Alcatraz's original lighthouse (below) was lit in 1854, when California's gold
fields were drawing fortune-seekers from around the world. It was the first
operating lighthouse on the West Coast. Today's lighthouse, which replaced
the original one . . . — — Map (db m194652) HM
"He took his chance"
On April 27, 1936, a guard tower stood on these concrete pylons. As officers watched, inmate Joseph Bowers burned garbage in the incinerator straight ahead. Suddenly, Bowers went for the fence, made it over the top, and . . . — — Map (db m193975) HM
In 1969, six years after the penitentiary closed, a group of American Indians claimed Alcatraz for "Indians of All Tribes." For almost 19 months they occupied the island to call attention to the plight of Native Americans and make a stand for . . . — — Map (db m194670) HM
During the Civil War, Confederate sympathizers, political prisoners, deserters, and other army convicts were sent to Alcatraz. This marked the beginning of the island's evolution from fort to prison. After the war's end, the post was pressed to take . . . — — Map (db m195490) HM
The Alcatraz water tower is one of the most visible landmarks in San Francisco Bay. As such, it was an ideal place for American Indians who occupied the island to broadcast their message of "peace and freedom" to the world. Standing on each . . . — — Map (db m133766) HM
When Alcatraz became a federal penitentiary, this building was dubbed the "Officer's Club." Soon known by island residents as the "Social Hall," it was used by prison staff and their families for parties, dances, and other sorts of recreation. . . . — — Map (db m133610) HM
From the 1920s through the 1960s, island slopes
gistened every summer with the vibrant pink
blossoms of an iceplant (Drosanthemum
floribundum) known by the residents as "Persian
carpet.” The iceplant solved two problems
it reduced . . . — — Map (db m194674) HM
Throughout the military and penitentiary years, Alcatraz was much like a small town. Keeping the town going—and the convicts under control—depended on the uninterrupted service of the power plant to your left and the warehouse . . . — — Map (db m133621) HM
Although death on the island was seldom, both the U.S. military and the Federal Bureau of Prisons had to deal with the inescapable reality of death on Alcatraz.
In 1910, the military constructed the morgue to store the bodies of the . . . — — Map (db m133598) HM
Alcatraz's executive mansion
For many years, Alcatraz's most powerful resident lived in
a Victorian cottage on Officers' Row. That changed in 1921
when this 15-room mansion was completed. Built on the
island's summit to command respect, . . . — — Map (db m191924) HM
Transformed from an army parade ground to a playground for the children of federal prison guards, the expanse of concrete straight ahead is now a nesting ground for Alcatraz's vast colony of western gulls. Each winter, up to 1,100 pairs of . . . — — Map (db m133765) HM
Here from 1881-1906 stood the library of Hubert Howe Bancroft who in 1860 began to collect the wealth of material which was to subsequently result in the writing of his monumental history of western North America. In 1905, the library was . . . — — Map (db m162984) HM
Apostle of liberty, humanitarian, Unitarian minister, who in the Civil War bound California to the Union and led her to excel all other states in support of the United States Sanitary Commission, predecessor to the American Red Cross. His statue, . . . — — Map (db m91855) HM
This simple industrial building was constructed
circa 1940 during a time of shipyard
modernization and expansion, as World War II
raged in Europe but the U.S. had yet to be
attacked. Building 49 is a simple utilitarian
structure that is 152 . . . — — Map (db m159878) HM
Crane 14 is an American Hoist & Derrick Co. 50-ton Whirley Crane,
erected by the U.S. government in 1941 atop Slip 4 when the slip was
rebuilt in 1941 for the vastly expanded World War II shipbuilding program.
Crane 14 and 30 were nicknamed Nick . . . — — Map (db m159381) HM
The Union Iron Works Historic District
eloquently expresses national trends in industrial
architecture and design over a 61-year period
from 1884 to 1945, and demonstrates how
functionality drove the design of the buildings
and the layout of . . . — — Map (db m175358) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m159589) HM
This shipbuilding site was known
to have state-of-the-art equipment
throughout its existence. Recovered
from historic Union Iron Works
Building 113, this press was used
to drill holes (and even stamp
markings and indentations) . . . — — Map (db m159387) HM
This shipbuilding site was known
to have state-of-the-art equipment
throughout its existence. Recovered
from historic Union Iron Works
Building 113, this lathe was fitted
with cutting tools used for planing
and milling machinery parts . . . — — Map (db m159378) HM
Electric power, new rail lines, and travelling
cranes of the twentieth century replaced the
steam hoists and horse carts of the nineteenth.
