Mission Rock: Difference between revisions

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'''1859 U.S. Coastal Survey Map, showing Mission Rock well out in the Bay.'''
'''1859 U.S. Coastal Survey Map, showing Mission Rock well out in the Bay.'''
[[Image:Birds-eye-view-closeup-on-mission-rock-DSCF3722.jpg]]
'''CLose-up of Mission Rock from the 1877 Bird's-Eye View of San Francisco.'''
''Image: Library of Congress''


The rock was bought and sold a number of times and eventually settled into a long life as a grain terminal.  
The rock was bought and sold a number of times and eventually settled into a long life as a grain terminal.  

Revision as of 20:49, 18 February 2024

Historical Essay

by Chris Carlsson

Mission Rock appears in early maps as a rocky outcropping directly outside the mouth of Mission Bay.

SF1859 Mission-Rock-map.jpg

1859 U.S. Coastal Survey Map, showing Mission Rock well out in the Bay.

Birds-eye-view-closeup-on-mission-rock-DSCF3722.jpg

CLose-up of Mission Rock from the 1877 Bird's-Eye View of San Francisco.

Image: Library of Congress

The rock was bought and sold a number of times and eventually settled into a long life as a grain terminal.

Men-work-on-Mission-Rock-1897-A11.22.404.1n.jpg

Men working cargo on Mission Rock, 1897. Yerba Buena Island barely visible in distance.

Photo: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (A11.22,404n)

The rock's size was enlarged continuously until the mid-20th century. Finally, in 1946, the now obsolete grain terminal was set on fire after San Francisco decided to expand its Pier 50 to engulf the former island.

Mission-Rock-Jan-7-1946-AAC-9764.jpg

Mission Rock January 7, 1946

Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library (AAC-9764)

Jan-9-1946-wharf-goes-up-in-blazes-aac-9767.jpg

Mission Rock Wharf Goes Up In Flames. January 9, 1946

Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library (AAC-9767)

Fire-soaked-creosote-at-Mission-Rock-jan-9-1946-aac-9766.jpg

Fire Soaked Creosote Burns at Mission Rock. January 9, 1946

Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library (AAC-9766)

Mission-Rock-aerial-w-City-behind-after-fire-aac-9768.jpg

Aerial View of Mission Rock After Burn. January 10, 1946

Photo: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library (AAC-9768)

1950s-aerial-sf-CHS2010.283.jpg

Aerial View of Mission Rock Terminal and San Francisco, 1950s.

Photo: California Historical Society (CHS2010.283)



This is excerpted from chapter fifteen of "Vanished Waters: A History of San Francisco's Mission Bay" published by the Mission Creek Conservancy, and republished here with their permission.

Vanished-waters-cover-2x3.jpg