Anyone know where to get old Aerial Photos of the lower Sunset. I've got one old rare one taken from about 1000 feet taken in 1950 that covers only a few blocks. What I'd really like are Aerial shots in the early 1900s or before when there were only a few ranch/farms out there. The only ones I've seen are from the hills above 19th avenue and the Cliff House so they don't get very good detail of the lower sunset area. It would be fun to see how that block after block of houses were at one time nothing but one giant sand dune.

-- Harry Murphy (harrymurphy@my-deja.com), December 30, 2001

Answers

Here's a good place to start. Being Berkeley, it probably has links to older photographs.

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/air-catalog.html

-- Miss Rosa (rosadebon@yahoo.com), December 31, 2001.

The Park Archives & Records Center at the Presidio has a good collection of aerial photos of SF during the '20s and '30s, including some that show the empty dunes of the future Sunset. You'll need an appointment. Call 415-561-4817.

-- john martini (jamartini@earthlink.net), December 31, 2001.