A Chronology of the San Francisco Bay Region

1542	Nov. 16 (O. S.) Portuguese explorer Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo enters gulf outside Golden Gate and discovers Farallon Islands.
1579	June 17. (Julian Calendar). English navigator Francis Drake lands in present Marin County (Drake's Bay), and claims land as New Albion for Queen Elizabeth.
1595	Nov. 6. Sebastian Rodrigues Cermeno enters Drake's Bay and names it La Bahia de San Francisco for Saint Francis of Assisi.
1603	Jan. 5. Sebastian Vizcaino sights extreme southwest point of present San Mateo County and names it Punta del Año Nuevo (New Year's Point).
1769	Oct. 18. Gaspar de Portola expedition arrives in sight of Santa Cruz.
	Nov. 1-3. Portola's chief scout, Sergt. Jose Ortega, discovers present San Francisco Bay.
	Nov. 7-10. Exploring party sent out by Portola expedition traverses country east of Bay, probably through Moraga Valley as far as San Pablo Bay.
1772	Mar. 27-28. Golden Gate first sighted from present sites of Oakland and Berkeley by Capt. Pedro Fages expedition on way north from Mission San Carlos Borromeo by way of Santa Clara Valley.
1775	Aug. 5. The San Carlos, first ship to enter Bay, is piloted through Golden Gate under command of Lt. Juan Manuel de Ayala.
1776	Mar. 28. Juan Bautista de Anza, arriving at site of San Francisco with colonists from Mexico, selects site for presidio.
	Mar. 29. Anza selects site for Mission San Francisco de Asis (Mission Dolores).
	Sept. 17. Presidio founded by Lt. Jose Joaquin Moraga.
	Oct. 8. Padre Francisco Palou dedicates Mission San Francisco de Asis.
1777	Jan. 12. Mission Santa Clara founded.
	Nov. 29. Pueblo of San Jose de Guadalupe (San Jose), first in California, is founded.
1791	Aug. 28. Mission Santa Cruz founded.
1792	Nov. 14. Capt. George Vancouver arrives in H.M.S. Discovery, first foreign vessel to enter Bay.
1797	June 11. Mission San Jose de Guadalupe is dedicated.
1803	Aug. 12. First American vessel, Eliza, Capt. James Rowan, enters harbor.
1806	Apr. 8. Count Nikolai Rezanov arrives to buy supplies for starving Russian colony at Sitka.
1812	Sept. 10. Fort Ross, Russian trading post, is dedicated.
1816	Oct. 2. Russian commander Otto Von Kotzebue and crew arrive in Rurik to gather information on Spanish settlements.
1817	Dec. 14. Mission San Rafael Arcangel, “hospital mission” for sick converts of Mission San Francisco de Asis, is founded.
1820	June 20. Luis Maria Peralta receives grant (Rancho San Antonio) to vast East Bay area.
1821	Feb. 21. Spanish rule overthrown in Mexico City by Agustin Iturbide.
1823	July 4. Mission San Francisco Solano (Sonoma) dedicated.
1825	Mar. 26. California formally declared province of Republic of Mexico.
	Apr. 24. Oath of allegiance to Republic of Mexico administered at San Francisco presidio.
1826	Nov. 6. Capt. Frederick William Beechey, of H.M.S. Blossom, arrives to make survey of Bay.
1827	Jan. 27. French trading ship Le Heros, Capt. Auguste Duhaut-Cilly, arrives in Bay.
1829	May 5. Spaniards subdue rebellious Cosumnes Indians in battle near San Jose.
1833	Aug. 17. Mexican Congress decrees secularization of California missions.
1834	Aug. 24. Mission Santa Cruz secularized.
	Sept. Missions San Francisco de Asis and San Rafael secularized.
	Dec 7. First ayuntamiento (council) organized in San Francisco district and Francisco de Haro chosen first alcalde (mayor) of pueblo Yerba Buena.
1835	June 24. Pueblo of Sonoma founded.
	June 25. William A. Richardson, first harbormaster, erects first dwelling in Yerba Buena.
1836	July 1. Jacob Primer Leese arrives at Yerba Buena and establishes first retail firm.
1837	Dec. Los Meganos Rancho near Mount Diablo granted to Dr. John Marsh.
	Mission San Jose secularized.
1838	Feb. 11. Rancho Saucelito (Marin County) granted to William A. Richardson.
1839	Apr. 15. Russian government orders Fort Ross abandoned.
1841	Dec 30. Hudson's Bay Company establishes agency at Yerba Buena.
	Oct. 19. Lt. Charles Wilkes, U. S. N., visits Bay on hydrographic survey of Pacific Coast.
	Nov. 4. First overland immigrant party reaches ranch of Dr. John Marsh.
1844	Mar. 8. Capt. John Charles Frémont and survey party arrive from overland journey at Sutter's Fort.
1845	July 10. Mexican decree forbids further American immigration.
1846	June 14. American settlers seize Sonoma and raise Bear Flag of California Republic.
	June 24. First battle of Bear Flag Revolt fought near Petaluma.
