Historic San Francisco

Contents

Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction

1    Beginnings (to 1542)
2    The Discovery of San Francisco Bay (1542-1775)
3    The Founding of San Francisco (1776-1847)
4    The Gold Rush (1848-1849)
5    Growing Pains (1850-1859)
6    The Bonanza Age (1859-1880)
7    The Gilded Age (1880-1906)
8     Earthquake and Fire (1906)
9     A New Century (1906-1941)
10   Modern Times (1941-1989)

San Francisco's Victorian Architecture
Sites and Attractions Recap
Chronology
Select Bibliography
Index

Illustrations

Bay Area Indians wearing ceremonial headdresses
Ishi
Kule Loklo Village
Gaspar de Portolá
Drakes Bay
Ayala sails through the Golden Gate
Drake's landing site monument
Mission Dolores, in the 1870s
A California fandango
Jaspar O'Farrell's 1847 plan for San Francisco
Jasper O'Farrell
A cannon from thr Castillo de San Joaquin
The Petaluma Adobe
At the Diggings
Miners gambling at a game of faro
Portsmouth Square in 1849
Samuel Brannan 67
Gold Rush Walking Tour map
The Niantic
Sutter's Mill  76
The fire of May 22, 1851
Fort Point
William Tecumseh Sherman
Sherman's Bank today
South Park and Rincon Hill, about 1855
The Palace Hotel, shortly after it opened
Failure of the Bank of California
Chinese railroad workers
A Chinese peddler and laundryman
William C. Ralston
The Old Mint, shortly after its completion in 1874
The Sub-Treasury Building
Leland Stanford
A Barbary Coast dance hall
The Clay Street cable car
The Midwinter Fair of 1894
The Hopkins and Stanford mansions on Nob Hill
Nob Hill Walking Tour map
The Flood mansion in 1904
The Crocker and Huntington mansions
Chinatown Walking Tour map
The Balclutha
Cable Car Routes map
The Conservatory of Flowers in 1887
Sutro Baths interior
Buildings damaged by the 1906 earthquake
The Call Building burns
The burning city, seen from a ferryboat
Chinatown in ruins
Map of the area burned in 1906
Frederick Funston
Refugee cottages
The Tower of Jewels at night
Daniel Burnham's redesigned Civic Center
The Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915
Joseph Strauss's original design for the Golden Gate Bridge
The Bay Bridge under construction
The "Treasure Island" fair of 1939-40
"Sunny Jim" Rolph
The Palace of Fine Arts
City Hall and the Civic Center, in the 1920s
Immigration Station on Angel Island
V-J Day celebrants on Market Street
The Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic
The Marina District on October 17, 1989
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
The S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien
Haight-Ashbury Walking Tour map
228 Filbert Street
1818 California Street
1198 Fulton Street
1701 Franklin Street

Preface

I wrote this book for the same reason many authors of non-fiction write: to satisfy my curiosity about something. That something, in this case, was what historic buildings, markers, and artifacts remain from San Francisco's earlier days.

Oddly enough, it was a visit to New Orleans that spurred me to write this book. Three years ago my sister and I, after a visit to our grandmother in Atlanta, stopped in New Orleans for a short vacation before returning to San Francisco. New Orleans, like San Francisco, has a colorful history. The French Quarter in particular has a number of historic structures, and exudes a strong sense of the past. I was vaguely aware of the city's Spanish and French heritage, its role in the War of 1812, and its capture by Union troops during the Civil War. We both wanted to learn more, and more importantly, be able to tie that history to the buildings we were seeing while wandering the streets of the French Quarter. But a search of local bookstores turned up no specific historical guidebook to the city.

On the plane back to San Francisco I wondered if there were any guidebooks to San Francisco such as I had been seeking in New Orleans. Unable to find any after returning home, I decided to write one. The first thing that occurred to me was what, if anything, had survived the 1906 earthquake and fire. In the course of my research I found that despite that catastrophe there are still many things to be found illustrative of the history of this singular city. I hope that the readers of this book will share the sense of discovery I felt as I came upon the vestiges of the San Francisco that was.

Introduction

This book was written for those who would like to know where to find, and to know more about, the historic buildings, sites, museums, and artifacts that help make San Francisco's colorful past come alive.

The core of the book is Chapters 1 through 10. A brief narrative history begins each chapter and is designed to provide background for the subsequent Sites and Attractions section. Next comes a short biography of a key figure of the period. Following that are the Sites and Attractions—the places you can visit that are historically significant and/or have items of interest.

