GOLDEN GATE EMPIRE

[Music] [Applause] [Applause] when the Union Pacific Railroad from the east link trails for the Central Pacific from the West the fabulous northern Empire of the Golden Gate was born built strong by steel muscled men and spiked with solid California gold it began to enrich the young and growing nation gold in 1848 gold was the word for California it lured mend in an explosion of migration from the ends of the earth with pink tan Long Tom and cradle gold was the key that unlocked the storehouse of wealth that behind the sear and barrier miners burst open the mother lode from Mariposa to Coloma seeking the Golden Fleece James Marshalls lucky find in the tail race of John Sutter's new sawmill on the American River can still be measured in terms of the romance of the gold rush it is old buildings in its picturesque names it's ghost haunted town [Applause] memories of the noisy happy-go-lucky days of the gold rush still linger the Sierra mining country and annual celebrations such as the frog jump which keep alive whimsical traditions started by men like Mark Twain each year at Angel's camp jumping frogs from everywhere are assembled to try to match the exploits of Mark Twain's champion Daniel Webster each frog is allowed three jumps measured by bewhiskered judges and sometimes it's a little difficult to tell the frog from his excited over enthusiastic owner but these typical early American shenanigans tempered by a quieter existence brought long ago by the Spaniards to California's first capitol at Monterey a peaceful sunny way of life that mirrored the Spaniards mind and names famous in the exploits histor dories still sound in the homes and gardens of sober honest of regal Serrano and Narwhal California's first theatre opened in 1848 in Monterey still produces the melodrama that thrilled and chilled the 49ers Golden Capitol dome at Sacramento looks down on a rich heritage both European and American wineries in the Napa Sonoma and San Joaquin valleys with their imported stained glass windows and they're carved ripening cats blend a unique air of old-world charm found nowhere else in America the wines produced from Northern California's wide vineyards we call vintage traditions that were old long before men planted grapes in this new deep soiled land good burgundy is here and Shapley Riesling Moselle and Pinot Noir methods used in the grape harvest women Pickers using curved blade knives are as old as the days of Abraham good old-fashioned horse-drawn sledges lead directly to modern conveying systems that carry the grapes to the wine presses [Music] Northern vineyards need only rainfall to water their wines but central California vineyards and nearly all of California's other crops depend upon irrigation water is today's California Gold water millions of acre feet held in reserve for future use by gigantic dams like the Shasta [Music] water that finds its source in the melting snow and ever flowing Springs of 14,000 foot Mount Shasta [Music] and her sister Pete Mount lassen in Mount lassen National Park the only active volcano in the continental United States water accounts - for the lush growth of redwood the giant sequoia sempervirens that grow in Northern California in a strip along the coast and form the basis of another great California industry these awesome trees 250 feet high and up to 18 feet in diameter many of which were seedlings before the birth of Christ provide lumber for buildings around the world given a man with an 8 foot power saw and a 200 foot giant immune to all hazards except old age and men falls to earth within minutes the tree is cut into sections and dragged to the mill among the fine natural woods redwood lumber is one of the most beautiful and long-lasting building materials found in this country while West Coast homes are sometimes constructed of Redwood it is used primarily in the east for interior finish much esteemed for its beautiful grain and unusual natural colors and finally that giant which stood majestically tall in the ancient forest disappears in a lumber yard beside the Pacific the restless Pacific which provides Westerners with fresh juicy California oysters between September and April and year-round is the fishing ground for the gourmet menus found in the kitchens of Northern California's famous seacoast restaurants and sometimes is a point of serious discussion among the seagulls [Music] thousands of sport loving Californians prefer to catch their own dinners here at the mouth of the Klamath River when the salmon are running the air is filled with a low matter of idling outboard motors and the creek the Warlocks as the sport fishermen try their luck against one of the fighting is fish in the sea buck that unfortunately doesn't hold in a rut net whoops there that's better but lucky or not who cares it's fun to just fish in the cool coastal Valley of the Salinas River the vast Ranchos were the early Spanish rancheros once grazed their herds have