	July 7. Commodore John D. Sloat raises American flag at Monterey and proclaims California annexed to United States.
	July 9. American flag hoisted at Yerba Buena and Sonoma.
1847	Jan 2. Battle of Santa Clara concludes Yankee conquest of northern California.
	Jan. 9. First issue of San Francisco's first (and California's second) newspaper, The California Star, appears.
	Jan. 30. Yerba Buena renamed “San Francisco.”
1848	Jan. 24. Gold discovered by James Marshall at John A. Sutter's sawmill on American River.
	Feb. 2. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends war with Mexico and cedes California to United States.
	Apr. 3. First American public school opened in San Francisco.
1849	Jan. 9. First commercial bank established in San Francisco.
	Feb. 28. California, first Gold Rush steamer, arrives.
	Apr. 1. Steamship Oregon inaugurates regular mail service to East.
	Apr. 30. U. S. Army post established at Benicia.
	June 22. Stephen Massett gives first public entertainment in San Francisco.
	Oct. 25. Democratic Party of California organized.
	Nov. Moses Chase, Oakland's first settler, arrives in East Bay.
	Nov. 13. San Jose becomes capital of California.
	Dec. 15. First American territorial legislature convenes at San Jose.
	Dec. 24. First of six great fires causes $1,250,000 loss in San Francisco.
1850	Population: San Francisco, 34,776.
	Jan. 16. First dramatic performance, The Wife, is held in San Francisco.
	Feb. 18. Legislature creates Bay region counties: San Francisco, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Solano, and Napa.
	Mar. 27. City of San Jose incorporated.
	Apr. 1. San Francisco County government established.
	Apr. 15. City of San Francisco incorporated.
	June 24. San Francisco Typographical Society, city's first trade union, is organized.
	Sept. 9. California admitted to Union.
	Kangaroo ferry inaugurates San Francisco-East Bay service.
1851	Mar. 19. Santa Clara College established (chartered 1855).
	May 3. San Francisco's fifth and most disastrous fire destroys twenty-two blocks, causing $12,000,000 loss.
	June 9. First Committee of Vigilance organized.
	Aug. 31. Clipper ship Flying Cloud slashes time from New York from 159 days to 89 days, 21½ hours.
1852	Jan. 5. State Legislature opens its third session in Vallejo.
	May 4. City of Oakland incorporated.
1853	Mar. 25. County of Alameda created.
1854	Feb. 25. State capital established permanently at Sacramento.
	Sept. 16. Admiral David Farragut establishes Mare Island Navy Yard.
1855	College of California (University of California) incorporated.
	Feb. 23. “Black Friday,” financial disaster, initiates California's first panic.
	Apr. 19. San Mateo County created.
1856	May 15. Second Vigilance Committee organized.
1857	Sept. 7. First Mechanics Fair is held by Mechanics Institute, in San Francisco.
1859	Apr. 30. College of St. Ignatius (University of San Francisco) incorporated.
	Sept. 13. Broderick-Terry duel helps crystallize anti-slavery sentiment in San Francisco.
1860	Population: San Francisco, 56,802; San Jose, 4,579; Oakland, 1,543; Alameda, 460.
	Apr. 14. First Pony Express rider arrives from St. Joseph, Missouri, in San Francisco.
	Oct. 8. Telegraph line opened between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
1861	Feb. 15. Fort Point, San Francisco Presidio, occupied by U. S. troops.
	June 28. Central Pacific Railway Company incorporated.
	Oct. 24. Overland Telegraph Company establishes communication between San Francisco and New York.
1863	Mar. 15. Schooner J. M. Chapman, Confederate privateer, is seized in Bay.
1864	Jan. 16. San Francisco-San Jose Railroad completed.
	July 5. William C. Ralston and associates found Bank of California.
1868	Mar. 23. Legislature charters University of California.
1869	May 10. Tracks of Central Pacific and Union Pacific joined.
	Sept. 6. First transcontinental train arrives in Alameda.
1870	Population: San Francisco, 149,473; Oakland, 10,500; San Jose, 9,089; Alameda, 1,557.
	Mar. 11. San Jose Teachers’ College, California's first normal school, permanently established at San Jose.
	Mar. 18. Golden Gate Park established.
1871	Mills Seminary (now Mills College) established in Oakland.
1872	Mar. 7. City of Alameda incorporated.
1873	June 2. Ground is broken for world's first cable street railway in San Francisco.
1875	Aug. 26. Bank of California failure causes local panic, followed next day by drowning in Bay of president W. C. Ralston.
1876	July 4. San Francisco's first public exhibition of electric light.
	Sept. 5. Rail connection with Los Angeles established.
1877	July 23 Anti-Chinese sentiment results in first of San Francisco's “Sand-lot riots,” prompting organization of Committee of Safety under William T. Coleman.
	Oct. 5. Workingmen's Party of California organized.
1878	Apr. 1. City of Berkeley incorporated.
1880	Population: San Francisco 233,959; Oakland, 34,555; San Jose, 12,567; Alameda, 5,708.
	July 23. Construction of Lick Observatory begins.