The narrative portion of each chapter highlights key events, but its main focus is on the sites that follow and thus is not designed to be comprehensive. Those wishing to read in greater depth about San Francisco's bygone days should refer to the Select Bibliography in the back of the book.

In the Sites and Attractions section, most of the places mentioned are found in San Francisco. But a few places outside The City, and in three instances outside the Bay Area, are noted either because something significant happened there that had a direct affect on San Francisco—such as at Coloma, where gold was discovered--or there simply is nothing comparable to be found within the city limits—such as the Ohlone Village at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont where an Indian shellmound is still to be found.

Although this book is both a history and a guide, it is intended primarily as a guidebook. The recommended way to use the book is to first read chapters 1 through 10. Then when you visit the sites, turn to the Sites and Attractions Recap, which provides a county-by-county listing of the sites along with a summary of things of interest from all periods at each location. This is especially useful for museums--such as the Oakland Museum History Gallery and the Wells Fargo History Museum—that have items dating from most periods of San Francisco history. In visiting the Oakland Museum, for example, the Recap tells you that there are artifacts from the times of the Indians, from the Spanish/Mexican era, from the gold rush, and so on. But this section is only a summary; if you want further details please refer back to the numbered chapters.

Index

            A
Alameda County, 275
Alcatraz, 82, 191, 198-99, 221, 255
       ferry, 221
       history, 222
       naming of, 21
       tour, 222-23
Angel Island, 2, 20, 30, 82, 278
       Camp Reynolds, 96-97
       Immigration Station, 191, 198,  217-19
       naming of, 21
Anza, Juan Bautista de, 20, 31-32
Apollo, 75
Aptos, 285
Aquatic Park, 260
Architecture, 247
           See also Victorian houses
       Beaux-Arts style, 215-16
       Chinatown, 156
       Cottage style/Carpenter Gothic, 250-51
       Italianate style, 250-53
       Queen Anne style, 244, 248, 250,  253-54
       Queen Anne Tower style, 151, 253
       Stick style, 151, 250, 252-53
Ayala Cove, 30
        visitor center, 96
Ayala, Juan Manuel de, 15, 20-21, 30

            B
Balclutha, 157-58
Bancroft Library, 26-27, 68, 275
        California history displays, 27, 275
        Drake's Plate of brass, 26-27
        Marshall's first nugget, 68
Bank of California, 100-101, 104,  112-13
        failure of, 105
Barbary Coast, 127, 129-30, 133,  152-53, 267
        prostitution, 130-31 shanghaiing,
        131-32
Bay Bridge, 199-200, 203, 220-21, 271
        1989 damage, 235
        construction, 203-5
        financing, 203
        opening, 205
Bay Model Visitor's Center, 8, 280
Bear Flag revolt, 53
Beat Generation, 229-30, 238
Belmont, 281
Benicia, 82
Berkeley, 275
Big Four, The, 99, 106, 127-29, 140, 142, 149
Bonanza Kings, The, 99, 103-4, 106, 123, 142, 145
Brannan, Sam, 54, 59, 66-67, 79
Broderick, David C., 77, 83, 91-93, 96
Broderick-Terry duel, 83, 91-93
Broderick-Terry duel site, 92, 264
Burnham plan, 192-95
Burnham, Daniel, 192-94

               C
C. A. Thayer, 157, 159-60
Cable Car Barn and Museum, 163-64, 266
        the first car, 163
Cable Car Route Map, 162
Cable cars, 135, 161, 163, 256
        invention of, 135-36
Cabrillo, Juan Rodríguez, 15-16
California Academy of Sciences, 262
        1906 earthquake demonstration, 187
        1989 earthquake display, 246
California Star, 66
Californios, The, 35-37, 45, 77
        decline of, 84
        fandango, 36
Calistoga
        naming of, 66-67
Carquinez Strait, 19, 40
Cassady, Neal, 238, 241
Castillo de San Joaquin, 33-34, 37, 40, 51, 81
        cannon, 49-52
Central Pacific Railroad, 99, 106, 108, 123, 127-28, 140
    See also Southern Pacific Railroad
Cermeño, Sebastían, 17-19, 24
China Camp State Park, 124-25, 280
Chinatown, 99, 130, 153-55, 198, 256
        1906 fire, 178
        architecture, 156
        prostitution, 155
        walking tour, 153-56, 256
Chinatown Walking Tour Map, 154
Chinese
        immigration, 198, 217-19
        miners, 108
        railroad workers, 99, 107-8, 123
        victims of racism, 109-10
Chinese Historical Society of America Museum, 124, 257
City Beautiful movement, 192, 194
City Hall, 215, 258
City Lights Bookstore, 238, 240-42, 267
Civic Center Plaza, 215, 217, 258
Cliff House, 136, 168-70, 271
College of Notre Dame
        Ralston Hall, 116-17, 281
Coloma, 43, 58, 68, 72, 76, 85-86, 285
Comstock Lode, 81, 99-104, 112-13, 121
Conservatory of Flowers, 164-66, 262
Costanoans
    See Indians, Ohlone
Coyote Hills Regional Park, 9-10, 276
Crocker mansion, 146-48, 247
Crocker, Charles, 106, 127, 147-48, 165
Cypress freeway, 235-36

