SOMA Name Dropping: Clementina Street
By Cindy Casey
There is a colorful anecdote regarding the names of the alleys in SOMA. It is said that the alleys with female names were all named after Barbary Coast courtesans. As I said, colorful, but alas, not true.
Sadly, one of the main reasons for this is that streets were often named after powerful men, and women were essentially considered superfluous in those times, so they would hardly have earned a street named after them. Then, seriously, naming a street after a sex worker in the 1800s? That would be pushing the boundaries of even Gold Rush San Francisco.
Over time, I will attempt to bring you the history of the names of the streets in our little corner of the world, starting with the alleyways with female-sounding names. Without a time machine, it is impossible to know for certain about these stories, but here goes.
Clementina is the first if we go alphabetically, so let’s start there.
In 1847, a whaling ship by the name of Clementina made port in San Francisco. It would have been one of many if the crew had not been so untrustworthy as to gain mention in the local paper, warning the citizens of San Francisco of their character.
I have no idea if that is where the name comes from, but it is a fun segue.
The first time a street named Clementina appears in public records is in 1852, in a list of lots for sale off of 1st Street.
More importantly, the first time Clementina Street appears in its present location is on a 1852 map of San Francisco by Britton and Rey.
So, where does the name come from for the street itself? I have no idea. The name, however, is derived from the Roman goddess who personified mercy and clemency.
The name Clementine, however, is a big part of San Francisco’s history.
“Oh, My Darling Clementine” is a folk ballad attributed to Percy Montross and written in 1884. It is about a miner’s daughter, Clementine, who tragically dies after falling into raging water. Raging water that is often attributed to the Flood of 1862.
As late as the 1950s, you could find Clementine as a mascot for the San Francisco 49ers, and yes, she was named after the song.
The street name, like the song and the donkey, points back to the Gold Rush, but exactly how, we may never know.