If you want to get an idea of how San Francisco was in the early twentieth century, it is fun to check out the photos at https://www.opensfhistory.org/ Not too long ago people got around on horses and entire neighborhoods had dirt streets. Empty lots where now there are houses that look like they have been there forever. Less trees.
It is a bit shocking to see how a neighborhood on the south side of the city, the Excelsior, looked a little over a hundred years ago. At the time there surely were farms close by. Cows, goats and sheep. I attempted to get the same shot today of the photo above but so much has changed and the angle was tricky. There is a baseball field there now where you see the lumber. The playground today has fences, basketball and tennis courts, a kids playground and a clubhouse.
If you go north of here, there is a similar story with Bernal Heights.
Here is looking up Cortland from San Bruno. Now, every speck of land is a lot with a house on it.
On the other side of Bernal going west, looking down to Mission Street. Too bad the trains are no longer running. Now you can take the 24 Bus.
Above is the “proposed” Alemany Boulevard. Now Alemany Boulicard runs next to a massive interstate interchange where 101 and 280 meet and go their own ways. Cars and truck roar down raised concrete highway cloverleaf structures, banking to the left and the right. A hundred years ago it must have been very quiet with probably hundreds of rabbits hiding in the brush.
No collection of historic San Francisco photos would be complete without a photo from 1906, the earthquake and the fire that destroyed a lot of the city.
Photos at https://www.opensfhistory.org/ It is a fun website to get lost in.