Thanks to the efficiencies inherent in building
multiple ships of identical type-notably the
ability to . . . — — Map (db m162715) HM
Development of this historic landscape was
driven by the growth and decline of the U.S.
shipbuilding industry. At its most basic,
shipbuilding involves moving heavy steel pieces
around, in order to form them into shapes, and
then assemble . . . — — Map (db m175685) HM
(English text:)
"Our worst fear is that our painful history during World War II will be forgotten." - former Comfort Woman
This monument bears witness to the suffering of hundreds of thousands of women and girls, . . . — — Map (db m114752) HM WM
Wentworth Place was
well known as a
street of commerce
where hawkers
would come to sell
preserved fish and
seafood, earning it
the moniker 'Salty
Fish Alley'. As
homage to this
legacy, students from
the Mandarin Institute have . . . — — Map (db m175279) HM
Alleyways in Chinatown were created during the early settlement of Chinese in the late 1870’s. During that period, the rapidly-growing community was restricted by anti-Chinese sentiment to a six block area behind the back streets of the Barbary . . . — — Map (db m71997) HM
Commenced operation August 1, 1873. Ceased February 15, 1947. Invented and installed by Andrew S. Hallidie, born London, England March 16, 1836. Died San Francisco, April 24, 1900. Pioneer manufacturer of wire cables, Regent University of . . . — — Map (db m143432) HM
On this site
January 18, 1869
The California Theatre
Built by William C. Ralston
Opened with the following stock company
John McCullough • Lawrence Barrett • Harry Edwards • Willie Edouin • E.B. Holmes • William Mestayer • John T. . . . — — Map (db m143433) HM
We Salute These Americans of Chinese Ancestry who Gave Their Lives for America in World Wars I & II
Tom Kwong, Leo Sai, Bill Tom, Donald Ginn Chong, Lincoln Mark, Tung Ling Yee, Harry Wong, Daniel Lim, Clifford S. Low, Hon Y. Lee, John Wing . . . — — Map (db m71450) WM
Founder of the Kuo Min Tang, Champion for Democracy, Father of the Chinese Republic and first President. Lover of mankind. Proponent of friendship and peace among the nations based on equality, justice and goodwill. — — Map (db m69511) HM
The staffs and management of the Far East Café welcome you into this enchanting restaurant that bring you back in time. Experience dining as it was once enjoyed by the people of ancient China. We serve fine Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine. Whether . . . — — Map (db m107302) HM
The first Chinese American troop of
the Boy Scouts of America, Troop
Three of San Francisco, was founded
by eight boys on this Chinese
Methodist Church site in 1914. It is
one of the oldest active troops in the
United States.
Dedicated by . . . — — Map (db m186444) HM
{The left side of the marker has the text in English:}
This church was organized on October 3, 1880. The congregation first met in rented quarters on Washington Street across from Portsmouth Square, and moved to the present location in . . . — — Map (db m52875) HM
On this site stood The Eureka Lodging, a boarding house catering to tradesmen and transients. It's most famous resident, Joshua Abraham Norton (1818-1880), began living here in 1863 and remained for the next 17 years.
Coming from South Africa . . . — — Map (db m113930) HM
The Chinese Playground is one of the few
recreational facilities in Chinatown. In order
to make use of as much open space as possible, the Committee for Better Parks and Re
creation in Chinatown and the San Francisco
Department of Parks and . . . — — Map (db m175178) HM
Photographer Benjamen Chinn was born, raised and spent virtually his entire live in this house. Chinn is best known for his iconic photographs of San Francisco’s Chinatown and Paris, France. — — Map (db m70834) HM
On this block, then on Yerba Buena's waterfront, stood the California headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1841, their chief trader, William G. Rae, purchased the property and started operations. This venture caused wide speculation about . . . — — Map (db m143484) HM
On this site in 1851, Yee Ah Tye established the Sze Yup Company, one of the first
Chinese mutual aid associations in America. Sze Yup Company provided mutual support,
social services and economic aid. Constructed as a temple, the . . . — — Map (db m155185) HM
The first Pony Express rider to reach San Francisco on the final relay carrying mail from St. Joseph, Missouri to California, arrived in this city Apr. 14, 1860 aboard the River Str. ‘Antelope’. Led by a band and several engine companies, a . . . — — Map (db m84866) HM
Named for U.S.S. Portsmouth commanded by Capt. John B. Montgomery, after whom Montgomery Street was named. It was here on the plaza that Capt. Montgomery first raised the American flag near the Mexican adobe custom house on July 9, 1846. This plaza . . . — — Map (db m143438) HM
On this spot
the American flag
was first raised
in San Francisco
by Commander
John B. Montgomery
of the U.S.S. Portsmouth
July 9, 1846 — — Map (db m81722) HM
Ross Alley is one of Chinatown's busiest alleyways, home to a mix of residences and businesses reflecting the everyday life and cultural traditions of the neighborhood. Tourists observe fortune cookies still folded by hand, local residents . . . — — Map (db m175261) HM
This building is the last of the Barbary Coast saloons. Prior to the great earthquake and fire of 1906, this was the site of the infamous Billy Goat Saloon, operated by Pigeon-toed Sal.
