History of California, Volume VI, Part 20

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe
Publication date: 1885-1890
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers
Number of Pages: 816


USA > California > History of California, Volume VI > Part 20


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


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On Pine st were several offices, of T. F. Gould, Chas Warner, mers, above Sansome; Schule, Christianson, & Hellen, importers; W. H. Culver, ship mer .; Robinson, Arnold, & Sewall, J. C. Woods & Co., com. mers. This street adjoined the wharf begun by the city corporation at the end of Market st, in the autumn of 1850, and limited for the time to 600 ft. This opened another prospect for development in this quarter.


Beyond Pine st huge sand ridges formed so far a barrier to traffic; yet in between them, and upon the slopes, were sprinkled cottages, shanties, and tents, with occasionally a deck house or galley taken from some vessel, occu- pied by a motley class. A path skirted the ridge along the cove, at the junction of Bush and Battery sts, and entered by First st into Happy Valley, which centred between First and Second, Mission and Natoma sts, and into Pleasant Valley, which occupied the Howard-st end. This region, sheltered by the ridges to the rear, which, on the site of the present Palace hotel, rose


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WEST AND SOUTH SIDES.


lying-point for pillaging raids, and to it was lured many an unwary stranger, to be dazed with a sand-bag


nearly three score feet in height, had attracted a large number of inhabitants, especially dwellers in frail tents, but with a fair proportion of neat cottages, as well as shops and lodging-houses, among these the Isthmus. The advan- tages of this quarter for factories were growing in appreciation, especially for enterprises connected with the repair of vessels, and soon J. & P. Dono- hue were to found here their iron-works. On Fremont st, between Howard and Folsom sts, was the office of H. Taylor & Co., com. and storage; and on the corner of Mission and First sts, that of Phil. McGovern. On Second, near Mission st, rose the Empire brewery of W Ball, the first of its kind. The richer residents of this region had withdrawn just beyond this line, and on Mission, between Second and Third sts, dwellings had been erected by Howard, Mellus (whose name was first applied to Natoma st), and Brannan, whose names were preserved in adjoining streets. These, as well as a few more near by, owned by Folsom, were cottages imported by the Onward. Among the occupants were the wives of Van Winkle, Cary, and Wakeman, attached to the office of Capt. Folsom, the quartermaster. On Market st Father Maginnis' church was soon to mark an epoch, and south-eastward an attenuated string of habitations reached as far as Rincon Point, where Dr J. H. Gihon had, in Nov 1849, erected a rubber tent, on the later U. S. marine hospital site.


Thus far I have enumerated the notable occupants of the heavy business section along Montgomery st and water-front east of it, and will now follow the parallel streets running north to south, Kearny, Dupont, Stockton, and Powell, after which come the latitudinal cross-streets from the Presidio and North Beach region toward the Mission.


At the foot of Telegraph hill on Kearny st, from Broadway to Jackson st, began the west and northward spreading Mexican quarter, and the only building here of general interest was the Adams house, kept by John Adanıs. At the s. E. Pacific-st corner stood the four-story balcony building lately pur- chased for a city hall, with jail, court-rooms, etc. In one of the latter Rev. A. Williams held services for the First Presbyterian church. On the opposite corner were the Tattersall livery-stable, and the firms of Climax, Roy, & Brennen, and Dunne, McDonald, & Co., com. mers and real estate. Along toward Jackson st were the offices of Markwald, Caspary, & Co., mers; of Dow (J. G.) & Co. (J. O. Eldridge), auc. and com. mers; S McD Thompson, gen. store; Mebius, Duisenberry, & Co., fancy goods; the Pacific News daily was issued here by Winchester & Allen. Mrs E. Gordon kept the Mansion house. In the section between Jackson and Washington sts business ap- proached more and more the retail element for which Kearny has ever been noted. At the Jackson-st corners two druggists faced each other, S. Adanis and E. P. Sanford; Reynolds & Co. were grocers, and G. & W. Snook, tin and stove dealers. There were, however, a jobbing-house, Cooper & Co , and three auctioneers, Shankland & Gibson, Allen Pearce, and Sampson & Co H. H. Haight, counsellor and later governor, had his office at the Jackson-st corner; the Mariposa house was kept by B. Vallefon; and the well-known English ale-house, the Boomerang, by Langley & Griffiths, was widely pat- ronized by literary men and actors.


