SF History Center. SF Public Library.

Bus No.1: Sunnyside to Golden Gate Park, Muni’s first cross-town line

The expansion of public transit meant everything to quality of life for most people in SF in the first half of the twentieth century: where you could work, live, or take your family for a Sunday outing. The streetcar system, running on tracks radiating from downtown, was the backbone of the system. Then in 1917 Municipal Railway initiated its first bus service, which went through Golden Gate Park and out Irving Street into the Avenues.

First bus Municipal Railway ran. Taken 1917 at Fulton and 10th Ave. SFMTA photo W05065p. http://sfmta.photoshelter.com
First bus Municipal Railway ran. Photo taken in Dec 1917 at Fulton and 10th Ave. Courtesy SFMTA. Slight crop from photo W05065p. http://sfmta.photoshelter.com

In 1929 this route was combined with another line then running in Westwood Park, which created Muni bus no.1, the first real cross-town line. It ran from Edna Street and Monterey Blvd, over Miraloma and Portola Drives, stopping at Forest Hill Station, going through Golden Gate Park, and ending at Fulton and 10th Avenue.

1934-BUS036-Line-1-Bus-Mont-Edna-AAC-7694
About 1934. Bus no.1, the Monterey and Park route. SF History Center, AAC-7694.

1931 Muni map, showing the route of Bus no.1, known as 1 Westwood Park, or Monterey and Park. Note that Ridgewood Ave is still called Hamburg Street in Sunnyside.
1931 Muni map, cropped and altered to show the route of Muni bus no.1, known as 1 Westwood Park, or Monterey and Park. Note that Ridgewood Ave is still called Hamburg Street in Sunnyside. From Eric Fischer’s collection of transit maps.

1935. A mother and child at Forest Hill Station, taking the no.1 bus. Photo courtesy SFMTA, cropped from A4598. http://sfmta.photoshelter.com.

About 1934. A mother and child at Forest Hill Station, taking the no.1 bus. Photo courtesy SFMTA, cropped from A4598. http://sfmta.photoshelter.com.

From the 1930s on, kids and families in Sunnyside could get out to Golden Gate Park – avoiding the long trip downtown on the Streetcar No.10 and then out again on another streetcar. In ten more years, there would be many more buses cutting across town in all directions, but this one was the first.

1938-Muni-car-lines-bus-CROP-EricFischer
1938 Muni Car map, cropped and altered to highlight route of Bus No.1. From Eric Fischer’s Flickr collection of transit maps: The fine art of transmit maps had a long way to go.
1938, Bus no.1 stopping at Forest Hill Station. OpenSFHistory WNP14.1181.
1938, Bus no.1 stopping at Forest Hill Station. OpenSFHistory WNP14.1181.
1938, Bus no.1 stopping at Forest Hill Station. OpenSFHistory WNP14.1182.
1938, Bus no.1 stopping at Forest Hill Station. OpenSFHistory WNP14.1182.

Unlike track lines, bus routes were flexible; Muni adjusted the route frequently, changing to accommodate needs. By 1940, this bus was serving the newly built San Francisco Junior College (soon to be City College of San Francisco) just south of Sunnyside.

1940 Muni Car map, cropped and altered to highlight route of Bus No.1. From Eric Fischer's Flickr collection of transit maps, link at end. The fine art of transmit maps had a long way to go.
1940 Muni Car map, cropped and altered to highlight route of Bus no.1. From Eric Fischer’s Flickr collection of transit maps.

The no.1 line had also been extended earlier to California Street north of the Park.

There were changes in the vehicles over the years. Here’s a glamour shot of a newly purchased model for the no.1 line in 1940–also meant to display the new uniform. Note alarmingly shortened necktie held down by a length of chain.

1940. Photo courtesy SFMTA, D4419. http://sfmta.photoshelter.com.
1940. Photo courtesy SFMTA, cropped from D4419. http://sfmta.photoshelter.com.

In 1941 there was another new make of bus running on the line. And the uniform tie appears to have returned to a more normal length.

1941. New make of bus. And the uniform tie appears to have returned to a more normal length. Photo courtesy SFMTA D4630. http://sfmta.photoshelter.com.
1941. New make of bus. Photo courtesy SFMTA, cropped from D4630. http://sfmta.photoshelter.com.

After 1941, the track-bound no.10 streetcar on Monterey was transitioned to a bus line, and combined with the no.1 bus. The new no.10 Monterey bus line ran from the same end point on California St, over the hill and along Monterey, and then up Cortland to Bayshore. See map below for route.

1949. The no.10 Monterey bus, still going to Golden Gate Park. Photo courtesy SFMTA, cropped from X2022. http://sfmta.photoshelter.com.
1949. The no.10 Monterey bus, combining the no.1 bus and the no.10 streetcar lines, and still going to Golden Gate Park where this photo was taken. Photo courtesy SFMTA, cropped from X2022. http://sfmta.photoshelter.com.
1947 Muni Map, showing bus line no.10, going from California Street over to Cortland and Bayshore. From Eric Fischer's collection of transit maps. https://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/sets/72157622642861802
1947 Muni Map, showing bus line no.10, going from California Street, Forest Hill Station, through Sunnyside and ending at Cortland and Bayshore. From Eric Fischer’s collection of transit maps.

Parts of this route are now covered by the 43-Masonic, the 23-Monterey, 44-O’Shaughnessy, and 24-Divisadero buses.

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