After reconstruction, the original Andromeda Saloon opened . . . — — Map (db m58491) HM
Two plaques are found on this building City of San Francisco
Designated Landmark No. 143
SFFD
Engine Co. No. 2
Newton J. Tharp • Architect • 1908
Carey & Co. • Restoration Architect • 2001
SFFD
Engine Co. No. . . . — — Map (db m71996) HM
The first United States Branch Mint in San Francisco was authorized by Congress July 3, 1852, and opened for operation on April 3, 1854. Dr. L.A. Birdall was the first superintendent: J. Huston, first minter: A. Haraszthy, first assayer.
State . . . — — Map (db m206524) HM
The first building erected as a cathedral in California, Old Saint Mary’s served the archdiocese of San Francisco in that capacity from 1854 to 1891. Once the City’s most prominent building, much of its stone work was quarried and cut in China and . . . — — Map (db m9176) HM
This marks the site of the first
public school in California
Erected in 1847 — Opened April 3, 1848
This commemorative marker was erected
in 1957 by the Grand Lodge of Free
and Accepted Masons of the State of California . . . — — Map (db m53965) HM
The third Jenny Lind Theatre was opened by Tom Maquire on October 4, 1851 on the same site as the two preceding it, which were destroyed in the fires of 1851. In 1852 the City of San Francisco purchased this theatre for use as the City Hall. — — Map (db m143439) HM
In the past, Spofford Alley was one of the central avenues of Chinatown. The Chee Kung Tong [Chinese Free Mason], located at 36 Spofford Alley, was the meeting place of the revolutionaries led by Dr. Sun Yat Sen, who planned the overthrow of the . . . — — Map (db m175269) HM
Here, June 25, 1835, William A. Richardson, founder of Yerba Buena, (later San Francisco) erected its first habitation, a tent dwelling, replacing it, in October 1835, by the first wooden house, and on this ground, in 1836, he erected the large . . . — — Map (db m70835) HM
Historically, the underlying soil of the North Shore
Watershed was primarily sand with serpentine
outcroppings. The basin's shoreline and soil composition
changed when large sections of Yerba Buena Cove
(now the Financial District), Fisherman's . . . — — Map (db m175164) HM
This was the site of the western business headquarters of Russell, Majors, and Waddell -- founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express, 1860-1861. The firm's main office was in Leavenworth, Kansas. W.W. Finney was the western representative . . . — — Map (db m33775) HM
Standing at 5 feet 5 inches tall, Willie "Woo Woo” Wong grew up in San
Francisco to become one of the preeminent sport stars of the 1940's and
1950's. As a youngster, he perfected his basketbal skills during early morning
work-outs at Chinese . . . — — Map (db m175169) HM
The Assyrians formed one of the earliest great empires in the world. Their civilization dates from 2700 B.C. with the important cultural centers at Ashur and Nineveh north of modern Baghdad. Beginning as a river civilization in Mesopotamia between . . . — — Map (db m32080) HM
[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 . . . — — Map (db m32183) HM
This shipbuilding site was known
to have state-of-the-art equipment
throughout its existence. Recovered
from historic Union Iron Works
Building 113, this massive drive
shaft connected a ship's engine
with its propeller, turning it . . . — — Map (db m159388) HM
En 1970, Maxime Le Forestier s'est inspiré
de cette maison bleue pour l'écriture d'un
de ses tout premiers succès "San Francisco"
"C'est une maison bleue adossée à la colline..."