These last two features formed the main element of the next section, the plaza of Portsmouth square, strongly reenforced by gambling-halls. The most noted of these establishments, the El Dorado, controlled in 1850 by Cham- bers & Co., stood at the s. E. corner of Washington st Successive fires changed it from a canvas structure to a frame building, and finally P. Sherre- beck, who owned the lot, erected upon it the Our House refectory. Adjoin- ing it on the south was the famous Parker house, hostelry and gambling-place, managed in 1850 by Thos Maguire & Co., who here soon promoted the erec- tion of the Jenny Lind theatre upon the site, which again yielded to the city


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blow, and robbed, perhaps to be hurled from some Tarpeian projection into the bay. West of this quar-


hall, as described elsewhere. Its former neighbor, Denison's Exchange, for liquors and cards, had been absorbed by other enterprises, and southward along the row in 1850 figured the Empire house of Dodge & Bucklin, and the Crescent City house of Winley & Lear, the firm of Thurston & Reed, and the dry-goods establishment of B. F. Davega & Co. Opposite, on the s. w. cor- ner of Clay, stood that Yerba Buena landmark, the story-and-a-half tiled adobe City hotel, devoted, with out-buildings, to travellers, gamblers, and offices, the latter including for a time those of the alcaldes. Higher on Clay st rose the well-known Ward or Bryant house, and intermediate the offices of F. Argenti & Co. (T. Allen), bankers; Peter Dean, Berford & Co.'s express, and Baldwin & Co., jewellers. Another jewelry firin, Loring & Hogg, occupied Ward's court.


Along the west side of the plaza stood the public school-house, which had been converted into concert hall and police-station, and the adobe custom- house bordering on Washington st, which had been used for municipal offices for a time. Down along Washington st the Alta California publishing office of E. Gilbert & Co. faced the plaza, and eastward to the corner were the bank- ing-house of Palmer, Cook, & Co. and the offices of Glaysen & Co. (W. Tinte- man), and Stevenson (J. D.) & Parker (W. C.), land agents. Theirs was an adobe building in 1850, replacing the Colonnade hotel of 1848, and soon to yield to other occupants, notably the Bella Union. Wright & Co.'s Miners' bank, which stood at this corner a while, may be said to have revived in the Veranda on the N. E. corner. On the plaza was also Laffan's building, chiefly with lawyers' offices, as Wilson, Benham, & Rice, Nath. Holland, Ogden Hoffman, jr, Norton, Satterlee, & Norton. Along Kearny st, toward Sac- ramento st, were the offices of Thurstou & Reed, P. D. Van Blarcom, com. mers; Ansalin, Merandol, & Co., importers, on the Sacramento corner; C. Lux, stock dealer; Newfield, Walter, & Co., Treadwell & Co., S. Howard, clothing, etc .; the Commercial-st corners were occupied by Van Houten & Co.'s meat market; here the Tammany Hall of the Hounds, and Rowe's cir- cus had stood a while, facing the adobe dwelling of Vioget, the surveyor, in which, or adjoining, Madam Rosalie kept a restaurant. Opposite were the noted New York bakery of Swan & Thompson, and San Jose hotel of T. N. Starr (or J. G. Shepard & Co.).


In the next section toward California st were established Adelsdorfer & Schwarz, McDonald (W. F. & S. G.) & Co. (J. K. Bailey, A. T. Cool, J. M. Teller), Kroning, Plump, & Runge, com. mers, the latter at the California corner; A. H. Sibley & Co .; at the Sacramento corner were also B. Courtois' dry-goods store; Mrs C. Bouch, crockery; Merchants' hotel. Between Cali- fornia and Pine sts appears to have been another New York bakery, by R. W. Acker, and near the present California market was the Kearny-st market by Blattner & Smith. Here were also three groceries of Atter & C'arter, Lam- mer & Waterman, and Potter and Lawton; Geo. A. Worn, Ed. Porter, Eug. Bottcher, and C. F. Dunoker are marked as com. mers, the latter two at the California corner, and Porter south of Pine st. Beyond Pine were Chip- man, Brown, & Co., grocers, Hy. Rapp, storage, Brown's (Phil.) hotel, and the Masonic hall, followed by scattered dwellings along the new plank road to the mission. Dupont st partook of the Kearny-st elements of business, though little contaminated by gambling. The northern part was assigned to residences, among them the dwellings of W. S. Clark, the broker, and Rev. A. Williams, between Vallejo and Pacific sts. At the latter corner Morgan & Batters kept a grocery, and beyond rose the Globe hotel of Mrs B. V. Koch, the dry-goods shop of Cohen, Kaufmann, & Co., and the office of C. Koch, mer. At the Jackson-st corners of Dupont st stood the Albion house of B. Keesing, and Harm's (H.) hotel; and here, at the N. E. corner, a three- story building was contracted for in Sept. 1849 by the California guard, the first military company of the city, for $21,000. At the Washington-st cor-


