"Born in New York in 1847, Lotta and her mother joined her father in Grass Valley in 1853, where she was "discovered" by the notorious dancer Lola Montez. Lotta honed her talent by dancing, singing and playing the banjo at gold and silver mining camps, and by 1856 her family had moved to San Francisco. The tiny performer became known as "Miss Lotta, the San Francisco Favorite.""
"Her reputation only grew from there; at 20, she was nationally known. Lotta's life was breathlessly covered by local and national newspapers, including an 1883 mention in the San Francisco Examiner of her head's circumference (an unremarkable 22 inches). She never married - another source of rumors and reporting - and in the 1880s was the highest-paid actress in America."
"Back in San Francisco, Lotta's Fountain became a gathering place, and later, a symbol of hope after the 1906 earthquake and fire. "All the familiar spots and sites and gathering places in San Francisco were almost completely lost," LaBounty explains. "But right in basically the core, the busiest part of the city ... the fountain survived and it looked essentially the same." Every year, people gather at Lotta's Fountain on April 18 at 5:12 a.m. to commemorate the disaster."
Lotta Crabtree was born in New York in 1847 and moved to Grass Valley in 1853. She was discovered by dancer Lola Montez and performed at mining camps, singing, dancing and playing the banjo. By 1856 her family moved to San Francisco and she became known as 'Miss Lotta, the San Francisco Favorite.' By age 20 she was nationally known, covered by newspapers, never married, and in the 1880s the highest-paid actress in America. She retired in 1891 wealthy, returned to San Francisco for Lotta Crabtree Day in 1915, and died in Boston in 1924. Lotta's Fountain survived the 1906 earthquake and became an annual memorial site; restorations occurred over 150 years, including 2024 repairs.
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