SF s history of exploding dynamite factories
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The original site of the first dynamite factory in the U.S. at Glen Park Canyon became California Historical Landmark No. 1002, recognized by the state of California in 1991.Tessa McLean
Strolling into Glen Canyon Park, it’s easy to miss the large plaque proclaiming the site to be “the first dynamite factory in America.” While historic, it also seems like an odd location to commemorate even more so when you learn that nearly every one of them ended in an explosion with multiple casualties.
Dynamite was revolutionary when it was invented in 1867, as other explosives of the time were, not surprisingly, quite dangerous. Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel, whom you may also know for the very famous prize he later founded, was searching for a safer way to manufacture nitroglycerin, as his brother Emil had been killed in a nitroglycerin explosion in 1864. He eventually patented dynamite and, even though he had neve