San Francisco, from the South-West.

Scarce c.19th engraving of San Francisco in 1850.

In 1847, San Fancisco’s population was said to be 459. The California gold rush brought a flood of treasure seekers. Prospectors accumulated in San Francisco raising the population from 1,000 in 1848 to 25,000 by December 1849. The promise of wealth was so strong that crews on arriving vessels deserted and rushed off to the gold fields, leaving behind a forest of masts in San Francisco harbor. Some of these approximately 500 abandoned ships were used at times as storeships, saloons, and hotels; many were left to rot, and some were sunk to establish title to the underwater lot. By 1851, the harbour was extended out into the bay by wharves while buildings were erected on piles among the ships. By 1870, Yerba Buena Cove had been filled to create new land. Buried ships are occasionally exposed when foundations are dug for new buildings. California was quickly granted statehood in 1850, and the U.S. Army built Fort Point at the Golden Gate and a fort on Alcatraz Island to secure the bay.

References:
De Vries, L. History as Hot News: World of the Early Victorians Through the Eyes of the “Illustrated London News”.. London 1996.

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 8438724
State Library Victoria: RARELTEF 052 IL696I
State Library New South Wales: RECORD IDENTIFIER 74Vv5Oy4wEgl