1901
- The Lowie Museum of Anthropology is established in San Francisco by patron Phoebe Hearst (pictured), to house items for the University of California, Berkeley.
- The Family, a private club in San Francisco, California, is formed by newspapermen who had left the Bohemian Club
- The California Society of Artists is founded in San Francisco by Xavier Martínez, Maynard Dixon, Gottardo Piazzoni, Matteo Sandona and other artists disaffected with the San Francisco Art Association
- YMCA Evening College in San Francisco opens its law school, becoming a full fledged college
- The Paul Masson Mountain Winery is established by Paul Masson in Saratoga
- The SS City of Rio de Janeiro shipwrecks off the shores of San Francisco at the Golden Gate
- A light bulb is installed at a Livermore fire station