Name/Title
Last ride Southern Pacific ferry "Sacramento" model, 1939Entry/Object ID
1981.103.1Description
Acc. No. 81.103.1
Subject Category: Transportation (Ferry boat Model)
Date: 1939
Object: Ferry Boat Model
Description: This is a very large model of ferry boat. A replica of the ferry boat Sacramento owned by Southern Pacific Company. On either side of it it has red paddle wheels. The hull of ship is in black and brown. The deck has two stories in white with pale blue celluloid windows, On both sides of the ship it has Black printing saying "Sacramento Southern Pacific". On both bow and stern there are four tin automobiles....eight in all....glued to the surface, Upper deck has a balustrade of metal fencing and two pilothouses and a central smoke stack painted black that also has the "Southern Pacific" painted in black letters on a white background.
Size: It is 72 inches and 19 inches high.
History of object: This model of the ferryboat Sacramento was made in the Southern Pacific Yards for the Alameda Commuters club. The club consisted of a group of men from Alameda that commuted on the 7:30 am boat to San Francisco. It began about 1932 and ended in 1939 when the Bay Bridge was opened and the ferries ceased to run. Various parties and entertainment was carried on every morning by the members of the club. Christmas Parties, Charitable fundraising, music, bathing girl reviews. Jokes would be played on Fellow commuters. This model was thrown overboard on the last ferry boat to cross the bay from Alameda. It was expected to sink, as a symbolic burial at sea of the last ferryboat. But it refused to sink and was picked up by the coast guard and was returned to Mr. Wallace Miracle and Mr. Frank Kelly.
Acquired from: Frank Kelly
Date: September, 1953Interpretative Labels
Label
3/3/2020 MvL: current label:
MODEL OF THE FERRYBOAT "SACRAMENTO"
Model of the ferryboat "Sacramento" made in the Southern Pacific yard for the Alameda Commuters Club. The club consisted of a group of men from Alameda that commuted on the 7:30 a.m. boat to San Francisco. The club began about 1932 and ended in 1939, when the Bay Bridge was opened and the ferries ceased to run. The model was thrown overboard on the last ferryboat to cross the Bay from Alameda. It was expected to sink, as a symbolic burial at sea of the last ferryboat. However, refusing to sink, it was picked up by the Coast Guard and returned to Wallace Miracle and Frank Kelly, members of the Commuters Club