Plaque offerte par le Consulat Général de . . . — — Map (db m186366) HM
Though the water mains were broken and dry on April 18, 1906 yet from this GREENBERG hydrant on the following night there came a stream of water allowing the firemen to save the Mission District.
DEDICATED to Chief Dennis Sullivan and the men who . . . — — Map (db m120358) HM
Noted politician and civil rights
leader, widely considered to be
the first openly lesbian
representative elected to the
United States Congress — — Map (db m120172) HM
Muslim entertainer and martyred
political activist who fought to have
a free and open society for Iran, his
homeland, and for people
everywhere
فریدون فرخزاد — — Map (db m120372) HM
Josephine Baker
(1906-1975)
African-American born French
dancer, singer, actress, Resistance
fighter and world-famous entertainer
who refused to perform for
segregated audiences — — Map (db m186406) HM
More than one hundred years ago, the bicycle was king of the road in San Francisco.
The streets were filled with scorchers, bloomer girls, bone shakers, and wheelmen.
More than one hundred years ago, the bicycle was king of the road in . . . — — Map (db m72526) HM
Japanese-Americas human rights
activist and founder of the Critical
Path Project, one of the earliest
resources for information about
HIV research and treatment — — Map (db m120181) HM
Lou Sullivan
(1951-1991)
Transgender historian and activist who
challenged the denial of medical
treatment to trans people who would
be gay or lesbian after gender transition — — Map (db m186313) HM
American physician and political
radical who fought for peace, an
eight-hour workday, women's suffrage
and their right to birth control — — Map (db m187158) HM
In 1936 almost half of Mint Hill was removed to create a flat base for the Mint.
In 1947 Duboce Avenue east of the Sunset Tunnel was crowded with automobiles as shoppers thronged to the farmers’ market.
The area near Market and Church . . . — — Map (db m128827) HM
Physicist and astronaut, the first
American woman in space, where as a
mission specialist she helped to
launch satellites and conduct
scientific experiments
Sally Ride — — Map (db m120150) HM
Built in 1907, Swedish American Hall is home to the
Swedish Society of San Francisco, founded in 1875.
At the turn of the 20th Century, this neighborhood was a
large Scandinavian enclave. The hall housed businesses serving
the community, . . . — — Map (db m134684) HM
During the first half of the 20th century, electric streetcars reigned.
Hills were soon surmounted by the cable car.
The Industrial Age created the need for efficient urban transportation, which came first in the form of horse-drawn . . . — — Map (db m72657) HM
Anglo-American poet whose brilliant
insights, political engagement and
unsurpassed technical virtuosity in
nearly every verse form influenced a
generation of writers — — Map (db m187043) HM
San Francisco was an ancient river valley were creatures who grazed and browsed and stalked their prey, left their bones. (text on the horizontal surface)
20,000 years ago you could have walked to the Farallon Islands... . . . — — Map (db m92829) HM
Built by Hippolite d’Audiffred in 1889, with a cast-iron facade and a French mansard roof, this is the only building standing that witnessed the construction of the Ferry Building in 1896-1898. Together they are the only two buildings along the . . . — — Map (db m72608) HM
This marker consists of six plaques arranged in a 2 X 3 pattern. The top left plaque is the title plaque and may contain some text. The top right plaque displayed an arrow which points in the direction of the named street. Other plaques contain . . . — — Map (db m92822) HM
This marker is one of a series intended to commemorate the 150 years of the Port of San Francisco. It is composed of a captioned photograph and text entitled Did you know... mounted on a cylindrical metal pylon.
Streetcars from Haight, . . . — — Map (db m200513) HM
Captain Leidesdorff’s father was a Danish sea captain; his Creole mother was from Danish-held St. Croix, where Leidesdorff was born in 1812. Educated in New Orleans, William Alexander Leidesdorff became an accomplished linguist and master of the . . . — — Map (db m73146) HM
Born in Barbados, West Indies in 1859, Captain William Thomas Shorey served as the only black captain on the Pacific Coast during the rise of San Francisco as America's principal whaling port. Captain Shorey, known as "Black Ahab" by his crew, took . . . — — Map (db m92827) HM
"It has been said that all great cities of history have been built on bodies of water - Rome on the Tiber, Paris on the Seine, London on the Thames, New York on the Hudson. If this is a criterion of a city's greatness, surely San Francisco ranks in . . . — — Map (db m92872) HM
California Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
Pioneering structure in the use of reinforced concrete
San Francisco Section ASCE 1976 — — Map (db m200683) HM
You are facing San Francisco's only waterfront firehouse, built in 1913 for the fireboats and their crews. Fireboats stand by, directly alongside the fire station wharf, always ready for action. All along the waterfront are special manifold pipes . . . — — Map (db m92890) HM
The Folsom Street marker originally consisted of six plaques arranged in a 2 X 3 pattern embedded in the sidewalk. Two of the plaques, the top right plaque and the center right plaque, been lost due to the placement of some utility boxes. The top . . . — — Map (db m72597) HM
Rectangles embedded in the walkway mark the former locations of two Embarcadero Freeway support columns
The dashed line that surrounds you marks the former locations of an Embarcadero Freeway column.
