It started with a horse slaughter
In 1869, Andrew Smith Hallidie — a Scottish-born engineer who made his fortune manufacturing wire rope for mining — witnessed something on a wet San Francisco street that changed transportation history. A horse-drawn streetcar hit a patch of slick cobblestone on a steep grade. The horses slipped, the car dragged them down, and all four animals were killed. Hallidie, who had already been experimenting with cable-hauled mining cars, decided to build a system that did not require animals to die on hills.
Source: San Francisco Cable Car Museum, Hallidie family archives.
The first run was terrifying
On August 2, 1873, at 4am, Hallidie tested the world's first cable car on Clay Street. He was so nervous he reportedly hid behind a building and refused to watch. The gripman, William Eppelsheimer, engaged the cable and the car climbed the hill. It worked. By the 1890s, San Francisco had 23 cable car lines and 600 cars.
The 1906 earthquake nearly killed them — and then almost finished the job
The 1906 earthquake and fire destroyed most of the cable car infrastructure. Electric streetcars replaced most of the remaining lines — they were cheaper to run and faster. By 1947, the city government tried to scrap the entire system. Only a citizen ballot measure saved it. A woman named Friedel Klussmann led a campaign that forced the city to keep the Powell Street lines running.
It is legally a National Historic Landmark — the only one that moves
In 1964, the cable car system was designated a National Historic Landmark — the only one in the United States that moves. The cables still run under the street at a constant 9.5 mph, pulled by four giant engines in the Washington-Mason powerhouse. The gripman does not accelerate or brake — he simply grabs or releases a lever that clamps onto the moving cable.
The Powell-Hyde line is the best one
Three lines still operate: Powell-Hyde (best views, goes to Fisherman's Wharf), Powell-Mason (shorter, also to the Wharf), and California Street (less scenic, goes to the Financial District). Ride the Powell-Hyde line. Board at the Hyde and Beach turntable — much shorter line than at Powell and Market.
$8 per ride. The one-day Muni pass is $13.
If you plan to ride more than once, buy the $13 Muni day pass, which covers cable cars, buses, and light rail. A single cable car ride is $8 — two rides pay for the pass. Kids under 4 ride free.
Hear the full story while you ride
Our cable car audio guide covers the horse story, the 1947 fight to save them, and how the cables actually work under the street. Free 60-second preview.