Presidio Terrace in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
San Francisco's First People
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 23, 2020
1. San Francisco's First People Marker
Linda Yamane, Rumsien Ohlone
The tule reeds in front of you were life sustaining material for the Yelamu, a community of the Ohlone people who were the first inhabitants of San Francisco. For countless generations Yelamu families lived nearby in a small village called Petlenuc, located one mile away near the entrance to the Golden Gate. Intimately familiar with the landscape, they thrived by collecting plants like tule and managing natural areas for resources to support their families' needs. The Yelamu used tule to build their houses (called reewah) and boats (called wahlee).
Erected by Presidio Trust, National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Natural Resources.
Location. 37° 47.241′ N, 122° 28.237′ W.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on California’s Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Anza Expedition Camped Here (a few steps from this marker); Juan Bautista de Anza (within shouting distance of this marker); Hospital to Housing (approx. 0.2 miles away); Public Health Service District (approx. Ό mile away); St. Johns Presbyterian Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); The San Francisco Columbarium (approx. 0.9 miles away); Establishment of the Presidio of San Francisco (approx. one mile away); Post Chapel (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 23, 2020
2. San Francisco's First People Marker - wide view
More about this marker. The marker is located on the south shore of Mountain Lake, in the Mountain Lake Park area of the Presidio, by the tennis courts.
Also see . . . Yelamu (Wikipedia). "The Yelamu were a tribelet of Ohlone people from the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California. The term Yelamu, or "the western people" was used by east bay Ohlone to describe the Ohlone people living on the San Francisco Peninsula. A more correct identification is Ramaytush, according to an account by J.P. Harrington made in 1921 by a Chochenyo Ohlone who identified the peninsula as "ramai". Ramaytush was also the language spoken by them.... Randall Milliken's study, "A Time of Little Choice: The Disintegration of Tribal Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area 1769-1810," estimates that 160 to 300 Yelamu were living in San Francisco when the Spanish opened Mission San Francisco de Asνs on June 30, 1776." (Submitted on August 23, 2020.)
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 23, 2020
3. Tule Reeds (from marker site)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 620 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 23, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
