Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
them are
Flying Wheels Travel
y
507/451-5005; www.flyingwheels
travel.com
and
Accessible Jour-
neys
y
800/846-4537 or 610/521-
0339; www.disabilitytravel.com.
From the U.K.
Access Travel
y
01942/888844; www.access-
travel.co.uk
offers a variety of holi-
days for persons with disabilities.
The U.S. National Park Service offers
a
Golden Access Passport
that
gives free lifetime entrance to all
properties administered by the
National Park Service—national
parks, monuments, historic sites,
recreation areas, and national wildlife
refuges—for persons who are visually
impaired or permanently disabled,
regardless of age
y
888/467-2757;
www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm.
San Francisco:
A Brief History
1542
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sails
up the California coast.
1579
Sir Francis Drake lands near
San Francisco, missing the
entrance to the bay.
1769
The Spanish expedition led by
Gaspar de Portolá become the
first Europeans to see San Fran-
cisco Bay.
1775
The
San Carlos
is the first
European ship to sail into San
Francisco Bay.
1776
Captain Juan Bautista de Anza
establishes a presidio (military
fort); San Francisco de Asis
Mission opens.
1821
Mexico wins independence from
Spain and annexes California.
1835
The town of Yerba Buena
develops around the port; the
United States tries unsuccess-
fully to purchase San Francisco
Bay from Mexico.
1846-48
War between the United
States and Mexico.
1847
Americans annex Yerba Buena
and rename it San Francisco.
1848
Gold is discovered near Sacra-
mento. San Francisco's popula-
tion swells from about 900 to
26,000.
1851
Lawlessness becomes acute
before attempts to curb it.
1869
The transcontinental railroad
reaches San Francisco.
1873
Andrew S. Hallidie invents the
cable car.
1906
The Great Earthquake strikes;
the resulting fire levels the city.
1915
The Panama-Pacific Interna-
tional Exposition celebrates San
Francisco's restoration and the
completion of the Panama Canal.
1936
The Bay Bridge is completed.
1937
The Golden Gate Bridge is
completed.
1945
The United Nations Charter is
drafted in San Francisco and
adopted by the representatives
of 50 countries.
1950
The Beat Generation moves
into North Beach.
1967
A free concert in Golden Gate
Park attracts 20,000 people,
ushering in the Summer of Love
and the hippie era.
1974
BART's high-speed transit sys-
tem opens the tunnel linking San
Francisco with the East Bay.
