Finding San Francisco’s Earthquake Cottages; How Wild Boars Colonized California

This week we're featuring two stories from our friends at the Bay Curious podcast. 

San Francisco’s Historic ‘Relief Cottages,’ Built After the 1906 Earthquake, Are Hidden in Plain Sight

After the 1906 Earthquake and Fire leveled 80% of San Francisco, more than a quarter of a million residents were temporarily displaced. People who had the means left the city, but many low income San Franciscans didn’t have that option. City leaders commissioned union carpenters to build small cottages to house the refugees – many of whom the city relied upon to help rebuild the city.These “earthquake shacks” gave many people their first shot at homeownership and helped the city recover. Bay Curious’s Katrina Schwartz says you can still find a few of them dotted around the city if you know what to look for.

Invasion of the Grub Snatchers: How One Rich Guy’s Russian Boars Colonized California 

Originally imported to Monterey County for sport by a wealthy landowner in the 1920s, wild boars now number in the hundreds of thousands, and they are destroying sensitive habitats and suburban lawns all over the state. Experts say the problem has gotten worse in recent years all across the state, especially after a series of wet winters has left moist soil teeming with grubs — a pig’s favorite food. KQED’s Rachael Myrow takes us on a trip to see some of the destruction, learn how the boars got here in the first place, and gather some ideas on how to get rid of them.  

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