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

Pioneer Monument

Sculptor, Frank Happersberger

⎯⎯⎯
California Native Americans

Pioneer Monument Marker Panel 1 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Grace Corpuz, June 13, 2010

1. Pioneer Monument Marker Panel 1

Inscription.
[Panel 1:]
Pioneer Monument
Sculptor, Frank Happersberger
(1859-1932)
Dedicated to the City of San Francisco on November 29, 1894, the Pioneer Monument was a gift of philanthropist James Lick. Lick, who died in 1876, left $100,000 to the City for the creation of “statuary emblematic of the significant epochs in California history” dating back to the missions’ early settlement. The monument stood in Marshall Square facing Market Street in front of the Old City Hall that was completed in 1897 but destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. When the City was rebuilt after the earthquake, Grove and Hyde Streets were extended to meet Market Street, creating a new intersection. The Pioneer Monument stood at this intersection until it was moved to its present location in 1993.

[Panel 2:]
California Native Americans The Pioneer Monument, created in 1894, represents a conventional attitude of the 19th Century. It commemorates the settlement of California by “western civilization.” This plaque, added in 1996, seeks to acknowledge the effect of this settlement on the California Native Americans. The three figures of “Early Days,”

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a Native American, a missionary, and a vaquero, represent the three cultures of early California. At least 300,000 Native people - and perhaps far more - lived in California at the time of the first European settlement in 1769. During contact with colonizers from Europe and the United States, the Native population of California was devastated by disease, malnutrition and armed attacks. The most dramatic decline of the Native population occurred in the years following the discovery of gold in 1848. By 1900, according to the U.S. census, California’s Native American population had been reduced to 15,377. In the 20th Century, California’s Indian population steadily rebounded, reaching 236,078 in 1990.

Erected by James Lick.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Hispanic Americans • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical date for this entry is November 29, 1894.

Location. 37° 46.782′ N, 122° 24.956′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Civic Center. It is on Fulton Street east of Larkin Street, in the median. The monument is in the Civic Center district,

California Native Americans Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Grace Corpuz, June 13, 2010

2. California Native Americans Marker

east of City Hall, on an island in the middle of Fulton Street between Larkin and Hyde Streets. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 Fulton Street, San Francisco CA 94102, 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: Ashurbanipal Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Hotel Whitcomb (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); McAllister Tower (about 700 feet away); 220 Golden Gate Ave. (approx. 0.2 miles away); California Labor School (approx. 0.2 miles away); Blackhawk Jazz Club (approx. 0.2 miles away); Oasis Apartments (approx. 0.2 miles away); Former Film Exchange (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.

Also see . . .
1. James Lick: "The Generous Miser".

Pioneer Monument Marker - north face image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Grace Corpuz, June 13, 2010

3. Pioneer Monument Marker - north face

He also bequeathed a large sum for the construction of the James Lick Observatory. (Submitted on June 19, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)

2. ‘Racist’ statue of subjugated American Indian on way to removal... (SF Chronicle, 2/22/2018). (Submitted on March 26, 2018, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.)

Pioneer Monument - east face image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Grace Corpuz, June 13, 2010

4. Pioneer Monument - east face

Pioneer Monument - west face image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Grace Corpuz, June 13, 2010

5. Pioneer Monument - west face

Pioneer Monument - south face image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Gace Corpuz, June 13, 2010

6. Pioneer Monument - south face

Pioneer Monument - close up: "Early Days" image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Grace Corpuz, June 13, 2010

7. Pioneer Monument - close up: "Early Days"

Pioneer Monument - close up: "In ’49" image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Gace Corpuz, June 13, 2010

8. Pioneer Monument - close up: "In ’49"

Pioneer Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, March 8, 2018

9. Pioneer Monument

Credits. This page was last revised on October 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 19, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 3,890 times since then and 88 times this year. Last updated on June 22, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on June 19, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 9. submitted on March 26, 2018, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.

Pioneer Monument

Sculptor, Frank Happersberger

⎯⎯⎯California Native Americans

⎯⎯⎯
California Native Americans