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TOWARD THE PRESIDIO.


ter, up Vallejo and Broadway streets, with the Catho- lic church and bull-ring, and northward along the hill,


ner was another hotel, the Excellent house of Jas Dyson, also the dry-goods shop of Hess & Bros, the office of Maume & Dee, and the residence of G. Beck. Intermediate were Mich. Casaforth, mer., and Johnson & Co., druggists.


In the section south of Washington st stood on the east side the houses of Gillespie and Noe; at the north-west corner of Clay the casa grande of Richardson, on the site of his tent, the first habitation in Yerba Buena, and which stood till 1852. On the opposite west corner, the site of the first house in Yerba Buena, Leese's, rose the St Francis hotel, a three-story edifice formed of several superimposed imported cottages managed by W. H. Parker.


On the opposite corner Moffat & Co., assayers and bankers, and Sill & Conner's stationery and book shop, the first regular stationery store in the city, it is claimed. Northward, Mullot & Co., com. mers. and Jos. Smith's provision shop.


On the Sacramento-st corner Nath. Gray had an undertakers shop; and at the California end Jas Dows, of vigilance fame, had a liquor store. Beyond him C. L. Taylor exhibited the sign of a lumber and com. mer. Stockton st was essentially for residences, with many neat houses from Clay st northward. At Green st stood a two-story dwelling from Boston, occupied by F. Ward, and removed only in 1865; opposite was the lumber- yard of A. W. Renshaw, and a little northward Hy. Pierce's Eagle bakery; at the Vallejo corner P. F. Sanderwasser kept a grocery; southward rose the American hotel, which was for a time the city hall, the residences of Gilder- meister and De Fremery, and south of Broadway, Merrill's house. At the N. E. Pacific corner was the Shades tavern of 1848, and southward the gro- cery of Eddy (J. C.) & Co. At the Washington-st corners were the houses of W. D. M. Howard, and Palmer, of Beck & Palmer; and at the Sacramento end, those of Jas Bowles, Jonat Cade, and Crumme, mers. Powell st, of the same stamp as the preceding, was graced by the presence of three churches: Trinity, Rev. F. S. Mines; Methodist Episcopal, Rev. W. Taylor; and Grace Chapel, Rev. S. L. Ver Mehr. The latter two resided on Jackson st near Powell. Rev. O. C. Wheeler lived at the corner of Union. Three other temples existed on adjoining cross-streets. At the N. w. Washington corner a two-story brick building was about to be erected, which with subsequent changes in grades received two additional stories. At the N. E. corner of Broadway O. Mowry had an adobe cottage; at the corners of Green st lived C. Hoback and Chas Joseph.


At the corner of Filbert st was the adobe dwelling of Ira Briones, by which the main path to the presidio turned westward to cross the Russian hill, past market gardens and dairies, with scattered cottages, sheds, and butch- ers' shambles. On the ridge stood the house of L. Haskell, overlooking the hollow intervening toward Black Point, beyond which lay Washerwoman's lagoon, a name confirmed to it by the laundry here established by A. T. Easton, patronized by the Pacific mail line. The presidio was then not the trim expanse of buildings now to be seen, but stood represented by some dingy-looking adobes, supplemented by barn-like barracks, and a few neater cottages for the officers, while beyond, at the present Fort Point, crumbling walls fronted the scanty earth-works with their rusty, blustering guns.


North Beach was becoming known as a lumber depository. Geo. H. Ensign figured as dealer in this commodity, and near him, on Mason by Francisco st, Harry Meiggs, of dawning aldermanic fame, had availed him- self of the brook fed by two springs to erect a saw-mill. Close by stood Capt. Welsh's hide-house, by the road leading to the incipient wharf which foreshadowed a speedy and more imposing structure.


