shows, and, of course, apples. The 1910 show, for instance, featured over 2,530,000 apples.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 068
No caption. Grace McCarthy standing next to an exhibit by the San Monte Fruit Company at the 1912 "Big Week" in Salinas (Monterey County), an event still celebrated today as the Salinas Rodeo. The exhibit consists of a globe made of apples and apple slices. See also 96-07-08-alb05-062.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 067
Caption: "Third and Kearney S.F.," c. 1912-1915. Street scene at the intersection of Third Street and Kearney Street in San Francisco.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 066
No caption, c. 1912-1915. Shows a Curtiss Pusher Model D Biplane, an early biplane with one seat, open to the elements. The "pusher" designation indicates that the propeller is seated behind the engine.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 065
Caption: "Portals of the Past," c. 1915. A monument in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, on the shores of Lloyd Lake, consisting of a white marble archway and columns. The archway was originally part of the Nob Hill mansion belonging to railroad tycoon Alban Towne. The mansion was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, but the entryway still stood. It was moved to the shore of Lloyd Lake in 1909, as a memorial to the pre-1906 city.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 064
Caption: "Strawberry Hill -- Golden Gate Park.," c. 1912-1915. Image of small waterfall and pond on Strawberry Hill. This hill rises above Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, surrounded by the man-made Stow Lake.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 063
Caption: "Stanford Chapel," c. 1912-1915. Façade of Stanford Memorial Chapel, designed by Charles A. Coolidge and dedicated in 1903. The church was commissioned by Jane Stanford as a memorial to her husband, Leland Stanford. See also 96-07-08-alb04-202 and 215.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 062
Caption: "Fruit Exhibit Watsonville." Exhibit at the 1912 "Big Week" in Salinas (Monterey County), an event still celebrated today as the Salinas Rodeo. The exhibit displays a building made almost entirely out of apples and apple slices. See also 96-07-08-alb05-068.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 061
Caption: "French 75 Millimeter Gun In Action," c. 1912-1915. Commonly called the French 75, or simply the 75, this heavy, rapid-fire artillery gun was developed in 1897. During World War I it was adapted to fire shells full of toxic gas, and was also modified for mounting on an armored vehicle. See also 96-07-08-alb05-060.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 060
Caption: "French 75 Millimeter Gun Model of 1897." c. 1912-1915. William McCarthy posing with a French 75mm field gun, with an unidentified man. Commonly called the French 75, or simply the 75, this heavy, rapid-fire artillery gun was developed in 1897. During World War I it was adapted to fire shells full of toxic gas, and was also modified for mounting on an armored vehicle. See also 96-07-08-alb05-061.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 059
No caption, c. 1912-1915. An elegantly attired Grace McCarthy posing in a park or garden.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 058
Caption: "Huntington Falls -- G.G. Park.," c. 1912-1915. Artificial waterfall in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Huntington Falls cascades down Strawberry Hill to empty into Stow Lake. The 110-foot-tall falls is named after Collis P. Huntington, one of the "Big Four" of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 057
Caption: "Santa Rosa," c. 1914. Part of a parade in Santa Rosa. The tall wagon in this photograph is pulled by a six-horse team, decked out in feathered plumes for the occasion.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 056
Caption: "Santa Rosa Court House.," c. 1914. Built in 1910, this building replaced the original Sonoma County courthouse that was destroyed by the great earthquake and fire that ravaged the San Francisco Bay Area in 1906. This second courthouse served the county for more than fifty years before being declared seismically unsafe in the 1960s. It was subsequently torn down, but the area still retains the name "Old Courthouse Square."
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 055
No caption, c. 1914. William and Grace McCarthy (fourth and fifth from the left) seated on a log with a group of unidentified friends and family in the Skaggs Springs area of Sonoma County. Skaggs Springs was a resort area along the Russian River, known for its hot springs. The area now lies beneath the waters of Lake Sonoma, flooded after construction of the Warm Springs Dam, completed in 1982.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 054
Caption: "Skaggs Springs," c. 1914. William and Grace McCarthy (fourth and fifth from the left) standing on a log with a group of unidentified friends and family in the Skaggs Springs area of Sonoma County. Skaggs Springs was a resort area along the Russian River, known for its hot springs. The area now lies beneath the waters of Lake Sonoma, flooded after construction of the Warm Springs Dam, completed in 1982.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 053
Caption: "Russian River Healdsburg July 1914." Grace McCarthy (far left) and four unidentified people (family and/or friends) being pulled in a rowboat by William McCarthy, on the Russian River near Healdsburg.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 052
Caption: "Russian River Healdsburg, Cal." William and Grace McCarthy (at far left) on wood bridge over the Russian River near Healdsburg. They are standing with three unidentified people.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 051
Caption: "Riverside Villa Healdsburg July 1914." William and Grace McCarthy standing in the doorway of a small cabin along the Russian River near Healdsburg. An unidentified woman stands in the doorway of the cabin next door.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 050
Caption: "Russian River -- Healdsburg." William and Grace McCarthy in swimsuits enjoying summer fun on the Russian River near Healdsburg. William stands on a rock along the bank, while Grace is sitting in a rowboat on the river.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 049
Caption: "Joy Ride -- Skaggs Springs," c. 1914. William (standing in front to the right) and Grace (third from the left in the wagon) McCarthy and a group of unidentified people all holding bunches of grapes, either getting ready for or coming back from a ride in a horse-drawn wagon. Skaggs Springs was a resort area along the Russian River in Sonoma County, known for its hot springs. The area now lies beneath the waters of Lake Sonoma, flooded after construction of the Warm Springs Dam, completed in 1982.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 048
