#Sparkletack
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richardmiller.bsky.social
With Chinatown's input, the City has finally decided for removal. It's the right decision for Chinatown's Living Room, but I can't help feeling some sadness.

No word on where it will end up, but I suggested the SF Public Library might be ideal.

Fingers crossed.

sparkletack.com/2006/02/17/r...
#47: Robert Louis Stevenson — Chinatown Treasure » San Francisco History Podcast – Sparkletack
The San Francisco History Podcast
sparkletack.com
September 28, 2026 at 5:13 PM
richardmiller.bsky.social
He'd heard my #Sparkletack episode on RLS which discussed Stevenson's affinity for and brief connection with Chinese immigrants and Chinatown, and let me know he'd used it at City Hall in its defense.
www.kqed.org/news/1197350...
SF Chinatown Weighs in on Controversial Monuments in Portsmouth Square | KQED
San Francisco is implementing new processes for replacing and redefining art in public spaces. Several pieces at the historic Portsmouth Square will soon be up for review.
www.kqed.org
September 28, 2026 at 5:02 PM
richardmiller.bsky.social
Got a really sweet email today about my old San Francisco history podcast.
Not crazy about the chatgpt bit, but file this under The Internet Is Sometimes Good. ☺️
#sparkletack
Dear Richard, I wanted to write and thank you for Sparkletack. I first encountered the podcast many years ago and recently rediscovered it. I was delighted to find that the programs are still available. I teach a small informal study group that meets weekly on Zoom, most of us senior citizens, and your wonderful stories of San Francisco history have given us a new resource to explore together. We have done something with Sparkletack that I thought might interest you. With the help of ChatGPT, we have taken lists of your original long-form programs and the later Timecapsules and reorganized them chronologically by the historical events and periods they cover. We then made the chronology into a large-print PDF listening guide for our group. The result is almost a course in San Francisco history, beginning with the earliest history of the Bay and moving through Yerba Buena, the Gold Rush, the Vigilance era, Emperor Norton, the cable cars, 1906, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and twentieth-century San Francisco. So something you created roughly twenty years ago is still giving people enormous pleasure and teaching us about San Francisco today. I simply wanted you to know that your work has not disappeared into the Internet archives. We are listening to it, learning from it, and discussing it together twenty years later.
September 27, 2026 at 2:04 AM
richardmiller.bsky.social
It was called Sparkletack … should still be available wherever pods are cast?
May 14, 2026 at 2:59 AM
richardmiller.bsky.social
I found a wonderful article explaining the history of the #SanFrancisco “49 mile scenic drive” seagull sign that inspired this jersey. It’s exactly the kind of thing I would have done a podcast about in my Sparkletack days, if I’d only thought of it!

walksf49.com/creation-his...
Creation and History of San Francisco’s 49 Mile Scenic Drive - Walking SF 49 Mile Scenic Drive
Creation and History of San Francisco’s 49 Mile Scenic Drive Come walk a section with the Authors! From the seagull street sign to the latest walking challenge, the history of San Francisco’s 49 Mile ...
walksf49.com
July 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
richardmiller.bsky.social
So…I used to do a San Francisco history podcast, and last week I was contacted by someone who was inspired by it to create her OWN.

Hers is great (better than mine in many ways) but talking/reminiscing for a bit was kinda fun.☺️

(warning, contains me)

monkeyblocksf.buzzsprout.com/1646416/1492...
S3 Ep7 3rd Yr in Review, Sparkletack Interview Host Richard Miller - Monkey Block San Francisco's Golden History
Listen to me fan girl Richard Miller, the host of Sparkletack. The original podcast on San Francisco history, 2006 - 2009. I modeled my podcast after Sparkletack so getting to interview him was a huge...
monkeyblocksf.buzzsprout.com
April 21, 2024 at 2:58 AM
dinel.net
OMG! Sparkletack remains one of the best best best podcasts I've ever had the pleasure of listening to, and I am so excited to get to tell you so!
October 16, 2023 at 4:50 PM
richardmiller.bsky.social
Excuse me for a sec, but I have to brag!

Just got an email with the greatest compliment a podcaster can receive – literally brought tears to my eyes.

I haven’t recorded a Sparkletack episode for nearly 15 years, but it turns out THIS is why I started it in the first place.☺️

#SanFranciscoHistory
I listened to your podcast when you were actively releasing episodes and I never forgot about how magical each episode was to me. I could binge listen several episodes in a row. The intro fog horn pulled me in every time. Fast forward to almost three years ago, and on a whim, I decided to carry on your legacy in some form, so I started my own podcast inspired by Sparkletack. It's happened a few times now, where I am told my podcast reminds people of your podcast. Being put in the same sentence. with your project is such an honor. From where I'm standing, your podcast remains legendary in the world of San Francisco history and I wanted to thank you for your contribution.
October 16, 2023 at 2:07 AM