On Union st, near Mason, Wm Sharron, broker and commission merchant, had his residence. On Green st the number of resident business men in-


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SAN FRANCISCO.


the Hispano-Americans were grouping round what was then termed Little Chile; while less concentrated, the


creased. A. Hugues and Rob. McClenachan lived near Stockton and Tay- lor, respectively, and Levi Stowell, of Williams & Co., near the former. Between Stockton and Powell Capt. Tibbey, as he declares in his Stat., MS., 19, had erected a section-inade house from Hawaii for his wife. A similar house from Boston, near Stockton st, was in 1850 occupied by F. Ward. It stood till 1865. On Vallejo were to be found G. Bilton, Rob. Graham, Edm. Hodson, and Thos Smith, merchants, between Stockton and Powell. In the block below rose the Roman Catholic church, and by its side extended the bull-fighting arena, so dear to the Mexicans as a compensatory aftermath to the solemn restraint of the worship. All around and along the slopes of Tele- graph hill extended the dwellings of this nationality, and among them, on Broadway between Stockton and Dupont, the more imposing quarter of Jos. Sanchez, broker. The block below, between Dupont and Montgomery, has been alluded to as containing an undesirable collection of low drinking-dens, fringed by the abodes of Sydney convicts and other scum.


On Pacific st began the business district proper once more, sprinkled with several inns, such as Crescent house of S. Harding, McIntire house, Planter's hotel of J. Stigall, and Waverly house of B. F. Bucknell, the latter a four- story frame building, on the less reputable north side, charging $5 a day. In this block, between Montgomery and Kearny, were the offices of Boschultz & Miller, and Brown & Phillips, merchants; Salmon & Ellis, ship and com. mer .; Wilson & Co., grocers, Jackson & Shirley, crockery and grocery. Above, between Kearny and Dupont, resided J. B. Weller, subsequently gov- ernor, of the firm of Weller, Jones, & Kinder; near by W. H. West kept a grocery, and A. A. Austin a bakery. Higher up toward Stockton were Fox, O'Connor, and Cumming, and F. Kauffman & Co., dry-goods dealers. Ad- joining stood a groggery which had since 1846 dispensed refreshments to way- farers to the presidio. Above, between Mason and Powell, rose Bunker Hill house, graced for a time by the later bankers Flood and O'Brien. On Jack- son st, between Mason and Powell, were several prominent residents, includ- ing C. H. Cook, com. mer., and at the Stockton corner lived W. H. Davis. At the corner of Virginia st, a lane stretching below Powell st, between Broad- way and Washington, stood the First Congregational church, Rev. T. D. Hunt. Here was also the office of Blanchard & Carpenter. Below Stockton were Mayer, Bro., & Co., grocers; C. Prechet & Co., druggists; H. M. Snyder, stoves. Below Dupont, Capt. W. Chard, Carter, Fuller, & Co., Hy. Mackie, Ben. Reynolds, Jas Stevenson, com. mers; Chas Durbee, mer .; Johnson & Caufield, clothing; J. Leclere, gen. store; J. Benelon, French store. The Ohio house is placed here, and the Philadelphia house where began the fire of Sept. 1850, and below Kearny the California house of J. Cotter & Co. Here flourished the Evening Picayune, Gihon & Co., and two French establishments, Dupasquier & Co., and F. Schultz' French-goods shop; S. Martin, importer; W. & C. Pickett, Schesser & Van- bergen, mers; J. & M. Phelan, wholesale liquor dealers; Joel Noah, clothing.


On Washington st, at the corner of Mason, stood H. Husband's bath- house; below was the grocery of W. E. Rowland; and between Stockton and Dupont sts C. S. Bates kept a druggist shop. Above this, the First Baptist church, Rev. O. C. Wheeler. At the corner of Washington lane, which ran below Dupont to Jackson st, Bauer's drug-store was first opened. Below Kearny st ran another cross-lane to Jackson, Maiden lane, on which C. Nut- ting had established a smithy and iron-works, while adjoining him, on the corner, were the Washington baths of Mygatt & Bryant. Opposite this lane, to Merchant st, ran Dunbar alley, so named after Dunbar's California bank, at its mouth. At the parallel passage, De Boom avenue, A. Muller had opened a hotel, and near by a brick building was going up for theatrical pur- poses. On the north side C. L. Ross had in 1848 9 kept his New York store. In the same section, between Kearny and Montgomery sts, were the offices


