The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-10-17
: By Mildred N. Anderson

r HERE are three localities with
which the earliest history OF San
Francisco is concerned. and which
all good San Franciscans are supposed
90 know about; one is the Mission Do
lores, another is the Preside and the
third IL Fort point.
The first two have been described
and written about many times, but
the last has been. for some Unaccount-
able reason. q trtGe neglected, although
II is identified with the early days
quite as much as the other two. The
story OF Fort point. however, is so
interviewer with that OF the Mission
and the Preside. that any account OF
IL must include the others also, ar
least for many OF the first years, and
the history Of these three in their
early days is the history OF the found
ing Of san Francisco.
To begin at the beginning. we must
60 back 10 the days when scattered
Indian tribes were the only inhabi-
tants Of California except in the south
ern part, where a few devoted Fran
ciscan monks were slowly founding
missions under the Spanish govern
Eent-
Il was in 1853 that Gaspar de Por-
tola Cwhose name is just now on ev-
cry ones Hps), while searching for
the harbor Of Monterey, came within
sight OF the peerless bay which was
sfterward known as the bay OF San
Francisco. When he returned south
ward with the news OF his discovery,
the good Father Junipero Sierra and
his followers looked upon the circum-
stance with pious delight and enthusi-
ssm as q miracle. a short time be-
fore this Father Sierra had protested
70 the Spanish visitador general, CAL
vez. that not one OF the missions was
being named IN honor Of their patron.
Saint Francis Of Assist and had re-
ceived the brusque reply; IF Saint
Francis desires a mission let him show
US his port. and he shall have one
there" Here then was the answer OF
Saint Francis; he had revealed to
them the most beautiful port Of all.
and here. IN accordance with the prom
fse, should his mission be esta blished
But the southern settlements were sim
IN an unfinished state and Il was
not until seven years later, in 1875.
when such stirring events were taking
place IN the little group OF colonies on
the opposite side OF the continent
events which ultimately meant much
20 California that anything further
was done for the mission Of San Fran
cisco. Then Colonel ANA. a brilliant
and energetic Spanish soldier who had
conducted an exploring expedition over
the country between Mexico and Mon
terey the previous year with a skill
and rapidly altogether new In SDan-
fish exploration, was commissioned to
march north 10 the shores OF the bsv
and there select sites for the mission
buildings.
The Spanish plan for all of these
settlements was about the Same.
There was the mission itself and the
preside, and near these was built a
castillo or fort which was supposed 10
defend the harbor and protect the
other buildings from the attacks OF
the Indians in case they should at
any moment become hostile The forts
were built Of adobe and were gener-
ally placed high on a hill overlooking
the rest OF the settlement when such
q situation could be found
Colonel ANA arrived near the bav
and pitched AIS camp at what is now
Mountain lake. on March q, 1875. and
with his customary promptness he
started out the same afternoon to ex-
plore the neighboring region. With
the experienced eye Of an old cam
paigner he quickly selected the most
suitable locations for his fort and other
buildings. and the next morning led
the members OF his party to the place
now called Fort point, where as the
record naively puts IL. nobody had
ever been before" (the Indians, of
course. not being taken into consid-
eration). and there he erected cross,
at the foot OF which he buried an ac-
count OF his explorations.
This was quite a custom among the
Spanish explorers Of that time. The
cross served to mark the spot for fu-