San Francisco Gold Rush

And there are two free "outdoor museums" in the form of self-guided walking tours that will take you to all the historic sites of the Gold Rush in San Francisco.

San Francisco's infamous Barbary Coast was named after the coast of North Africa because of its resemblance to that continent's piratical and lawless activities. Today there's an historical walking tour named in its honor. Not all of the sites along the tour are associated with the San Francisco Gold Rush, but all are interesting in the context of The City's overall history.

The Bank of Canton, though built in 1909, marks the spot where Samuel Brannan started the California Star, San Francisco's first newspaper and the one that first reported about the discovery of gold.

Commerical and Montgomery Streets - these streets are less than a block from what was once Yerba Buena/San Francisco's shoreline before that part of the Bay was filled in with sunken ships and abandoned household goods left behind by those who had run off to the goldfields.

Jackson Square is surrounded by some of San Francisco's earliest architecture, lined as it is by Barbary Coast-era buildings. Before the Gold Rush and the filling in of parts of the Bay, this site was under water!

The Old Barbary Coast was the largest West Coast port "back in the day" - this is another site that marks the old shoreline.

Check out this link. You'll find a wonderfully interactive map of San Francisco's Barbary Coast Trail - you can even overlay the original shoreline and the sunken ships onto the map!! It's way cool!!!

This self-guided tour is sponsored by The Gold Rush Trail Foundation and outlines "49" - a very significant number in Northern California! - historic sites. It's conveniently divided into 6 smaller walks with sites of interest that are grouped by location. Of special interest to those of us who are tracing the San Francisco Gold Rush and the footsteps of the 49ers:

In the Commercial District, the 1850 shoreline is marked by a sidewalk plaque near the bronze sculpture entitled The Mechanics, which is at the foot of Bush Street.

At 240 California Street, you'll find Tadich Grill, the oldest restaurant, not only in San Francisco but in all of the West. It has been in continuous operation in one form or another since 1849 when it was a coffee stand, and it's a great place to eat - excellent food, friendly service, and huge portions! Their menus are printed daily (and dated!), so you know the specials are fresh!

San Francisco's original Produce District, the New World Market on Commercial & Leidesdorff Streets, stood near the current Embarcadero Center.

In the Embarcadero District, a sidewalk plaque at Folsom and Steuart commemorates Sam Brannan's cry of "Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River!"

In the Financial District, the Bank of America's International Headquarters building stands on the former site of the 1848 home of Yerba Buena's Alcalde (or Mayor), William Leidesdorff.

The Wells Fargo Museum at California & Montgomery Streets is free to the public and has a collection of memorabilia.

And within the Union Bank of California (in their basement) is a "Money of the American West" museum. Among other Gold Rush-era artifacts, you'll find a cache of gold nuggets.

In the Jackson Square District, at 250 Valencia Street, stands the Levi Strauss Factory and Museum, documenting Levi's story of "rags" to riches (the pants he and his partner made resulted from his observations that the wool or linen pants of the day couldn't withstand the rigors of prospecting for gold).

You can use this link to find more detailed information about this San Francisco walking tour.

Now, this may seem like a lot to do, but there's actually a lot of overlap between the two walks. It would be easy enough to combine the two San Francisco Gold Rush walks, tailor them to your own areas of interest, and make it all happen in one or two days - this assumes, of course, that you won't be adding too many side trips for shopping . . . wink, wink!

Follow the Sacramento River
Want to know which route the 49ers took from San Francisco to Sacramento City?

Old Sacramento
What did the 49ers find when they reached Sacramento City?

Sutter's Fort
Sutter's Fort - a step back in time!

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SAN FRANCISCO GOLD RUSH