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TOWARD THE MISSION.


cognate French sought their proximity along Jackson street, with two hotels offering significant welcome at


of Bodenheim & Sharff, Dundar & Gibbs, Reynolds & Letter, Marriesse & Burthey, Medina, Hartog, & Co., J. S. Moore & Co. (F. Michael), Morris, Levi, & Co., F. Gibbs, Galland, Hart, & Co., Arnold & Winter, com. mers; P. Schloss & Co., mers; L. & J. Blum, L. A. Hart & Co., Steinberger & Kauf- man, A. Kiser, Rosenzweig & Lask, M. Levi & Co., Potedamer & Rosenbaum, clothing; W. D. Forman & Co., grocers; Hastings & Co. (S. & T. W.), variety store; Smiley (Jas), Korn, & Co., hardware; Rob. Turnbull, broker.


At the head of Clay st stood the City hospital of Dr P. Smith, destroyed Oct. 31, 1850. Near by, above Stockton st, was the paper warehouse of G. A. Brooks and the house of Jas Crook, mer. Below Stockton st ran the parallel Pike st, at the corner of which stood the post-office, at a rental of $7,200 a year. Since its first location on the N. w. corner of Washington and Montgomery sts it had been moved to the N. E. corner of Washington and Stockton, then to the above location, and in 1851 to a zinc-covered build- ing on the N. E. corner of Dupont and Clay sts. So much for the instability which stamped the city and county generally in these early days. At the other corner rose the Bush house of Hy. Bush, a few steps above the fashion- able St Francis hotel, and opposite Woodruff's jewelry shop. On Pike st, the latter well-known R. B. Woodward kept a coffee shop. Near by, on Clay st, resided Allen Pierce and A. A. Selover. Between Dupont st and the plaza was the book-store of Wilson & Spaulding, and the hardware shop of Aug. Morrison. Clay st below Kearny was mainly a dry-goods row, to judge from the number of the dealers, as Lacombe & Co., importers; W. E. Keyes, Hy. Kraft & Co., Moore, Tickenor, & Co., Josiah Morris, on Clay st row, J. B. Simpson, Ulmer & Co., Oscar Uny, dealers; besides Geo. Bergo, Lewis Lewis, Isaac Myers, who advertised both dry goods and clothing, there were also the special clothing-stores of Heller, Lehman, & Co. (W. Cohen), Jos. Goldstein, Langfield, & Co. (S. & J. Haningsberger), Kelsey, Smith, & Risley. The street boasted moreover of two bankers, Page (F. W.), Bacon, & Co. (D. Chambers, Hy. Haight) and B. Davidson, agent for Rothschild; C. Platt, mer .; Cohn Kauffman & Co. (A. Ticroff), W. M. Jacobs, Sinton & Bagley, Hawks, Parker, & Co., Larned & Sweet, Pioche & Bayerque, com. mers, and several connected with dry goods; P. Rutledge & Co., tinsmiths; Bennett & Kirby, hardware; Tillman & Dunn, manuf. jewellers; Hayes & Bailey (or Lyndall), jewellers; M. Lewis, importer of watches; Stedman & White, watchmakers; Sanchez Bros (B. & S.), real estate brokers; Marriott (F.) & Anderson, monetary agents, in Cross & Hobson's building, on the N. side, half-way to Montgomery st; opposite had long stood Vioget's or Portsmouth house. Dr A. J. Bowie, and Dr Wm Rabe, druggist; Chipman & Woodman's Clay-st reading-rooms; C. Elleard's oyster-rooms, N. side; Adelphi theatre, s. side.


On the short parallel Commercial st, not yet fully opened, figured the Commercial-street house, P. S. Gordon; the Atheneum Exhibition of Dr Colyer; J. W. Tucker, jeweller; G. W. Dart, drinking-saloon, and about to open baths on Montgomery st.


Sacramento st was already becoming known as Little China, from the es- tablishment of some Mongol merchants upon its north line, on either side of Dupont st, but this had not as yet involved a loss of caste, for several promi- nent people occupied the section between Dupont and Kearny st. Folsom lived in a house built by Leidesdorff on the N. side; Halleck, Peachy, & Bil- lings, counsellors, Pfingsthorn, Heyman, & Co., com. mers, Gibson & Tibbits, had their offices here; Convert & Digrol kept a fancy-goods shop; Selby (T.) & Post (Phil.), metal dealers. In the section below Kearny st: Fitzgerald, Bausch, Brewster, & Co., Simonsfield, Bach, & Co., W. M. Coughlin, Cramer, Raubach, & Co., gen. importers; Spech & Baugher, G. H. Beach, J. B. & A. J. George, D. S. Hewlett & Co. (B. Richardson), Tower, Wood, & Co., D. J.