                D
Drake landing site monument, 25-26
Drake, Francis, 15-17, 24, 27
Drakes Bay, 16-19, 21, 24, 26

                E
Earthquakes
        1906, 88, 171-72, 177-78, 183-84
        1906 annual celebration, 189
        1906 damage, 173
        1906 epicenter, 172, 182, 279
        1906 fire, 174
        1906 refugee cottages, 177, 183
        1906, map of burned district, 179
        1989, 88, 183, 220-21, 225, 235
        1989 damage, 236
        1989 epicenter, 235, 245-46, 285
El Dorado County, 285
Euphemia, 74-75
Eureka ferryboat, 157, 159-60

                F  
Fair, James, 144
Fairmont Hotel, 144
Farallon Islands, 17, 19
Ferlinghetti, Lawrence, 229, 237-38, 241-42
Ferries, 30, 217, 221
Financial District, 259
Flood mansion, 144-45, 146
Flood, James, 103-4, 118, 145-46
Flying Cloud, 76, 134
Font, Pedro, 31-32
Forest of Nisene Marks, 245-46, 285
Fort Gunnybags, 79, 90
Fort Mason, 82-83, 95-96, 239, 260
Fort Point, 20, 37, 50-52, 81-82, 93-94, 269
Frémont, John C., 39-40, 51, 53, 95-96
Fremont, 276
Funston, Frederick, 176, 180-81, 184

         G
Gambling, 63
Ginsberg, Allen, 229, 232, 238, 241
Gold diggings, 60-61
Gold discovery, 58
Gold discovery site, 76, 285
Gold Rush, 57, 59-62, 68
        legacy of, 64-65
Gold Rush Walking Tour Map, 73
Golden Gate, 2, 8, 15-17, 20, 31-33, 81
        naming of, 3940
Golden Gate Bridge, 199-201, 219-220, 269
        construction, 202
        financing, 201
opening, 202-3
original design, 201
Golden Gate International Exposition
    See Treasure Island
Golden Gate Park, 6, 127, 136-38, 164, 177, 196, 230-32, 245, 262
        Conservatory of Flowers, 164 -66
        Japanese Tea Garden, 166-67
        Music Concourse, 166
Golden Hind, 15-16
Golden Spike, 122
Grant, Ulysses S., 115, 117

         H
Haas, William, 151
Haas-Lilienthal House, 151-52, 273
Haight-Ashbury, 225, 230-234, 245, 249, 253
        walking tour, 242-44, 253
        Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic, 233-34, 244-45
         Haight-Ashbury Walking Tour Map, 243
Hallidie, Andrew, 135-36, 163
Harte, Bret, 88-89
Hippies, 225, 230-33
Hopkins Institute of Art, 144
Hopkins mansion, 141-42, 144, 247
Hopkins, Mark, 106, 127, 144
Huntington mansion, 146-47
Huntington, Collis P., 106, 127, 129, 146
Hyde Street Pier, 261
        Balclutha, 157-58
        C. A. Thayer, 157, 159
        Eureka ferryboat, 157, 159-60

                I
Immigration Station, 217-19
Indians
        appearance, 3
        basket making, 4
        Bay Area, 3
        clothing, 3
        Coast Miwoks, 1-4, 12
        culture, 4
        diet, 3-4
        diseases of, 5
        neophytes, 34-35
        Ohlone, 1-4
        shellmounds, 9-10
        tribal territory, 5
        Yahi, 6
Ishi, 6
        death of, 7
        personal effects, 13

                J
Jackson Square, 88-90, 264
Japanese Tea Garden, 166-67, 263
Jeremiah O'Brien, 239-40
Judah, Theodore, 127, 140

                K
Kerouac, Jack, 229, 238, 241
Kesey, Ken, 232
King of William, James, 79
Kule Loklo Miwok Village, 10-11

                L
Lake Merced, 3, 264
Leary, Timothy, 232
Liberty ships, 226-27
        Jeremiah O'Brien, 239-40
Lick, James, 164
Lucas, Turner & Company, Bank of
   See Sherman's Bank

