birth of san francisco #2 [ 34:13 ] Play Now | Play in Popup

Part two of the pre-history of San Francisco, the early life of the village of Yerba Buena. The epic sweep of Mexico’s revolution and the annexation of California to the United States for all intents and purposes passed the town by. Monterey, Sonoma, and the great Californio ranchos were where most of the action was, with Yerba Buena developing slowly and in the background. (listen to part one.)

In this and next week’s shows I will wander through the years between the building of that first sail-cloth shanty on the shores of the bay and the discovery of gold in the Sacramento Valley.

I hope a series of stories and individual sketches will give you a feeling for life in Yerba Buena during those few years. Today’s show will take you up to about 1841.

For further edification:
» Zoeth Eldredge “Annals of San Francisco” 1912
» Richard Henry Dana “Two Years before the Mast” 1836
» Yerba Buena directory list 1846
» William Heath Davis “75 years in California” 1889
» Juana Briones

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