Port of San Francisco

The Port of San Francisco has been called one of the three greatest natural harbors in the world, but it took two long centuries for navigators from Spain and England to find the anchorage originally labelled Yerba Buena. The larger waterfront area extends from the anchorage of the Golden Gate bridge all the way around the north and then east shore of San Francisco Bay to the city line beyond Candlestick Point. The port of San Francisco is currently a semi-independent city organization run by a five member commission appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Board of Supervisors.

Setting

The portarea under the commission comprises nearly eight miles of waterfront lands, commercial real estate and maritime piers from Hyde Street on the north to India Basin to the south and east. The list of landmarks under port control ainclude fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, the Ferry Building, SBC Park and Pier 70 at Potrero Point. Huge coverd piers on piles jut out into San Franciusco bay along much of the waterfront, bordered bythe Embarcadero roadway.

History

The first landing place on the north-eastern tip of the San Francisco penninsula was a rocky promentory below Telegraph Hill later known as Clarke's Point that jutted into the San Francisco Bay at the line of what is now Broadway and Battery streets. The Yerba Buena Cove swept inland from the subsequently named Clarke's Point to as far as Montgomery street to the west, and further south and east to Rincon Point at the south of Market area at the foot of Folsom and Spear streets.

The founding padres of Mission Dolores and the other northern California missions found the jetty at the Clarke's Point a convenient landing for their commerce in hides and tallow. It is the location where Russian ships anchored for supplies of meat and grain. Early European visitors were the Raccoon in 1816 and the French frigate Artemesia in 1827.and the sloop San Luis arrived in 1841. It was the first American warship to fly the American flag in San Francisco Bay. Not long after, the Portsmouth gave a 21 gun salute and Captain Montgomery came ashore and hoisted the American flag on the Mexican flagpole in the small settlement's square, later name for the Portsmouth.

The earliest development of a port in San Francisco, two and a half miles east of the Presidio, was under the Mexican regime, begun in 1835. Before this time, the port at Monterey was considered the official port of entry to California. In 1847, the first American Alcalde, Washington Bartlett, changed the name from Yerba Buena to San Francisco, "so that the town may have the advantage of the name giiven on the public map." Captain Richardson erected the first abode of a european on the hill overlooking the Bay. He became the first harbor master by appointment of the Governor Mariano Guadaloupe de Vallejo.

Unti the 1860s, navigation for deliveries of supplies were also up Mission creek by boat to the vicinity of Mission Dolores. Three years before the gold rush Captain Montgomery took possesion of San Fracinsco and proclained its annexation to the United States.

Immediately, the municipality of San Francisco was given the right, by General Kearney acting as governor of California, to sell "water lots" in the tidelands between Clarke's Point and Rincon Point so the city might gain revenues from the sale. At the same time, the owner of the land at the foot of Telegrph Hill, W.S. Clarke built a timbered wharf and the location became known as Clarke's Point. Later, a substantial warf 750 feet long and 60 feet wide was erected to the depth of water, 26 feet, made the landing available to deep water ships. this project was followed by other wharves built below Broadway and clay streets, and at Commercial street.

When gold was discovered in California, the first hulk of an old iron revenue steamer, the James K. Polk, was beached at the foot of the bluff near Clarke's Point and became the foundation of the first real passenger landing in the city and it was at this site that the population of San Francisco met the pacific Mail liner the Oregon to recieve the official announcemet that California had been admitted to the Union. The bluff at he point was quickly levelled and on the land created a wharf was built that became the first regular berthing place, for a short time, for the Pacific Mail steamships. After the gold rush, numerous ships were run aground and became parts of the city itself. Whatever products came to California, and whatever California produced, had to be carried by ship. In 1853, the Vallejo street wharf lease was granted, and a larger wharf was built.

in the ensuing years, the tate legislature passed bills concerning the sale of water lots and authorizing the city to construct wharves beyond its boundarie and to set wharfage rates. The battles over control of the waterfront, water lots and docking privelages began.

The great Central Wharf was built in 1849, named for the central wharf in Boston, and was located where Commercial street is now. eventually a huge forest of masts from a fleet of abandoned vessels filled the Yerba Buena cove. By 1851, the Central wharf had ten times more business offered than it could handle, and many new wharves were struck into the bay, including the Mrket street wharf, the Sacramento street wharf, Washington, California, Clay, Jackson and the Pacific street wharves were all erected. The filling of Yerba Buena cove and extensive corruption and legislation led to period, duringthe gold rush, when major portions of the city were built on water lots, reclaimed by hook or by crook, on pile driven and rough planking overlain. Early San Francisco was a wharf city of planks and sheds and subject to devastating fires. Half the early city was built on trembling wharves and the scrub and sandy hills were not appreciated, amongst them only a few abodes and scattered tents were found. The early wharves and their buidings fell into tthe bay nd by 1857, the waterfront was a jumble of abandoned ships, rickety piers. Businesses looked for more solid facilities.

Source

• Edward Morphy, The Port of San Francisco, Board of State Harbor Commissioners - 1923, California State Printing Office

External links

• Port Commission website
• Port history
• San Francisco Maritime Historical Park NPS