Caption: "Russian River," c. 1914. View of a bend in the Russian River, likely near Healdsburg.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 047
No caption, c. 1914. Grace McCarthy in a rowboat on the Russian River near Healdsburg.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 046
Caption: "Russian River -- Healdsburg," c. 1914. William and Grace McCarthy in a rowboat on the Russian River near Healdsburg.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 045
Caption: "Russian River," c. 1925. View of a locomotive traversing the Healdsburg Railroad Bridge over the Russian River. The bottom portion of the Healdsburg Memorial Bridge, built in 1921, can be seen downstream of the Railroad Bridge.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 044
Caption: "Healdsburg Court House," Captioned incorrectly, this is actually the Healdsburg City Hall, built in 1886.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 043
No caption, c. 1925. View of the RMS Franconia, an ocean liner operated by the Cunard Line. She launched in October 1922, operating on the route between Liverpool and New York in the summers, and as a world cruise ship in the winters. The Franconia was requisitioned as a troop ship during World War II, then returned to the Cunard Line until being retired in 1956.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 042
Caption: "Crockett Park," c. 1905-1906. Scene in a park in Crockett, California, showing a landscaped hill with flowers or rocks arranged to depict the California State Flag.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 041
No caption, undated. Image of small, man-made waterfall flowing into a pool made of rocks, apparently in a garden or park.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 040
Caption: "Crockett Calif," c. 1905-1906. Street scene in Crockett, California, in Contra Costa County. American flags appear on the buildings and arched gateway over the street, implying a celebration is at hand.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 039
Caption: "Martinez Court House," c. 1905-1906. View of the Martinez Courthouse, built in 1901 and designed by William H. Toepke. In 1933, Martinez built a new Hall of Records, into which the courts subsequently moved. The 1901 courthouse became the Finance Building in 1966.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 038
Caption: "Benicia-Martinez Ferry," c. 1913. View of the City of Seattle, a steam-powered ferry built in 1888. Purchased in 1913 by the Martinez and Benicia Ferry and Transportation Company, the City of Seattle served as a ferry between Benicia and Martinez until being requisitioned by the U.S. Navy in 1944.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 037
Caption: "Benicia Cal," c. 1905-1906. Group of eight unidentified people posing around a cannon.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 036
Caption: "Wreck on the Vallejo Napa Line." Photograph showing some of the train cars involved in a June 19, 1913 accident in which two trains of the San Francisco, Napa Valley and Calistoga Railroad collided head-on approximately 2.4 miles north of Vallejo. Ten passengers and three railroad employees were killed, and twenty-eight others injured.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 035
Caption: "Ferry Boat Contra Costa," c. 1920. Built in 1914, the Contra Costa ferried locomotives and train cars across the Carquinez Strait between Benicia and Port Costa. The largest rail ferry ever built, the Contra Costa operated until the Benicia-Martinez Railroad Bridge opened in 1930. She made the crossing as many as 52 times in 24 hours.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 034
Caption: "Independence Day Parade -- Benicia," c. 1905-1906. Parade float possibly with a Native American theme (stylized teepees can be seen at the back of the float) pulled by a team of horses bedecked in garlands, with a single person on horseback riding alongside.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 033
Caption: "Transport Dock.," undated. Unidentified building on pier, with two boats docked.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 032
Caption: "Alcatraz," c. 1920. Image of lighthouse, main prison building (at top of hill), residences, and wharf facilities at Alcatraz Island prior to its designation as a federal penitentiary in 1934. Built in 1859 by the U.S. Army for coastal defense purposes, the fort at Alcatraz began serving as a prison in 1861. It ceased function as a defense fortification and became the Pacific Branch of the U.S. Military Prison in 1907. Over the next two decades the facilities on the island were modified and modernized.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 031
No caption, c. 1905-1906. William and Grace McCarthy, with an unidentified woman, sitting on the entry stairs to an unidentified residence.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 030
Caption: "Benicia Cal," c. 1905-1906. Grace McCarthy posing in garden with an armful of flowers.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 029
Caption: "Military Parade -- S.F.," c. 1916. Military parade down Market Street in San Francisco. This is possibly a photograph of the Preparedness Day Parade held on July 22, 1916, in anticipation of U.S. entry into World War I.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 028
No caption, c. 1916. Military parade down Market Street in San Francisco. This is possibly a photograph of the Preparedness Day Parade held on July 22, 1916, in anticipation of U.S. entry into World War I.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 027
Caption: "Union Pacific Bridge -- Portland," c. 1912. Built in 1912, this through-truss, double-deck, vertical lift bridge crosses the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 026
Caption: "Machine Shop -- Fort Winfield Scott," c. 1913. Low brick building with tile roof, with William McCarthy (far left) and two unidentified men standing in front. Fort Winfield Scott, formerly Fort Point, was part of an effort by the U.S. government to protect the Golden Gate, entrance to the San Francisco Bay. Built between 1853-1861, the fort included emplacements for 141 guns but never fired a weapon in defense of the Bay. Its name was officially changed in 1882 to Fort Winfield Scott. This only lasted four years, however, for in 1886 the fort was officially downgraded to a sub-post of the San Francisco Presidio and the name discontinued. It was resurrected in 1912, with the establishment of a coastal artillery fortification at the Presidio, called, once again, Fort Winfield Scott.
McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 025
Caption: "Scenery Near Camp Meeker," c. 1906. Train crossing trestle at left side of photograph, with trees and other vegetation occupying most of the photograph's area. Camp Meeker, in Sonoma County north of San Francisco, is in the California Coast Ranges. Established by lumber baron Melvin Cyrus Meeker in 1866, by the turn of the twentieth century the area primarily served as a vacation and resort destination.