Circa 1846

Fur trader/pioneer William F. Swasey (b. Bath, Maine, 1823; d. San Francisco, 1896) journeyed overland to California from Fort Laramie, arriving at Yerba Buena in 1845. Over the next half century, he would witness and participate in the "wonderful rise of a great city from the sand dunes and shrub oaks of 'Yerba Buena Cove.'" Based on Captain Swasey's recollection of pre-Gold Rush San Francisco, his View and its accompanying key were lithographed by the Clay Street firm of Edward Bosqui (b. Montreal, 1832; arrived San Francisco by ship, 1850; d. San Francisco, 1917), and copyrighted by Swasey in 1884. Reproduced by Anchor Brewing Company from an original Bosqui tinted lithograph.

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