San Francisco on the Eve of The Gold Rush, 1847

San Francisco Bay is the most important port on the Pacific coast of the United States. Amazingly, it remained unknown until it was discovered by an overland expedition launched by the Spanish to counter the encroachment of Russian fur traders in 1769. San Francisco was first known as Yerba Buena. As late as 1835, the cove was uninhabited until William Richardson erected the first dwelling, a tent, later a house. From this point, a small hamlet slowly established itself around the cove. In 1846, Captain Montgomery sailed into San Francisco Bay and took possession of Yerba Buena for the United States in the war with Mexico. The American flag was raised over what was to become known as Portsmouth Square. The year 1847 brought a new name, San Francisco. No one could have foreseen the next few years' events of the Gold Rush which virtually overnight transformed this tiny town into a major city.