Carl Nolte of the San Francisco Chronicle writes today about the Mission Creek community of houseboats and its history of survival.
Two women had key roles. Ruth Huffaker stopped the city from evicting the boats in the 1970s and saved the community’s life.
Betty Boatright helped pull the community together and helped it get a long lease. She was a grande dame. Her houseboat was immaculate and she dressed to the nines, a lady on the waterfront. She could charm anyone, political leaders included. “She had a knack,” said Woods. “You could not resist her.”
Both women have passed away, but what emerged was a floating community, careful to preserve the aura of the houseboats and the creek. There are families there now, and a professor or two. De Andrade owns a string of restaurants. READ MORE
In 2010, Anrica Deb wrote about students kayaking down the creek.