birth of san francisco #1 [ 24:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup

By the time I arrived, San Francisco was already a city — and had been one for the previous century and a half. But what went on before that time? What was San Francisco before it was San Francisco?

I’ve decided to look into the story of the pre-city peninsula, and the birth of the tiny town of Yerba Buena, starting with the arrival of the Spanish in the 1770s. It will take a couple of episodes to get it all out, so if you’re curious, stay tuned. (or jump ahead to episodes two and three.

For further edification:
» the Presidio
» the founding of San Francisco – an essay from 1926
» detailed Presidio history – pdf
» De Anza trail – map

thanks to Rup Sode for the use of the beautiful tune “Yosemite”, courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network.


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correction – 4.5.06
While re-listening to this show recently, I noticed that one of the dates I had given was incorrect — and it happens to have been quite an important one! William Richardson put up his four-posted tent in 1835, and it is to that year which we date the birth of Yerba Buena. A shocking and inexplicable error, but hereby corrected.