UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CALIFORNIA
San Francisco County

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	San Francisco, certainly one of the world's most famous cities, is situated at the northern end of the peninsula separating the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. The area had been inhabited for at least 10–20,000 years before the first European explorers arrived here. The coastal area stretching from San Francisco to Monterey Bay was home of some forty culturally diverse native tribes, which are today known collectively as the Oholones. In 1579 Captain Francis Drake discovered a cove surrounded by cliffs and stayed 5 weeks at this place which he called Portus Nova Albionis (whether Drake's Bay, Marin Co., is the actual location is still a matter of debate). The entrance to San Francisco Bay was first sighted by Sergeant José Ortega in 1769 who called it La Boca del Puerto. In 1776 the two Spanish missionaries, Francisco Palou and Benito Cambon, arrived and founded Mission Dolores (La Misión de San Francisco de Asís). At the same time a few houses were built at the site of the present city. This settlement was called Yerba Buena because a herb of that name, which was used as medicine or as substitute for Chinese tea, was found in abundance on the hills surrounding the place.
	During the early 1800's trading ships from the east coast began to arrive and the first pioneers of the west settled here although they had to submit to surveillance by the Spanish governors. In 1847 the chief magistrate Washington A. Bartlett, the first American alcalde, ordered that the name Yerba Buena was officially changed to San Francisco in order "to prevent confusion and mistakes in public documents, and that the town may have the advantage of the name given on the public map". The Americans had already started in 1845/46 to fight for independence under the "Bear Flag", and on February, 2, 1848 the country was ceded by Mexico by the Treaty of Guadeloupe-Hidalgo to the United States. On September 9, 1850, California was admitted to statehood as the 31st state of the United States. Gold had been found already in 1843 in Southern California, but the famous "Gold Rush" broke out after the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill, Coloma in January 1848. Thousands of people came to California to try their luck but also hundreds left San Francisco which caused near disaster in the town. Schools had to close and newspapers were prevented from appearing since their employees had gone. But during the following decade San Francisco also speedily grew to be a city of some 30,000 people. On September 6, 1869 the first westboud train of the Central and Union Pacific Railroad arrived at San Francisco. By 1870 San Francisco had become the tenth largest city in the United States.
	San Francisco had been struck by earthquakes a number of times in its history, but the best-known and most desastrous was the one of April 18, 1906 which was followed by a fire which burnt for four days and left the city in ruins and a death toll of more than 3,000 of all causes. Angel Island opened in 1910 and for 30 years served as a point of entry for immigrants from all parts of the world but it also served as a prison for hundreds of Chinese people to enforce the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. San Francisco also saw social unrest. The famous maritime strike began on May 9, 1934 and culminated in the "Bloody Thursday" (July 5). The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened on November 12, 1936. It remains one of the largest bridges in the world and carries more traffic than any other toll bridge – over 270,000 vehicles each day. The concept of bridging the Golden Gate Strait was proposed as early as 1872, and in 1916 the idea had been revived. Construction began in 1933 and the bridge was finished in 1937. With its suspension span of 4,200 feet (1,280 m) it was the world's largest suspension bridge until the completion in 1964 of the Verranazo Narrows Bridge in New York. During World War II about 110,000 of Japanese Americans, about two-thirds of whom were citizens, were forced to abandon their homes and many were confined to internment camps. It was only in 1948 that the Evacuation Claims Act authorized payment to Japanese Americans who suffered economic loss during imprisonment – with the necessity proof and only 10 cents returned for every one dollar lost.
	The post-war era began with an optimistic event. Representatives of 51 nations attended the UN Conference on International Organization in San Francisco and signed the United Nations Charter which brought the Organization into existance on October 24, 1946. The San Francisco Diggers became one of the legendary groups during the years 1966 to 1968. They produced a series of events that mark the evolution of the hippie phenomenon. San Francisco also is known as being one of the 'meccas' of the gay movement, which was only strengthened after the assassination of Mayor George Moscone and gay Supervisor Harvey Milk on November 27, 1978. The magnitude 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake struck San Francisco on October 17, 1989. It was the worst earthquake since 1906 and caused an estimated damage of almost 3000 million dollars in San Francisco alone and about the same amount in the remaining earthquake zone. The quake killed 62 people throughout Central California (6 in San Francisco), injured 3757 and left more than 12,000 homeless. .
	The Mission San Francisco de Asís, today known as Mission Dolores, was founded beside a little inlet called Laguna Dolores on October 9, 1776. As time went by the nearby pueblo of Yerba Buena took the name of Saint Francis, while the mission more popularly became known as Dolores. Even though located beside one of the finest harbors in all the world, Mission Dolores was handicapped from the outset by lack of suitable space for agriculture, competition for that space from the citizens of the Spanish pueblo, and the damp and foggy climate. Nothing was ever the same after the discovery of gold in California. The population of the sleepy pueblo rose from a mere 900 to over 20,000 in only a year. Mexican land reforms had taken all the mission possessions, so that just a few of the buildings were left to return to the Church. When the great earthquake of 1906 shook San Francisco, the thick walls of the old mission church stood firm. Today it remains the oldest building of San Francisco. Its interior differs little from its original appearance. Decorated redwood ceiling beams remain as created by Indian workmen and wooden columns remain painted to resemble Italian marble. Outside the church only the old cemetery has remained almost unchanged. The old venerable church is the only remaining mission building today. [http://www.californiamissions.com/cahistory/dolores.html]
	Temple of Music in Golden Gate Park was dedicated on September 5, 1900. The sugar tycoon Claus Spreckles had donated $60,000 to the city to transform the Grand Court of the 1884 Midwinter Fair into the Temple of Music as a stage for open-air concerts. The building suffered severe damages during the the 1906 earthquake and was damaged again during the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. A thorough reconstruction of the Temple of Music was completed in 1994 for the Centennial of the Midwinter Fair. [http://businessimagegroup.com/sfimages/history/GGPark.html]
	The third view on tumbler no.B043 [left] and the picture on glass no. 1215 [right] show the "Second" Cliff House which existed between 1896 and 1907. The first house at this place overlooking the Seal Rocks on Point Lobos was already built in 1858, but this construction usually is not counted. The "First" Cliff House was then built in 1863 and was of modest structure. When this building had been destroyed by fire in 1894, the "Second" Cliff House, which is depicted on the glass, was completed in 1896 in the fashion of a grandiose French château boasting 8 stories, spires and an observation tower two hundred feet above the sea level. Though never a hotel, it served as an elegant site for dining, dancing and entertainment. At the time it was considered by many as an 'eyesore', a verdict that we propably would not make today. The building survived the great 1906 earthquake but was destroyed by fire only one year later. The "Third" Cliff House was built in 1909 according to a Neoclassic design. The building suffered heavily during the Depression and World Wars and was remodeled several times during the 1930's and 1950's until it was acquired by the National Park Service in 1977. Today the Cliff House is preserved as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. In 2000 the National Park Service decided to renovate the Cliff House to its 1909 appearance by stripping away the later additions and modifications. Despite emotional debates about preserving the 1950's look, the renovation works began in January 2003 and are expected to be completed in 2004 with the addition of a modern "21st century" addition to the north that would feature a visitor center.