The Artificial Intelligence tools (like ChatGPT, Claude, CoPilot, Gemini, Grok, Meta, Grok, and Perplexity) can provide much useful and nearly instant information about subjects in a concise format, especially when they have been pre-trained on a large volume of information about the subjects.
I wondered if the FREE AI tools could provide me with information about a young San Diego boy's life in at age 12 as he explored his hometown. My maternal grandfather, Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976) was age 12 in 1904.
1) I chose to use the responses from free Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 (as of 25 September 2025) today.
My Prompt was: "What was life like for Lyle Carringer in 1904 at age 12 in San Diego? He was very slight and in the 5th grade at Sherman school. He was really into exploring San Diego on foot and by street car."
I uploaded a PDF of my updated Genea-Musings blog post (My Maternal Grandfather, Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976)) to provide information about Lyle and his family to the AI Tool.
2) The free Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 AI tool responded with:
Life for 12-Year-Old Lyle Carringer in San Diego, 1904
A Small City with Big Dreams
In 1904, twelve-year-old Lyle Carringer was living in a San Diego that bore little resemblance to the modern city we know today. The entire city had only about 40,000 residents, making it feel more like a large town than a major urban center. From his family's home at 2105 30th Street, built just six years earlier in 1898, Lyle could walk to the edge of town in any direction within 20-30 minutes.
School Life at Sherman Elementary
As a slight 5th grader at Sherman Elementary School, Lyle would have been one of about 20-30 students in his classroom. The school building was relatively new, reflecting San Diego's growth in the 1890s. His school day began at 8:00 AM and ended at 3:00 PM, with lessons in reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and penmanship - the latter being particularly important in an era when all business was conducted by hand.
Daily School Routine:
Morning assembly with patriotic songs and pledge
Strict discipline with students standing when addressing the teacher
Slate boards for practice work, precious paper saved for final copies
Recitation-based learning with students called to the front to demonstrate knowledge
No school lunch program - Lyle likely walked home for midday dinner with his family
The Streetcar Adventure System
The San Diego Electric Railway, established by John D. Spreckels in 1892, consisted of five original routes by 1904: the Fifth Street and Logan Heights Lines, the First and "D" Streets Lines, the Depot Line, the Ferry Line, and the "K" Street Shuttle. For an adventurous boy like Lyle, this was his gateway to exploration.
Streetcar Routes in 1904:
Fifth Street Line: Ran from downtown north through Hillcrest
Logan Heights Line: Connected downtown to the southeastern neighborhoods
First and "D" Streets Lines: Served the central business district
Ferry Line: Connected to the ferry landing for Coronado
"K" Street Shuttle: A short downtown connector
The Adventure of Riding:
Fare: Probably 5 cents for children (about $1.75 today)
Open-air cars: Many streetcars were still open-sided, perfect for sightseeing
Electric power: Electric streetcars had replaced the horse-drawn versions that began in 1886
Speed: About 10-12 mph, fast enough to feel exciting to a 12-year-old
Routes: Cars ran every 20-30 minutes during peak hours
Exploring San Diego on Foot
For a curious boy, 1904 San Diego offered endless exploration opportunities:
Downtown Adventures (6th & C Street area where he'd later work):
The Gaslamp Quarter: Still lit by actual gas lamps in the evening
Horton Plaza: A small park, not the shopping center of later years
The harbor: Active with sailing ships, steamers, and fishing boats
Chinatown: A vibrant community near the waterfront
The railroad depot: Exciting arrivals and departures of steam trains
Natural Wonders Within Walking Distance:
Balboa Park: Still largely undeveloped canyons and mesas, perfect for boy adventurers
The harbor and bay: Tidal pools, fishing piers, and boat watching
Point Loma: A long walk but achievable for an energetic boy
Mission Valley: Still largely agricultural with the San Diego River meandering through
Neighborhoods to Explore:
Old Town: Historic adobes and Mexican culture
Little Italy: Growing fishing and tuna industry community
Golden Hill: New residential area with grand Victorian homes
East San Diego: Farming communities and open spaces
Daily Life for a 12-Year-Old
Morning Routine:
Up at 6:30 AM to help with household chores
Breakfast of oatmeal, bread, and milk from a local dairy
Walk to Sherman Elementary, about 20-22 blocks from home (or perhaps driven by hids father with horse and buggy)
Formal clothing required - knee-length pants, shirt, jacket, and cap
After School Freedom:
School ended at 3:00 PM, giving hours of daylight for exploration
Saturday was a half-day, Sunday was for family and church
Parents expected him home by dark (around 5:00 PM in winter, 7:30 PM in summer)
No organized sports or after-school activities as we know them today
Weekend Adventures:
Saturday mornings often free for exploration after chores
Sunday family time and visiting relatives
Holiday excursions to Coronado Beach via buggy and ferry
Picnics in the canyons that would later become Balboa Park
The Physical San Diego of 1904
What Lyle Would Have Seen:
Unpaved streets: Many roads were still dirt, dusty in summer, muddy in winter
Gas street lighting: Electric lights only in the most developed areas downtown
Horse-drawn vehicles: Still common alongside the new automobiles (very rare)
Telegraph poles: The main form of long-distance communication
Victorian architecture: Ornate wooden houses with wraparound porches
Sounds and Smells:
Streetcar bells: Clanging warnings at intersections
Horse hooves: Clip-clopping on dirt and wooden streets
Steam whistles: From trains and harbor boats
Ocean breezes: Carrying salt air and the scent of kelp
Wood smoke: From home fireplaces and cooking stoves
A Boy's Perspective on a Growing City
For slight, curious Lyle, 1904 San Diego was a paradise of exploration. The city was small enough that a determined boy could walk across it in a morning, yet large enough to offer constant discoveries. The streetcar system gave him access to adventures his parents born in Pennsylvania or Wisconsin could never have imagined.
