Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE STANFORD
COURT, A
RENAISSANCE HOTEL
.
,
“You can't have a bad meal in this town.”
—Emeril Lagasse, chef
The Ohlone Indians settled in the Bay Area several thousand years ago but, like numerous other
Indian tribes in California, they were no match for invading Europeans. Don Gaspar de Portolà ar-
rived in San Francisco Bay in November of 1769. The year 1776 saw the establishment of a Spanish
fort, followed by Mission San Francisco de Asís.
The mission claimed great tracts of land in the area that were eventually taken from it when
Mexico secured its independence from Spain. All missions were secularized in 1834, and the land
turned over to private interests. In 1835, Englishman William Richardson built a homestead outside
the mission and laid out a street plan for the nearby pueblo named Yerba Buena or “good herb” for
the wild mint found there.
The population of Yerba Buena grew further as a Mormon colony moved in, establishing one
of the early Mormon enclaves in the West. After California was claimed by the United States, Yerba
Buena was renamed San Francisco, after the mission. It remained a relatively small settlement, for
several years, functioning as a shipping port and naval base.
The Gold Rush of 1849 saw drastic changes for the town. When word was passed of the find
at Sutter's Mill, nearly every able-bodied man and a few women left town for the gold fields, seek-
ing their fortune. Town leaders at first feared for the survival of the community, but they soon
thought otherwise.
After word traveled back east and on to Europe of the gold discovery, tens of thousands of
people flooded the area on their way to the mill. Land values skyrocketed due to demand and many
businesses were born. Hundreds of ships sat rotting in the harbor because their crews had aban-
doned them to seek gold. Tent cities were erected to accommodate the influx.
San Francisco became so important economically that a fort was built at the Golden Gate. The
military also erected a fort on Alcatraz Island to defend the Bay. California became a state in 1850.