1882	May 6. President Chester Arthur signs Chinese Exclusion Act.
1883	Oct. 29. Merchants’ and Manufacturers’ Association, pioneer employers’ council in San Francisco, established.
1885	Dec. 5. Luther Burbank founds experimental farm near Sebastopol.
1890	Population: San Francisco, 298,997; Oakland, 48,682; San Jose, 18,060; Alameda, 11,165; Berkeley, 5,101.
1891	Oct. 1. Stanford University opens to students.
1892	Mar. 19. First “Big Game” between University of California and Stanford.
	Jan. 1. California Midwinter International Exposition opens.
1894	Dec. 25. First “East-West” football game (Stanford vs. University of Chicago) is played in San Francisco.
1898	May 26. San Francisco electorate accepts new city charter, authorizing municipal acquisition and ownership of public utilities (put into effect Jan. 1, 1900).
1900	Population: San Francisco, 342,782; Oakland, 66,960; San Jose, 21,500; Alameda, 16,464; Berkeley, 13,214.
1901	Jan. 7-9. Initial step taken to organize State Federation of Labor. July 30. Teamsters’ Union strike starts widespread sympathy walkout.
	Dec. 16. State Building Trades Council formed.
1902	Dec. 14. S.S. Silvertown begins laying cable to Honolulu.
1904	Oct. 17. Bank of Italy (Bank of America) established by A. P. Giannini with capital of $150,000.
1906	Apr. 18. Earthquake starts great fire destroying most of San Francisco with loss of $300,000,000.
1907	July 8. Mayor Eugene Schmitz sentenced to five years in San Quentin Prison for corruption in office.
1908	Dec. 7. Abe Ruef, political boss, sentenced to fourteen years in San Quentin.
	July 9. Muir Woods, Marin County, becomes Muir Woods National Monument.
1909	Oct. 18. Portola Festival celebrates San Francisco's recovery from earthquake and fire.
1910	Population: San Francisco, 416,912; Oakland, 150,174; Berkeley, 40,434; San Jose, 28,946; Alameda, 23,383.
1913	Dec. 19. Ratification of Raker Act permits development of Hetch-Hetchy power system by San Francisco.
1914	Feb. 16. Silas Christofferson makes first airplane flight from San Francisco to San Diego.
1915	Feb. 20. Panama-Pacific International Exposition opens.
1916	July 22. Preparedness Day bomb explosion occurs in San Francisco, resulting in life prison terms for Thomas Mooney and Warren K. Billings (Mooney pardoned Jan. 7, 1939; Billing's sentence commuted to time served Oct. 16, 1939).
1917	July 14. Twin Peaks Tunnel dedicated in San Francisco.
1919	Nov. 3. Crissey Field, San Francisco airport, dedicated.
1920	Population: San Francisco, 506,676; Oakland, 216,261; Berkeley, 56,036; San Jose, 39,642; Alameda, 28,806.
1920	July 29. First transcontinental airmail flight from New York completed at San Francisco.
	Sept. 8. Regular airmail service established between Mineola, N. Y., and San Francisco.
1922	Oct. 1. Philo T. Farnsworth establishes laboratory in San Francisco where principles of television were first perfected in 1927.
1927	Jan. 17. Dumbarton Bridge is completed.
	May 7. San Francisco Municipal Airport (Mills Field) dedicated.
	May 21. Carquinez Bridge opens.
1928	Oct. 27. Posey Tube, under Estuary, connects Alameda and Oakland.
1929	Mar. 3. San Mateo Bay Bridge opens.
1930	Population: San Francisco, 634,394; Oakland, 284,063; Berkeley, 82,109; San Jose; 57,651; Alameda, 35,033.
1931	Apr. 3. Mount Diablo is made part of State park system.
	June 9. Construction of U. S. Naval Air Station at Moffett Field (Sunnyvale) begins (transferred to Army Air Corps, 1935).
1932	Jan. 8. San Francisco's present charter is ratified.
1933	Oct. 12. U. S. Department of Justice takes over Alcatraz Island as Federal penitentiary.
1934	May 9. Walkout of maritime workers leads to general strike, first in Bay region's history.
1935	Jan. 12. Amelia Earhart Putnam lands at Oakland Airport on first solo flight from Hawaii.
	Nov. 22. China Clipper leaves Alameda on first airmail flight to Manila.
1936	Nov. 12. San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opens (work begun July 9, 1933).
1937	May 27. Golden Gate Bridge opened (work begun Jan. 5, 1933).
	Dec. 5. Broadway Low Level Tunnel in Alameda County opens.
1939	Jan. 14. Commuters to East Bay say goodbye to the ferry boats; Bay Bridge train service opens following day.
	Feb. 18. Golden Gate International Exposition opens on Treasure Island.
1940	Apr. 21. Funston Avenue approach to Golden Gate Bridge opens. May 25. Golden Gate International Exposition re-opens.
	June 14. Holly Courts, San Francisco's first low-cost housing project, opens.