Golden Fire Hydrant

The Golden Fire Hydrant, also called "the Little Giant," is a fire hydrant on the corner of Dolores Park in the Mission District of San Francisco. The hydrant is celebrated for being one of the few functioning hydrants after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.[1] [3] The earthquake broke many of the cisterns and water mains, and most of the damages from the earthquake came from the subsequent fires in the eastern part of the city that lasted for three days.[4] The San Francisco Fire Department used this fire hydrant to stop the fires from spreading through the Mission District.[1]

The Golden Fire Hydrant
Photograph of the Golden Fire Hydrant near Dolores Park in San Francisco, California
37.758009°N 122.427952°W / 37.758009; -122.427952
Location3899 20th St San Francisco, CA
DesignerMaurice Greenberg and Sons [1]
Dedicated dateApril 18, 1966 [2]
Dedicated to"Chief Dennis Sullivan and the men who fought the Great Fire and to the spirit of the people of San Francisco" [2]

Annual Celebration

In the 1960s, dentist and historian Doc Bulloch began the annual tradition of painting it on the anniversary of the fire, April 18.[5]

In 1966, it was dedicated by the Upper Noe Valley Neighborhood Council to "Chief Dennis Sullivan and the men who fought the Great Fire and to the spirit of the people of San Francisco." Chief Dennis Sullivan was the fire chief who was killed by a falling chimney from the California Hotel during the earthquake.[4]

The San Francisco Historical Association paints it gold every year except 2012. That year, the Association's president bought silver paint by accident and, because they painted it before the sun rose, the celebrants only noticed their mistake once they were finished. The hydrant was repainted gold shortly thereafter.[5] [6]

Legacy

The importance of functioning fire hydrants during the 1906 earthquake inspired the San Francisco government to invest in the San Francisco Fire Department Auxiliary Water Supply System. [7]


References
  1. Garvey, John (2003). San Francisco Fire Department. p. 100. ISBN 9780738520841. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  2. Ruppenstein, Andrew. "The Golden Hydrant". the Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  3. "Hydrants With Water San Francisco Fire Department 1906 Great Earthquake & Fire". Guardians of the City. San Francisco Fire Department Museum. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  4. Winchester, Simon (2006). A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the great California earthquake of 1906. New York: HarperCollins Publ. ISBN 0060572000.
  5. Bearman, Sophie (15 September 2022). "The Story Behind San Francisco's Golden Fire Hydrant That Could". The San Francisco Standard. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  6. "Famed Hydrant Painted Wrong Color During 1906 Quake Ceremony". CBS Broadcasting Inc. CBS San Francisco. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  7. French, Laura (31 May 2021). "The golden legacy of San Francisco's little hydrant that could". Lexipol. FireRescue1. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
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