Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The Legend of Gussie Lee

This is an oversize (8-5/16" x 3-1/2") postcard advertising the Old San Francisco Steak House. Four locations in Texas are listed on the back: Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas. The San Antonio location changed ownership in 2008 and appears to still be open (http://theoldsanfranciscosteakhouse.blogspot.com/). Other locations appear to have closed.

Here is the Legend of Gussie Lee as printed on the card:

Captain Tony Taylor of the Texas Rangers was sent to San Francisco to apprehend the fugitive, Sam Adams. In a dramatic gun duel, Capt. Taylor killed Sam Adams in a dance hall on the famous Barbary Coast.
While in San Francisco, Capt. Taylor fell in love with Gussie Lee, the toast of San Francisco. After a whirlwind romance, the two lovers agreed to meet in Texas. Capt. Taylor arrived first in San Antonio determined to build the San Francisco Steak House dedicated to Gussie Lee. But the lovers never saw each other again.
The stagecoach on which Gussie Lee was traveling was attacked by marauding Indians, and she was killed. Upon hearing the news, Captain Tony rode off into the night never to be heard again.
To those lovers, and all other lovers, we offer the hospitality of Capt. Tony Taylor's dream.



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3 comments:

  1. Beth NiquetteJune 10, 2009 at 9:58:00 AM CDT

    What an interesting story. How tragic, how sad. And yet the lovestory is one that lingers.

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  2. Marie ReedJune 11, 2009 at 7:00:00 AM CDT

    Poor Gussie Lee! Samuel Adams is also a name of a Boston Lager beer .. now I'm craving steak a beer:)

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  3. JamaGenieJune 19, 2009 at 8:06:00 PM CDT

    My mouth was already watering for steak, and then Marie mentioned beer! What an interesting story to give a restaurant a "history".

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