Presidio of San Francisco in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Juana Briones
| — | Presidio of San Francisco | — |
Photographed by Alice Mansell, June 29, 2026
1. Juana Briones Marker
She secured her own lands and managed them herself… She had the native Spanish hospitality and dignity, which endeared her to her people to the end of the Mexican regime and secured for her an abiding place in the memories of the American pioneers. No other Spanish or Mexican woman in California is known to have reached her position and maintained it through life as did this widow. J.N. Bowman discussing Juana Briones in The Historical Society of Southern California Quarterly, September 1957.
Juana Briones (1802-1889) lived here between 1813 and 1820, from the age of 11 to 18. She was born near the Santa Cruz Mission, south of San Francisco. Following the death of her mother in 1812, her father moved his children to El Polin. In 1820, Juana married a Presidio soldier. In 1833, Juana and her husband obtained a land grant near here, where they developed gardens, orchards and a cattle ranch. Juana raised eight children and adopted a native California girl.
Juana became known as a curandera (Mexican folk healer)-she delivered babies, set broken bones, and treated people with herbal medicines. In 1844, Juana moved her
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Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior; Presidio of San Francisco.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Hispanic Americans • Science & Medicine • Women. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1957.
Location. 37° 47.598′ N, 122° 27.334′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Presidio of San Francisco. It can be reached from El Polin Loop just south of MacArthur Avenue, on the right when traveling south. On a trail to El Polin Spring about 200’ from the end of MacArthur Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8600 MacArthur Ave, San Francisco CA 94129, 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
Photographed by Alice Mansell, June 29, 2026
2. Juana Briones Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Adobe House Site (within shouting distance of this marker); Daily Life in the Early 19th Century / La vida cotidiana en el siglo XIX (within shouting distance of this marker); Bachelor Officers' Quarters: Pershing Hall (approx. 0.3 miles away); Lover’s Lane (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pershing Hall (approx. 0.3 miles away); At Home in the Nineteenth Century Army (approx. 0.3 miles away); Old Post Chapel (approx. 0.3 miles away); Oldest Adobe Building in San Francisco (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.
More about this marker. One of a series of three historical markers about Spanish/Mexican residents associated with reconstructed remnants of an old adobe home.
Behind the marker is a reconstructed remnant of a Spanish/Mexican adobe home.
The map’s information for “3. Mission San Jose” is incorrect. The “3” on the map marks the city of San Jose. Mission San Jose is in Fremont, California. There is frequent confusion between the Pueblo and Mission called San Jose.
Caption correction: Briones adopted two native girls in 1838.
Regarding Juana Briones. El Polin Spring was the primary source of fresh water for the San Francisco Presidio until after the U.S. occupied it during the Mexican American War. The spring is one of many near the wetlands along the Tennessee Valley (or “Hollows”) creek. The medicinal plants growing there were used by female members of Briones’ family who worked as midwives and healers. The waters were also used for drinking, cooking, and laundry, as well as watering livestock. The El Polin riparian and wetlands habitat was restored within the last ten years.
The subject’s full name is Juana de la Trinidad Briones de Miranda. She married Spanish soldier Apolinario Miranda in 1820 at San Francisco’s Mission Dolores. She obtained a divorce from him on the grounds of physical abuse and alcoholism.
Briones went to court to prove her land rights in San Francisco. Henry Halleck represented her. He was an early investor and manager of the New Almaden quicksilver (mercury) mine near San Jose, a U.S. Senator for both California and Oregon, and later served as the U.S. Army Chief of Staff during the U.S. Civil War.
Briones died in a cattle stampede near the train station at Mayfield, a town later annexed to Palo Alto. She was buried at St. Denis church. Later her body was moved to nearby Holy Cross Cemetery. Palo Alto has a park and an elementary school named for her.
Additional keywords. San Francisco Presidio, El Polin trail
Credits. This page was last revised on September 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 16, 2026, by Alice Mansell of Los Altos, California. This page has been viewed 47 times since then. Last updated on August 31, 2026, by Alice Mansell of Los Altos, California. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 16, 2026, by Alice Mansell of Los Altos, California. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. List sources of the additional information provided. • Transcription of the Spanist text. • Can you help?