been adapted to green farming in harvest season hundreds of car loads of crisp lettuce race across the United States toward the salad bowls of the nation and root vegetables filled with California sunshine flourish astonishingly the climate of the Seacoast and its adjacent valleys is so like that of certain parts of the Mediterranean that immigrants such as the artichoke grow better here than in their homeland inland lying at the foot of the Great Sierras is California's rice bowl of the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys from seeding to harvest rice farming is one of the most mechanized agricultural procedures and the Golden Gate Empire a procedure that has enabled California to rank with the largest rice producing states of the union [Music] the rolling up dotted slopes of the coast range provide grass for beef cattle and when the winter snow is left the lofty Sierras the high meadows offer lush pastures in winter sheep graze and Burton son bill blow lands but the Empire of the Golden Gate is much more than commercial fishing lumbering cattle racing farming in the tourist business it's the realization of man's most romantic and adventurous dreams highways here lead to unexpected castles high on rugged hills the Hearst Castle a gleaming effects on the enchanted hills south of Monterey is a state historical monument that can be described only as fabulous treasures from Italy France ancient Egypt Greece and the whole wide world have been assembled here to concentrate in miniatures the great artists and cultural achievements of mankind broad stone stairways sweep up from gardens and pools surrounded by buildings and statuary that once graced the villas and homes of Romans and Greeks long ago and from the enchanted Hills this magnificent monument looks down on the rugged shore of the blue Pacific some of the most spectacular scenery in the world is found where Northern California meets the sea [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh Carmel Bay the unique Monterey cypress is blown into fantastic shapes by the wind [Music] in the matter a Big Sur area is found the playful sea otter an animal not long ago believed extinct and if wildflowers are your delight spring from the Alpine Sierra to the roaring surf is a burst of glorious color [Music] here in the once sleepy Spanish town of Monterrey the handiwork of men has added an appropriate touch of New England charm to a magnificent meeting of sea land and sky Monterey Harbor the first landing place of the conquistadores in Northern California has served as a haven for men of the sea for nearly 400 years the see the eternal ever restless sea has been the inspiration for writers since Robert Louis Stevenson wrote here east from the sea in the busy haunts of men lie the steep canyons and sharp crests of the flower glass Sierra in Kings Canyon National Park [Music] and only a few miles from the towering ramparts of Kings Canyon hidden in the cathedral like fastnesses of Sequoia National Park is the quiet land of the big trees the Sequoias including the champion of the ball the General Sherman tree the largest tree on earth and possibly the oldest living thing in all the world [Music] [Applause] the Sierra Nevada is more than just a source of water and lumber and minerals to northern Californians it is also their playground in the hundreds of streams and lakes of this Alpine Wonderland vacationers find sport and relaxation [Music] the gradual up tilting of the Sierra block combined with the slow work of glaciers since the last ice age has sculptured the tall granite mountains and awe inspiring valleys of Yosemite National Park and in the world-famous Yosemite Valley ancient glaciers gouged out a narrow Gorge nearly a mile deep leaving on each side hanging alpine valleys from which Yosemite as many waterfalls leap into space to join the Merced River below Nevada Falls and burden the grand yosemite falls dropping in two stages 1,750 feet from the eternal snow and ice of the towering granite peaks over the sheer Falls and through the peaceful valleys the water returns to the sea [Music] open to the whole wide world through majestic Golden Gate once the pathway for explorers gold seekers and settlers the majestic city of San Francisco is a symbol of beauty and culture San Francisco youngest of the world's renowned cities ranking with New York Paris and London exciting vital gracious and rich it is the goal of travelers gourmets and merchants from every continent a big Japanese Maru moving for the Golden Gate outbound for Tokyo Yokohama and the luxury passenger ship Lurleen floating for a leisurely voyage to Hawaii ships from the east and west straight here from the Spice Islands of the Indies to the industrial centers of today's Europe freighters from the Pacific Islands Java Singapore's Tahiti and teaching from South America the whole world flies the Golden Gate a world served not too long ago by sailing ships like the old Balclutha