Tribe Discussion: San Francisco History - tribe.net
The following is an excerpt from the San Francisco History discussion:
“The Names, cobbled together from a variety of sources -
The Tenderloin - Area was full of gaming parlors and houses of ill repute. Cops who worked the beat were bribed to the other way - hence they could afford tenderloin, instead of the meat they’d normally buy. By the way, Maiden Lane, which is on the other side of Union Square from the Tenderloin (or in the Tenderloin if you consider it to stretch past Powell) was originally called Morton Street. The name changed to Maiden as an ironic comment on all the prostitution that took place there.
Nob Hill - Comes from Nabob a word that means “prince” in some Indian language. Refers to the wealthy who lived there.
Russian Hill - Named this because Russian sailors’ graves, marked with Cyrllic crosses, were discovered there during the gold rush.
Cow Hollow - used to be a cow pasture
The Castro - named for Jose Castro, descendant of Joaquin Isidro de Castro, a member of the Spanish military company that founded the Presidio of San Francisco in 1776. Jose Castro was a Californian - one of the Californian’s who fought against the American occupation during the Mexican-American War. California did not willingly accept American occupation.
Noe Valley, also named for a descendant of a soldier in that company, Jose de Jesus Noe - mayor of the village during Mexican rule and rancher who owned the valley.
The Haight - Either named for Fletcher M. Haight, a prominent SF lawyer in the 19th century and later United States district judge for the Southern district of California or Henry Huntly Haight. He was Governor of California from 1867 to 1871.
Hayes Valley - Named for Colonel Thomas Hayes, county clerk from 1853 to 1856.
Richmond - Named after Richmond Dairy, which served the city in the last half of the 1800’s.
Bernal Heights - named for Juan Francisco Bernal, soldier in Spanish military company that founded the Presidio. His family owned a horse ranch up there.
Cole Valley - Named for Cornelius Cole, who was a New York lawyer, who arrived in San Francisco in late 1849, mined for a time, and than practiced law in San Francisco. He became one of the principal organizers of the Republican Party; later becoming publisher of the Sacramento Daily Times. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1863, and to the US Senate in 1866.
Sutro Heights - Named for Adolph Sutro, the twenty first mayor of San Francisco from 1895 to 1897. Starting as a cigar dealer, he educated himself, becoming a noted mining engineer, winning fame and fortune by driving a five-mile tunnel into the Comstock Lode in Nevada. The ruins of his “Bath house and Museum can still be seen today at Lands End, but you had better hurry. The National Park Service has a plan to remove them.)
UN Plaza (Civic Center) - Named this because this is where the UN Charter was signed.
Here are some street name origins for you -
Arguello Street is named for Don Luis Antonio Arguello who was the second governor of California under Mexican rule in 1825. (Bret Harte’s poem, Concepcion, was written about his daughter.)
Battery Street obtained its name because it originally led to the battery erected by Lt. Misroon at Clark’s Point
Beale Street was named for Edward F. Beale who, in the Summer of 1848, was sent to Washington to officially report the California gold discovery. He served as a naval office in the Mexican War and was an Army Lieutenant in California after the Bear Flag revolt, later becoming Surveyor General of California. When Jefferson Davis was Secretary of War, Beale led an unsuccessful expedition to the California deserts, bringing camels intended to be used for transportation purposes. He is perhaps best known for his daring rescue of Col. Stephen Kearney after the Battle of San Pascual where Kearney was seriously wounded.
Bush Street is reported to have been named for J.P. Bush who reached Yerba Buena in 1845 as a cabin boy on the whaler Margaret. He assisted Jasper O’Farrell in making the first map of The City. One story is that O’Farrell named the street after him in lieu of payment for his services with the survey.
Divisadero Street was named for its position. The word divisadero derives from the verb divisar which means to see from a distance. Divisadero St. was named for it’s position been the boundary between The Presidio and San Francisco. The literal translation for a place or thing that divides something is called a divisor in Spanish.
Eddy Street was named for William M. Eddy who was the city surveyor. In 1847 he completed a new enlarged map of the city extending streets laid out by Jasper O’Farrell. He later became Surveyor General of California.
Ellis Street was named for Alfred J. Ellis, who reached Yerba Buena in 1847. He operated a popular saloon and boarding house on Montgomery Street. He was a member of the Auyntamiento of 1849 and the State Constitutional Convention. He also commanded a company of vigilantes.
Fell Street was named for William Fell a native of Denmark, who arrived in San Francisco in 1849. He became a popular merchant.
Folsom Street is named for Joseph L. Folsom who established a supply depot on the bay shore in 1847. He completed this task quickly. After leaving the military he invested heavily in real estate. He owned large parts of The City when he died in 1855.
Funston Avenue was named for General Frederick Funston who was Acting Commander of the Army’s Pacific Division when the earthquake struck. He led the efforts to save The City.
Geary Boulevard was named for John W. Geary who was the first postmaster of San Francisco
Gough Street was named for Charles H. Gough, a popular milkman the early 1850’s, delivering milk on horseback. In 1855, when he was named to a committee to lay out streets West of Larkin, he gave his own name to one of them.
Gurrero Street was named for Francisco Gurrero, a popular Mexican landowner who held several local offices before and after American occupation.
