Lost Bay Area Stories

J.H Parnham Barbershop in 1941

"Big George" Osen, from the Edenvale neighborhood in San Jose, was the first cyclist with a "safety" styled bicycle. He drew so much attention riding from his neighborhood to downtown San Jose, that he printed cards that answered all the questions people had about the "safety" bicycle vs the "ordinary". His first bike weighed 50 lbs. He became known as one of the top cyclists in California. He was also known for his tandem racing. George H. Osen —now the well-known garage

Interior of a Chicago and Northwestern Railroad caboose during the 1940's.

This photo of A.G Col was part of a accumulation of photographs that were found when cycling was just starting in San Jose around 1884. Pictured is "Dusty" Lamkin in front of an unusual 'ordinary' bicycle that was not driven large wheel forward. It is intended to be ridden with the small wheel in the front in order to capsizing when hitting obstructions. In a San Jose Mercury article, it references how unusual his outfit is versus 1908 fashion. It all seems out of place wh

Not in the Bay Area, but a colorized photo of the Mount Lowe Railway at Ye Alpine Tavern in 1913.

This photo of A.G Col was part of a accumulation of photographs that were found when cycling was just starting in San Jose around 1884. At the time this 'high' bicycle was known as the 'ordinary' bicycle and the low bicycle (what we are more familiar with today) was called the 'safety'. From the designs it's easy to see why the 'ordinary' fell out of favor. THE above cut is a reproduction of a photograph of A. G. Col. taken 20 years ago, when the sport of cycling was in its

Covelo Stables in Mendocino, 1925

On the road to Crystal Springs Reservoir (near San Mateo), October 6, 1901.

San Francisco International Exposition pavilion, 1915.

A bus built on an Atterbury truck chassis in San Francisco circa 1919.

Mount Tamalpais and Muir Woods railroad photo in front of the Tavern of Tamalpais in 1913. Termed the 'Crookedest Railroad in the World" by many, the passenger cars were dragged up many switchbacks by steam engines. On the return trip from the top, gravity was allowed to propel them down the mountain. The railroad became famous for its gravity cars – four-wheeled coasters introduced in 1902 that took advantage of the steep, uninterrupted grade.[23] Gravity cars had an opera

Starting in the late 1800's, San Jose became infatuated with cycling and bicycle racing. In 1908, the San Jose Mercury decided to profile some of these early pioneers. This profile of "Dick" Moody (E.A. Moody), is one of a series of articles written. Although “Dick” came into this world too late to pedal one of the big “ordinaries" with Al Col, the late Julius Smith, Oscar and George Osen and their comrades and rivals, he adopted the “safety" when it first appeared as his f

Oakland, California Service Station circa 1950