Keys the Mascot

Maritime history's cup runneth over with colorful characters, some famous, some infamous, and some now long forgotten. One of these forgotten fellows is finally getting his due.

He was incredibly smart, quick on his feet and brave. Friends recall his playfulness, as he was always up for fun as long as the work was done. He was loyal, stout of heart and limber. He climbed rigging with the best of them and went into deep dark holds of ships where no one else could fit to retrieve dropped tools. His start in life is a mystery, all that is known is that he was a homeless wanderer, begging in the streets to get by when he met up with a Sergeant Bennett of the Potrero Police, who took home, cleaned him up and set him to work patrolling the Union Iron Works yard. He also most likely, although the incident is lost to history, gave him a bone. Because our hero, of course, is a dog. A dog named Keys. A finer mutt was not to be found in any San Francisco Shipyard.

Keys the dog quickly became mascot of Union Iron Works, the first steel shipyard on the Pacific Rim Basin. Union Iron Works was established during the Gold Rush and moved to Potrero Point in 1883. According to a San Francisco Chronicle article from 1901, "There was not a battleship launched in late years without Keys as a passenger" ("Some Animal Mascots" 30). To which he wore his finest clothes "A high hat and a gaudy blanket tied with ribbons" ("Some Animal Mascots" 30).

In 1895, Keys fell from the rigging of a steamer, injuring himself badly (which he survived) but the devotion of his fans can be seen in the newspaper account of the accident: "The workmen of Union Iron Works say that Keys shall have the largest funeral that any dog ever had if he dies" ("The Olympia's Mascot" 8) and "Other instances of the remarkable intelligence of the dog are recounted by the workmen who deeply grieve over the accident that has happened to their pet" ("The Olympia's Mascot" 8).

Keys was quite the character and there are a few newspaper accounts of his adventures at the shipyard and in the Potrero neighborhood. If you're interested in reading more, check out the bibliography below.

"A Dog That Has a Sense of Humor." San Francisco Call Feb 13 1898: 26. California Digital Newspaper Collection. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.

"The Olympia's Mascot." San Francisco Call Jan 25 1895: 8. California Digital Newspaper Collection. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.

"Some Animal Mascots." San Francisco Chronicle (1869-Current File): 30. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: San Francisco Chronicle (1865-1922). Feb 24 1901. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. (Available by subscription; ask your local library about access.)