On December 28, 1912, Mayor James Rolph, Jr. took one of the first five cent pieces minted in San Francisco, put it into a farebox, pulled on his operator’s cap, and personally piloted it out Geary Street.
It was the first run, on the first day, with the first streetcar owned by the public in a large American city. It was the birth of Muni.
Today, Muni is celebrating with a post highlighting some of the great photos of their history in their archive. Take a look!
Oh, about that photo above. It was in the San Francisco Public Library, but had no label. No one knew when it was taken or what it represented. We did the research and pointed it out. It’s on Geary, headed west at Jones Street, and yes, that’s Mayor Rolph at the controller.
Happy Birthday, Muni!