.


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SAN FRANCISCO.


Clark Point. Little China was already forming on Sacramento street, and the widely scattered Germans had a favorite resort at the end of Montgomery street.


Mavrenner (of Wallis & Co., Stockton), Lambert & Co. (F. F. Low, later gov.), com. mers; F. Rosenbaum, dry goods & jobbing; Cooper & Co. (J. & I.), Simon Heiter, S. Rosenthal, H. Unger, Adelsdorfer & Neustadter, dry goods; J. M. Caughlin, Simmons, Lilly, & Co., Swift & Bro. (S. & J.), gen. dealers; Jos. E. de la Montaña, stoves, etc .; Kelly & Henderson, J. Sharp, Tyler & Story, grocers; D. J. Oliver & Co., D. C. McClynn, paints; Geo. Vowels, furniture; Byron house, by Bailey & Smith, and the Raphael and Marye res- taurants. The third wooden house on the street was imported by Bluxome, the famous vigilance secretary, and in this, probably a double cottage, J. R. Garniss had his office. On California st, below Stockton, were the fashion- able boarding-houses of Mrs Petit and Leland, both on the N. side, the Mur- ray house of Jas Hair, and among residences, those of Whitmore, bought of Rodman Price and Gen. Cazneau, a three-story frame building, of sections rescued from a wreck. It stood ou the s. w. corner of Dupont st. On the north side, near Kearny st, in a two-story house, lived the rich and erratic Dr Jones, dressing like a grandee, and hoarding gold, it was said. In the section below Kearny st was the U. S. quartermaster's office, Capt. Folsom; Salas, Bascunen, Fehrman, & Co., Ed. Vischer, Hort Bros, White Bros, O. B. Jennings, mers and importers; Louis Bruch, Esche, Wapler, & Co., Ruth, Tissot (S. C.), & Co., com. mers, the latter two at the corner of Spring st; J. S. Hershaw, gen. grocer; P. Naylor, iron, tin, etc., in the brick building erected on the later Cal. market site, for Fitzgerald, Bausch, & Brewster; Nelson & Baker, blacksmiths, on Webb st. In this lane Capt. Hewlitt, of the New York volunteers, built a boarding-house, on the w. side, and here was the residence of the Fuller family, which owned half the block. Jas Ward had a cottage nearer Montgomery st, which became a boarding-house, perhaps the Duxbury house of Alb. Marshall. The Elephant house of A. G. Oakes, and the Dramatic museum of Robinson & Everard, were not far from the Circus site.


Southward we come once more to the odd scattered habitations, shanties, and tents, which intervened between the bare sand hills and chaparral-fringed hollow. On Pine st, above Montgomery st, I find the office of E. Brown, mer., and Richelieu's hotel with its French restaurant. Along Kearny st to Third, and up Mission st led the path to Mission Dolores, much frequented, especially on Sundays, and by equestrians, for the sand made walking too tiresome. This route was now about to be improved by the construction of a plank road, under grant of Nov. 1850, for seven years, to C. L. Wilson and his partners, with a stock of $150,000. It was finished by the following spring for $96,000, and paid eight per cent monthly interest to the share- holders. The toll charged was 25 cents for a mounted man, 75 c. for vehicles, §1 for wagons with four animals; driven stock, 5 or 10 cts. The toll-gate was moved successively from Post st, Third st, Mission and Fourth, and be- yond. In some places, as at Seventh st, the swamps were such as to make piling useless and require corduroy formation, yet this settled in time five feet. The city was too heavily in debt to undertake the construction; and while the mayor vetoed the grant to a private firm, the legislature confirmed it. By selling half the interest Wilson got funds to complete the road. Subsequently the company opened Folsom st to ward off competition, and still divided three per cent a month. For details concerning the plank road, see Pac. News, Picayune, Nov. 4, 20, 1850, et seq .; Hittell's S. F., 151-3; Annals S. F., 297-8; Barry and Putten's Men and Mem., 108-9.




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