Central Waterfront in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Industrialization of the Shoreline
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, October 30, 2020
1. Industrialization of the Shoreline Marker
Inscription.
With the coming of the Gold Rush, the
landscape began to change rapidly. Access to
deep water made this an attractive location for
early maritime industries. The Tubbs Cordage
Company located to Potrero Point in the
mid-1850s and built a 1,000 yard long shed
called a “rope walk” for weaving strands of
hemp and other fibers together into long
lengths of cordage to serve the sailing ships
of the day. E.I. Du Pont de Nemours Company
manufactured black powder at the very tip of
Potrero Point, beginning in 1854, until the
encroachment of the rapidly expanding city
became too close for safety.
Soon, the Pacific Rolling Mills, the first steel
mill on the West Coast, was established here,
followed by Risdon Iron Works which
specialized in the fabrication of steam
locomotives, a sugar refinery, and a
manufactured gas power plant; they became
neighbors and were located immediately south
of the Union Iron Works shipyard.
Erected 2020 by Union Iron Works Historic District.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.
Location. 37° 45.823′ N, 122° 23.229′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Central Waterfront. It can be reached from Illinois Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: San Francisco CA 94107, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, on 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.
More about this marker. The marker is located in the north half of Crane Cove Park (opened October, 2020), just a few steps from the water.
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, October 30, 2020
2. Industrialization of the Shoreline Marker - wide view
3. Marker inset: Small Boatyards
"There were small boatyards in this area of the waterfront by
1868. John North's and Henry Ewing's boatyards turned out
wooden hulled steamers for use on the state's inland waterways
between San Francisco and Stockton and Sacramento."
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 9, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 437 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 9, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
