Embarcadero in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Pier 1, Working Waterfront: Geography & Rail

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, September 28, 2020

1. Pier 1, Working Waterfront: Geography & Rail Marker

Inscription. "It was a stroke of good fortune for the movement of world commerce that nature, in selecting a location for her greatest landlocked harbor, chose this very central portion of the continent."
1921

During the first half of the 20th century, San Francisco's central location along the West Coast of the United States and its proximity to Hawaii and Asia made the Port an attractive location for shipping in a wide variety of products. In addition to offering this geographic advantage, the Port also operated a rail service, the State Belt Railroad of California. The Belt Line provided direct access to pier sheds via rail tracks that entered through the bulkhead and continued along the southern edge of each building. Today, metal bands embedded in the promenade pavement recall this important feature. After cargo was loaded onto rail cars, it was transported along the Embarcadero where it could be transferred to one of the major San Francisco-area transcontinental railroads. Among the companies that relied heavily on both shipping and rail was Pier 1's first tenant, the C&H Sugar Refining Corporation, which used the building as a sugar distribution center.

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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 37° 47.878′ N, 122° 23.582′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Embarcadero. It can be reached from The Embarcadero. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: San Francisco CA 94105, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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 Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pier 1, Working Waterfront: The 1934 Strike (within shouting distance of this marker); Pier 1, Working Waterfront: Ferry Service (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Pier 1, Working Waterfront: Design and Construction

Pier 1 Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, June 16, 2022

2. Pier 1 Marker

Pier 1
Listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
By the United States Department of the Interior
1999
Constructed in 1931 and Rehabilitated in 2000

(about 500 feet away); Herb Caen Way (about 700 feet away); Piers 1½, 3 & 5 (about 800 feet away); The River Lines (about 800 feet away); Stephan C. Leonoudakis (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Embarcadero Freeway (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.

More about this marker. The marker is located on the south side of Pier 1, near the end of the pier.

Also see . . . The State Belt Railroad (1890-1993) (National Park Service). (Submitted on October 5, 2020.)

Pier 1, Working Waterfront: Geography & Rail Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, September 28, 2020

3. Pier 1, Working Waterfront: Geography & Rail Marker - wide view

Looking west from the end of Pier 1 towards downtown. The marker is on the right, against the wall.

Pier 1 Marker at the front of the building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, June 16, 2022

4. Pier 1 Marker at the front of the building

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, June 16, 2022

5. Pier 1

<i>State Belt Railroad of California at Embarcadero</i> (Same photo as on top of the marker) image. Click for full size.

Courtesy of the San Francsico History Center, San Francisco Public Library, July 6, 1938

6. State Belt Railroad of California at Embarcadero (Same photo as on top of the marker)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 5, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 357 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 5, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 2. submitted on July 26, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 3. submitted on October 5, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 4, 5. submitted on July 26, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 6. submitted on October 5, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.