Learning About the History of San Francisco
The area of San Francisco was first settled around fifteen thousand years ago by Indians. They thrived in this region on wildlife, plants, and fish. In 1579, a man called Sir Francis Drake and all his crew arrived here by ship and spent time with the natives. In 1769, the Spanish found an entrance to the bay and by 1776, the first colonizing party came to found the Presidio of San Francisco and Mission Dolores. Prior to the gold rush of 1849, San Francisco was a small settlement. Then people came from all around the world to get to the gold. This brought on a wild crowd during the gold rush. Areas like the Barbary Coast a saloon and district along the piers flourished well. After the rush had ended prospectors came from the gold mines to settle down in the city discovering fortune to be made right there.
Industries, mercantile establishments and shipping to the Orient bought fortune to these newcomers. Famous writers like Jack London and Mark Twain came here. The Sierra Club was started here in 1892. The city drew in some unique people and one person that stood out was Emperor Norton. It was said that he lost his mind and his fortune because of bad investing. He proclaimed himself as the Emperor of the United States. Then the city complied with his edicts for years until he died in 1880. Many thousands of people attended his funeral. In 1869, the first train arrived in San Francisco and then in 1870 it had grown to be the tenth largest city in the United States. In the 1840's and 1850's a large amount of Chinese laborers settled there. There were also Irish immigrants, French, Russian, German, Italian, Australian, Jewish and many other nationalities that came to the city.
In 1906, an earthquake and fire devastated the city. However, with the spirit of the city it rebuilt itself making it a grander city than ever before. The Golden Gate Bridge was thought of and constructed and is known as one of the worlds largest suspension bridges. After World War II, gay soldiers found the city to be a safe haven. Today's immigrants mostly from Russia and Central America are changing the face of the city.