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Lotta's Fountain, Market Street
This fountain on Market Street may be considered the heart of San Francisco. Dedicated to Lotta Crabtree, a local girl who began singing at age nine in the gold mining camps that her father worked. Eventually the redhead graduated to the stage, playing both coasts where she became the known as "The California Diamond". In her time, Crabtree earned more money than any performer in the country. In 1875 San Francisco dedicated this fountain to her, it survived the great earthquake and fire and on Christmas Eve, 1910 the world's greatest opera singer Luisa Terazzini sang outdoors here to an audience of 250,000 people in her beloved San Francisco. You can hear the two of the arias she sang here. Every year on April 18th the anniversary of the great earthquake and fire the survivors gather at Lotta's Fountain at 5:12 AM to remember the disaster. This year will be the 100th anniversary.
[ MAP G-15 ]