                M
Main library, 258
Mare Island, 82
Marin County, 278
Marin Museum of the American Indian, 279
        Indian artifacts, 12
Mark Hopkins Hotel, 144
Marshall Gold Discovery Park, 76
Marshall's first nugget, at The Bancroft Library, 68
Marshall, James, 57-59, 68, 76
Mason, Richard B., 85, 95
Mexican War, 39
Midwinter Fair of 1894, 138-39, 164, 166, 168
Mills, Darius O., 100, 112
Mission Creek, 3
Mission district, 249, 252
Mission District Victorians, 265
Mission Dolores, 31, 33-34, 37, 41, 47-48, 251, 265
        cemetery, 48, 56
        construction of, 47
        museum, 48
Montara mountain, 19
Monterey, 85
Monterey Bay, 16, 18-19, 22-23
Moraga, José, 31-33
Museum of Money of the American West, 259
        1915 exposition coins, 214
        Broderick-Terry duel, 91
        Comstock Lode history, 113
        gold coins, 92
        gold nuggets, 71
        King of William, James, 92
Music Concourse, 166, 263
Muybridge, Eadweard, 150-51

                N
National Maritime Museum, 55,  161, 261
        gold rush relics, 75-76
        whaling artifacts, 160
Nevada, 286
New Helvetia
   See Sutter's Fort
Niantic, 74-75
Nob Hill, 72, 81, 98, 136, 142, 145
        walking tour, 142-44, 266
Nob Hill Walking Tour Map, 143
Noe Valley, 249
North Beach, 267
Nova Albion, 16, 26-27
Novato, 279

                O
O'Farrell, Jasper, 41, 43-46, 72
O'Farrell's plan for San Francisco, 42
Oakland Museum
        1906 earthquake memorabilia, 188
        1915 exposition displays, 213
        Beat Era artifacts, 242
        Bonanza Kings, 123
        gold mining, 70-71
        Indian artifacts, 11-12
        nautical instruments, 28
        Spanish and Mexican history, 55-56
        transcontinental railroad, 123
Ohlone Village, 9-10
Old Mint, The, 103, 118-19, 270
        1906 earthquake photos, 186
        Comstock exhibits, 119-20
        gold displays, 69-70
        gold rush exhibits, 119
Olmsted, Frederick Law, 150
Outside the Bay Area, 285

                P
P. A. Hearst Museum, 275
        Indian artifacts, 13
Pacific Heights, 273
Pacific Heritage Museum, 120-21, 257
    See also Sub-Treasury Building
Pacific Union Club, 146
Pacifica, 19, 281
Palace Hotel, 101-2, 114-16
Palace of Fine Arts, 210-12, 268
Palo Alto, 283
Pan American Clipper, 206, 224
Panama Canal, 194-95
Panama Pacific International  Exposition, 191, 195-96, 198
        library murals, 216
        Palace of Fine Arts, 210-12
        Tower of Jewels, 190, 197
Petaluma Adobe, 52-54, 284
Plate of Brass, 16, 26-27
Point Reyes, 16, 19, 84, 182-83, 279
Point Reyes National Seashore,  24-26, 279
Portolá discovery site, 28-29, 281
Portolá, Gaspar de, 14-15, 18-19,  22-23, 28
        sculpture of, 29 U.S.S. Portsmouth, 40, 55
Portsmouth Square, 38, 54-55, 63-64, 66, 256-58
Presidio, 31-34, 37, 49-50, 52, 82, 93, 136, 177, 184, 268
        Officers Club, 50-51
Presidio Army Museum, 49, 183, 268
        1906 earthquake, 183-84
        1915 exposition displays, 212-13
        cannon, 50
        refugee cottages, 183-85
Promontory, Utah, 106, 122-23

                R
Ralston Hall, 116-17, 281
Ralston, William C., 99-103, 106, 111-13, 115-18
        death of, 104, 112
Rexroth, Kenneth, 238
Rincon Hill, 77, 81, 97-98
Rolph, James, Jr., 195, 208-9, 216
Russian Hill, 136