steel ships and American products these are the ambassadors of goodwill from San Francisco to the rest of the world exotic products from foreign lands bring San Francisco a closer appreciation and understanding of her neighbors distances from far away mysterious ports once measured in terms of weeks and months in the days of sail are now reduced to days perishable products once the delight only of the world traveler are now common on the tables of America thanks to modern handling and controlled temperature refrigerated fast rail transportation our San Francisco should want additional phrase as a great Worldport the nearest Navy man will grin and tell you it's traditionally the best all-out Liberty port on the seven seas or any other place you might care today here on the waterfront san Francisco's colorful tradition is perhaps best known to the traveler at Fisherman's Wharf where seafood is caught and cooked by the sons of fishermen sons sidewalk merchants catered to tastes ranging from abalone to squid or a piece of crisp bass or freshly cooked crab pot from a steaming pot or a giant spiny lobster late of the icy Pacific the people of the Golden Gate Empire from Monterey to Smith River affectionately call San Francisco the city with a capital C do they have good reason to love this many faceted vibrant cosmopolitan city set like a jewel on seven hills by the bay bordered on three sides by blue water it is reminiscent of an isle in the Aegean and its climate is Mediterranean too but mainly it is San Francisco attached houses like these in the Sunset District are typical downtown the city exhibits a Cyclorama of architectural styles from the green dome city hall and the Federal Reserve Bank whose tall Greek columns flank lower Sacramento Street to modern American office buildings Market Street the east-west dividing line is the favorite starting point for exploring expeditions that pan out all over the peninsula buying flowers it stands north of Market is a daily custom everybody wears a flower especially the smartly dressed women who come to shop for to lunch in the heart of San Francisco's fashionable shopping district that surrounds the city's central meeting place Union Square and [Music] what other city can boast this unique form of transportation the cable car invented right here in San Francisco because it was the only thing that would carry a man up there big busted steep hills and everybody gets off to help turn the darn thing around [Music] [Applause] these astonishing streets steeper than a rollercoaster feed to the great man-made wonders of San Francisco the bridges they are the pulsing arteries that connect the Golden Gate Empire with its heart the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge carries all highway traffic from Oakland Berkeley and Beyond from Sacramento the Gold Country and the Sierra since the passing of the old ferry boats this 8 mile long bridge is the main access to San Francisco from the East Bay even more famous is the Golden Gate Bridge that leaps the straight from Marin County this steel giant with 80,000 miles of steel wire in its main suspension cables leads in from the wide and lumber country and the Pacific Northwest [Music] but for us both the bridges are spectacular gateways to unusual sights and color and excitement we're but in San Francisco's Chinatown could you find old Jade carvings being sold next door to lychee nut milkshakes the Chinese mainly from Canton settled on Grand Avenue early in San Francisco history and although they are among the most modern and forward-looking citizens they have retained and still practice many of the beautiful old ceremonies brought to America by their forefathers ceremonies like this one of ritual prayer at the altar of the temple [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] some of the fondest memories of the city recall San Francisco at night after the skyline has been painted gold by a Pacific sunset then under the night sky it puts on a bright new costume like a dancer before the footlights Chinatown bursts into brilliant color and her pagodas rise from a lake of light filled with bustle and laughter Fisherman's Wharf is ready to serve its discriminating diners until the small hours of the morning and San Franciscans to whom good food is a part of good living congregate in the city's famous restaurants dishes are prepared here by chefs whose sauces salads and meats bear the honored approval of their brother chefs in Europe [Music] you San Francisco youngest of the renowned cities of world reputation stamped with a mixed culture from both east and west and bearing on her Seven Hills the ultimate of charm and beauty [Music] the rallying point of business finance and commerce and worldwide shipping Guardian of the western gate it is no wonder that the people of the Golden Gate Empire love their city with a fishness that passes understanding unless you have been there to see it for yourself [Music]