Antique Advertisements Old San Francisco

Disappearing fast from the urban landscape, old brick building advertisements are vanishing from the San Francisco skyline. Less than a block from the Pyramid Building, the most familiar building in SF's skyline, is an advertisement for"Bull" Durham tobacco. Bull Durham was trademarked in 1860. Back then it was 5 cents a bag. It came in a soft white muslin bag with draw strings and you could roll 33 cigarettes from it. It is a matter of legend that a real cowboy could roll a smoke with one hand while riding hard in a strong wind. No self respecting cowboy would be seen without his Bull Durham bag, with strings hanging from his front pocket.As one of the oldest old west towns, SF still has an old Bull Durham add at the beginning of Columbus street, near Montgomery.

Not far from this tobacco add is one for the Europe Hotel on Clay street just after you cross Kearny. With rooms starting at 25 cents per night, $1.50 per week. This included hot and cold water with free baths. A cowboy, or miner could come to town with $20 dollars in his pocket and party down. He could get his tobacco, room, a fifth of whiskey and a hooker for a song.He could dream away his time in one of the opium dens. The good old days are gone now, you can't smoke hardly anywhere, it's illegal to drink on the street and the bordello's along with opium dens have disappeared. What's a fellow to do?

Jack Johnstone Note photo's courtesy of Tom Peck under Tombstones direction.