               S
San Agustin, 17-18, 24, 26
San Andreas Fault, 171-72, 182, 235
San Carlos, 20- 30
San Francisco
           See also Yerba Buena
        1906 anniversary celebration, 189
        1906 earthquake, 171-73, 175, 178-79, 192
        1906 fires, 171, 174-78, 191-92
        1906 refugee cottages, 177, 183
        1906 refugees, 177
        1989 damage, 235-36
        1989 earthquake, 220-21, 225, 235
        becomes American territory, 39
        becomes Mexican territory, 34
        City Hall, 194-95, 215-16
        Civic Center, 194-95, 215
        Exposition Auditorium, 216
        fires of 1849-1851, 77-79, 87
        first fire engine, 87
        first permanent dwelling, 37-38, 54
        founding of, 31-32
        gambling, 63
        geologic formation, 8
        geologic history, 1
        gold rush days, 62-64
        gold rush walking tour, 71-74
        main library, 215-16
        maritime heritage, 133-34, 157
        naming of, 40, 54
        O'Farrell's plan for, 41-43
        Opera House, 216
San Francisco Bay, 1, 16-18, 21
        discovery of, 15, 18-19, 22, 28
San Francisco Bay Model Visitor's  Center, 8, 280
San Francisco Fire Department Museum, 87-88, 273
        1906 relics and maps, 186-87
San Francisco Gold Rush Walking Tour, 73, 259
San Francisco History Room
        1906 earthquake artifacts, 185
San Mateo County, 281
San Mateo County Historical  Museum, 282
        Californio period, 56
        Indian artifacts, 13
        Portolá expedition, 29
        Ralston artifacts, 118
San Rafael, 280
San Salvador, 16
Santa Clara County, 283
Santa Cruz County, 285
Sausalito, 280
        naming of, 21
Secularization, 35-37
Shellmounds, 9-10
Sheraton Palace Hotel, 115-16, 270
    See also Palace Hotel
Sherman's Bank, 86, 88-90, 264
Sherman, William T., 74, 85-86, 89, 97, 115, 117
Sierra Nevada, 1-2, 8
        Chinese railroad workers, 107
Snyder, Gary, 229
Society of California Pioneers, 165, 258
        1906 earthquake exhibits, 189
        1915 exposition exhibit, 214
        gold rush items, 69
Sonoma County, 284
South of Market, 270
South Park, 97-98, 270
Southern Pacific Railroad, 127-29, 146, 201
Stanford, Leland, 106, 126-27,  140-42, 144, 149-50
Stanford mansion, 141-42, 144
Stanford University, 141
        founding of, 149-50
Stanford University Art Museum,  150, 283
        golden spike, 122-23
        Muybridge's photographs, 150-51
        Stanford family memorabilia, 122
Strauss, Joseph, 200-201
Sub-Treasury Building, 103, 120-21, 257
    See also Pacific Heritage Museum
Sutro Baths, 168-70, 271
Sutro Heights, 168, 271
Sutro, Adolph, 168-70
Sutter's Fort, 57-58, 66, 68
Sutter's mill, 58, 68, 76, 85
Sutter, John Augustus, 40, 57-58, 76
Sweeney Ridge, 15, 19, 28-29
Sydney Ducks, 78-79
Sydney Town, 78, 129

                T
Tahoe, Lake, 101
Telegraph Hill, 136
Telegraph Hill Victorians, 250-51, 272
Terry, David S., 83, 91-93, 96
Tower of Jewels, 190, 197
Transcontinental Railroad, 106, 122-23
Treasure Island, 191, 205-7, 221
Treasure Island Museum, 223-24, 272
Twain, Mark, 89, 122

                U
Union Pacific Railroad, 106, 123

                V
V-J Day, 228
Vallejo, Mariano, 36, 40, 52
Vancouver, George, 16, 27, 33
Vesuvio Café, 241-42, 267
Victorian houses, 244, 247-54
    See also Architecture
        Haas - Lilienthal house, 151-52
Vigilance Committees, 78-79, 86, 90
Vioget plan, 41, 45
Vioget, Jean-Jacques, 38
Virginia & Truckee Railroad, 101, 121, 123
Virginia City, 99-102, 113, 121-22, 286
Vizcaíno, Sebastían, 18-19

                W
Washoe, 99-100, 102, 113
Wells Fargo, 80
Wells Fargo History Museum, 167, 213, 260
        1894 Midwinter Fair relics, 168
        1906 earthquake artifacts, 188
        1915 exposition displays, 214
        early San Francisco, 90-91
        gold samples, 71
Western Addition, 249, 252, 273
Western Addition/Pacific Heights Victorians, 251-54, 274
World War II, 225-26
        Liberty ships, 226-27
        migration to The City, 227-28
        V-J Day, 228-29

                Y
Yerba Buena, 21, 37-41, 45, 54-55
Yerba Buena cove, 54, 72, 74, 85, 257
Yerba Buena Island, 50, 97, 203-6, 220, 223-24
Yerba Buena tunnel, 204-5

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