We sit and eat our lunch. . . . — — Map (db m73089) HM
Marker 1
Yesterday’s Port
Fruit Seller
Amidst the commercial bustle of sailing ships crowding the finger-piers to discharge and load freight, a man sells apples and grapes on the San Francisco waterfront, circa 1900, . . . — — Map (db m200528) HM
The clangor of their coming and going comprised a contrapuntal symphony of cosmopolis. -- Lucius Beebe, Cable Car Carnival(text on the horizontal surface)
Getting Around San Francisco, 1860's & 1870's
Mostly . . . — — Map (db m92855) HM
This marker consists of six plaques arranged in a 2 X 3 pattern. The top left plaque is the title plaque and may contain some text. The top right plaque displayed an arrow which points in the direction of the named street. Other plaques contain . . . — — Map (db m72725) HM
Created by sculptor Spero Anargyros,
the familiar bearded figure in turban and
flowing robe logo was orginally designed for
Hills Bros. by a local San Francisco artist
just before the turn of the century. In 1900,
when Hills Bros originated the . . . — — Map (db m162762) HM
Founded in 1878 by Austin and Reuben Hills, Hills Brothers’ Coffee became world-famous when it invented vacuum-packed coffee in a can in time for the Alaska Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. This complex, San Francisco Landmark # 157, was designed in 1924 . . . — — Map (db m72585) HM
This marker consists of six plaques arranged in a 2 X 3 pattern, embedded in the sidewalk. The top left plaque is the title plaque and may contain some text. The top right plaque displayed an arrow which points in the direction of the named . . . — — Map (db m72607) HM
In memory of Howard Sperry and Nick Bordoise, who gave their lives on Bloody Thursday, July 5, 1934, so that all working people might enjoy a greater measure of dignity and security.
Sperry and Bordoise were fatally shot by San Francisco . . . — — Map (db m26162) HM
"Alcatraz is not an island, it's an idea. The idea that you can recapture and
be in control of your life, your destiny, and self-determine your future."
-- Richard Oakes, Spokesperson for the Occupation
Pursuing an Ideal
In . . . — — Map (db m116514) HM
Captain Fred Klebingat was 24 years old when the panorama at the right was made from the Ferry Tower. He had sailed into San Francisco in 1908, as a seaman-donkeyman on the S.N. Castle. In 1979, at the age of 90, he walked the city front . . . — — Map (db m72721) HM
This marker is one of a series intended to commemorate the 150 years of the Port of San Francisco. It is composed of a captioned photograph and text entitled Did you know... mounted on a cylindrical metal pylon.
The SS Malolo, . . . — — Map (db m73133) HM
"...take a transbay ferry
and, in the early morning,
gaze back at the receding
city, where water, hills
and building are
combined into a picture
that has composition,
feeling and life."
1930
The 1930s saw the highest
recorded . . . — — Map (db m157041) HM
"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 . . . — — Map (db m157306) HM
"...nothing ever comes to
the working man or
woman on a silver platter,
free, gratis...every crumb,
every thing we get has to
be fought for..."
1994 (60th anniversary of the strike)
As the Great Depression wore on,
working . . . — — Map (db m157043) HM
Side 1:
Yesterday’s Port
Port Time
San Franciscans have relied on the Ferry Building’s clock tower to keep them on time since 1898, when the prominent structure at the foot of Market Street first opened. The inner workings of . . . — — Map (db m200664) HM
In Honor and Remembrance of San Franciscans Who Served Our Country and Died in the Vietnam War
Eddy Achica • Felizardo Cuenca Aguillaon • Albert Kaiwi Akamu • Daniel Albert Alegke • John Moses Ananian • Gregory Alfred Antunano • Joseph Gregory . . . — — Map (db m71805) WM
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