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The San Francisco area was first settled at least 15,000 years ago by the Ohlone Indians ho lived in the coastal area between San Francisco Bay and Point Sur. thrived in a region where abundant wildlife, native plants, and fish provided sustenance for their villages. In 1579, Sir Francis Drake and his crew here on the Golden Hind, and spent five weeks repairing the ship and gathering with the natives. The Spanish found the entrance to the bay in 1769, and by 1776, the first colonizing party arrived to found the Presidio of San Francisco and Mission Dolores.

San Francisco was a small settlement before the Gold Rush of 1849. Seemingly overnight, people streamed in from around the world to get to the gold fields. The Gold Rush brought a wild, boisterous crowd. Places like the Barbary Coast, a infamous saloon and red-light district along the piers, flourished.

After the rush ended, many prospectors returned from the gold fields and established in the city, realizing that fortunes could be made just as well there. Merchant establishments, small industries, and shipping to the Orient brought prosperity to the newcomers. San Francisco grew and paying attention a colorful array of characters. Famous writers such as Jack London, Ambrose Bierce, and Mark Twain congregate here. And John Muir began the Sierra Club here in 1892.

In a city of sole individuals, one particularly stood out--Emperor Norton. Having lost his mind along with his fortune through a bad asset, he had proclaimed: "At the pre-emptor request of a large majority of the citizens of these United States, I Joshua Norton, formerly of Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, and now for the previous nine years and ten months past of San Francisco, California, state and proclaim myself the Emperor of These United States." For the rest of his life, the city complied with his edicts, many of which were quite sound. When he died in 1880, between 10,000 and 30,000 people were reported to have attended his memorial service.