What Made It Special:
Safe exploration: Crime was minimal, parents comfortable letting children roam
Natural beauty: Beaches, canyons, and mesas within easy reach
Cultural diversity: Mexican, Chinese, Italian, and Anglo communities to discover
Rapid change: New buildings, streets, and neighborhoods appearing constantly
Pioneer spirit: Everyone felt part of building something important
The World Beyond:
Postcards and letters from relatives back East
Newspapers bringing news of the wider world
Ships in the harbor from exotic ports
Railroad bringing visitors and goods from across America
A sense that San Diego was destined for greatness
Building Character Through Exploration
These childhood adventures were shaping the man Lyle would become:
Self-reliance: Learning to navigate and problem-solve independently
Curiosity about people: Encountering different cultures and communities
Physical confidence: Building stamina through walking and streetcar adventures
Geographic knowledge: Learning every neighborhood, street, and landmark
Social skills: Interacting with streetcar conductors, shopkeepers, and other children
The Seeds of a Lifelong Love
At twelve, Lyle was falling in love with San Diego - its possibilities, its beauty, and its promise. This year of exploration would plant seeds that would keep him in the city for his entire 85-year life. Every street he walked, every neighborhood he discovered, every streetcar ride he took was building the deep local knowledge and affection that would make him a true San Diego native.
The slight boy exploring the dusty streets and riding the electric streetcars in 1904 was unconsciously preparing for a life that would span San Diego's transformation from frontier town to major American city - and he would remember these days of childhood freedom and discovery for the rest of his long life.
3) The Google NotebookLM Audio Overview about this topic is here.
The Google NotebookLM Video Overview of this post is below.
4) In addition to published books, Claude now consults online sources, and it found information about the growth of San Diego and streetcars on Wikipedia and several other sources.
5 ) In 1904, the Brooklyn Heights Line was not yet in service. It is the black line east of Balboa Park on the map above. The Carringer house was one block below the jog in 30th Street about halfway up Balboa Park. I posted The 30th Street Bridge in San Diego -- Post 307 for (Not So) Wordless Wednesday. The 30th Street Bridge was built by 1915 and the streetcar line went across the bridge by 1918.
I don't know exactly what Lyle explored by 1904, but I am sure he had explored the built-up areas of the city, visited his father in the mill on the bayfront, the train station, the canyons and mesas that are now Balboa Park, and the canyons to the north and east of his home. Perhaps he explored all the way to the south rim of Mission Valley, to Mission Hills and Old Town, to San Diego Bay and perhaps to Coronado Island via the ferry.
Here's part of the USGS map of San Diego in 1904:
The Carringer house was in the area to the northeast of the "O" in San Diego - almost the furthest north house on the map (it's visible if the map is magnified). Balboa Park is the open are to the north of the words "San Diego."
By the time of his marriage in 1918, Balboa Park had been built-up for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, there were homes all around Balboa Park and east along University Avenue, and the streetcars were running up 30th Street, through Balboa Park to University Heights and North Park, out to Ocean Beach and La Jolla, and south to National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Coronado.
6) I sure wish that I could talk to him about his boyhood explorations and life. In my own boyhood, I did similar things - collecting maps, riding the bus, walking and biking all over town, exploring Balboa Park (including the museums and the zoo) the downtown office buildings, going to movie theaters, the library, the ballpark, the harbor, the beaches. I was lucky - San Diego High School was in downtown San Diego and on the edge of Balboa Park.
Subscribe to receive a free daily email from Genea-Musings using www.Blogtrottr.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment