<P> A tradition on the `` kettle '' started in 1891 , in San Francisco , by Salvation Army officer Captain Joseph McFee . Captain McFee , resolving to provide a free Christmas dinner to the poor of San Francisco , remembered a sight he saw in Liverpool , England . From his days as a sailor McFee remembered a large pot displayed on the Stage Landing , called `` Simpson 's Pot . '' The pot took in donations put in by passersby . Taking this idea , McFee asked for permission from San Francisco city authorities to place a crab pot and tripod at the Oakland ferry landing . The kettle - and McFee 's call of `` Keep the Pot Boiling ! '' - drew in passengers and donations . </P>
where was the salvation army 's christmas collection kettle first introduced
San Francisco