Jones Street was named for Elbert P. Jones, a Kentucky lawyer who came to Yerba Buena in 1846. He was second proprietor of the town’s first hotel, The Portsmouth House, on Clay Street, near Kearney. He also edited Sam Brannan’s newspaper, The Star, for a time.
Judah Street was named for Theodore D. Judah, who was the man who conceived the transcontinental railroad. The “Big Four” pretty much stole his idea.
Kearny Street was named for Major General Stephen Watts Kearney who was a brilliant military leader of US forces. There was some mention of Dennis Kearney who made a name for himself with the slogan “the Chinese must go”, but what I read makes it clear that the honor was bestowed on the General.
Larkin Street is named for Thomas O. Larkin who held several important posts in The City in the 1840’s and 50’s
Leavenworth Street was named for Reverend Thaddeus M. Leavenworth, an Episcopalian minister and physician. He arrived in San Francisco in 1847 as chaplain of Stevenson’s First New York Volunteer Regiment. He served as alcalde in 1848-1849.
McAllister Street was named for Hall McAlister, a leader of a group of vigilantes named “The Hounds” in the 1850’s.
Montgomery Street was named for John B. Montgomery, as the commander of the U.S.S. Portsmouth he was the first to raise the Stars and Stripes over Yerba Buena on July 9, 1846.
Powell Street was named for Dr. William J. Powell, surgeon of the U.S. sloop-of-war Warren, often in San Francisco Bay. He was active in the conquest of California. He also established an early sanitarium for sailors.
Sanchez Street was named for Antonio Sanchez, a one-time commandante of the San Francisco Presido. An Indian fighter; his family once owned a 15,000 acre ranch running from today’s South San Francisco to Burlingame.
Sloat Boulevard was named for Commodore John S. Sloat who commanded the U.S. Navy Squadron in Pacific waters. After the war with Mexico was declared, he took Monterey on July 7, 1848; then ordered Montgomery to take Yerba Buena two days later.
Stockton Street was named for Commodore Robert F. Stockton, who was the military leader who claimed California for the United States.
Taraval Street was named for an Indian guide in the Anza expedition.
Valencia Street was named for Candelario Valencia, son of Jose Manuel Valencia, one of Anza’s soldiers. Candelario owned Acalanes Rancho near Lafayette, Contra Costa County. He lived on property near Mission Dolores.
Vallejo Street was named for Mariano de Guadalupe Vallejo who was the commander of the Yerba Buena Presido, Collector of Port and Alcalde, all at one time in 1835.
Van Ness Avenue was named for James Van Ness who was the sixth mayor of San Francisco from 1855 to 1856. He was also the author of the Van Ness Ordinance which confirmed title of possessors of property West of Larkin on January 1, 1855.
The above were all snagged from this guy - www.jdcjr.us/index.html - he has a billion more on his site, I just picked out the ones you’d be most familiar with. Watch out - he has an annoying midi blaring off his website.
Oh, and I’ve always been partial to Tenderloin Heights myself.”
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Additionally from his site, come a few more city place names in the Bay Area:
THE ALAMEDA- which means “beautiful way” was planted by Father Catala and the Indians in 1799, with three rows of willows to connect Mission Santa Clara with Pueblo of San Jose. This road has seen all modes of transit, carreta, omnibus, horse-car, steam, electric streetcars and automobiles. Before the city turned its back on this area, it was a beautiful street of stately mansions.
AUSTRIAN GULCH- An ambitious colony of naturalized Austrian-Germans established themselves (1870’s) on the slopes of Mount Umunhum, a South Valley peak. They planted orchards, vineyards, and built a stone winery. For some time they prospered. In 1899, an unprecedented cloudburst swept all completely away including winery. This poured hundreds of barrels of wine in to Los Gatos Creek coloring it red all the way to the Town of Los Gatos. The property is now owned by The San Jose Water Company.
CUPERTINO- The town was named for a saint born in Cupertino Italy, canonized in 1776. De Anza and Padre Pedro both wrote in their diaries that they camped on Arroyo San Jose Cupertino on March 25, 1776. The town was originally called West Side, and the post office was established there in 1882. The name was changed to Cupertino in 1865, and the city was incorporated in 1955.
EL CAMINO REAL- Literally means “The Royal Highway”, it is 600 miles long. It was the “Pathway to the Padres” and the 21 California Missions are spaced along it, one days walk apart. Today, it is the “main drag” through Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara, changing names to The Alameda near the San Jose border.
LOS GATOS- The town is situated on Rancho Rinconada de los Gatos, which translated to “cat’s corner”. It was named this because of the prevalent wild cats and lynx in surrounding hills. The town was also once known as Forbes Mill.
MILPITAS- The word means “little corn fields”. On the old “Oakland Highway” it was for decades a sleepy farming community, after being founded as a tiny village in 1856.
MOUNTAIN VIEW- Old Mountain View was James Campbell’s San Francisco stage stop in 1852. The new Mountain View was established in 1856 with the coming of the railroad. It is all one city now.
STANFORD- The university was named in memory of Leland Stanford, Jr., the only child of Governor Stanford of California. The school opened to students in 1891.
