CA Historical Landmark #81

Landing Place of
Captain J. B. Montgomery California State Historical Landmark #81 See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr See this location on Google Maps
This landmark is located at 552 Montgomery Street in San Francisco, California. There are 48 other California State Historical Landmarks in San Francisco County.

 

On July 9, 1846, in the early morning in the days when the water came up to Montgomery Street, Commander John B. Montgomery - for whom Montgomery Street was named - landed near this spot from the U-S-Sloop-Of-War "Portsmouth" to raise the stars and stripes on the plaza, now Portsmouth Square, one block to the west. Tablet placed by the Native Sons of the Golden West. 1915

 

Seventy years after the American Revolution, Yerba Buena was a remote Mexican pueblo of about 450 souls. This changed on July 9, 1846, when the United States warship Portsmouth anchored in Yerba Buena Cove, and Captain John B. Montgomery rowed ashore with a small detachment of sailors and marines to raise the American flag in the plaza. Captain Montgomery appointed his Spanish-speaking lieutenant, Washington Bartlett, as the first American alcalde of Yerba Buena. The alcalde renamed the pueblo San Francisco in a ordinance dated January 30, 1847 (see below). The drawing by Parker Hall shows boats rowing toward today's Montgomery Street between Washington and Clay. The Plaza became Portsmouth Square, named for the warship, and was the center of Gold Rush California. Fed with gold, little Montgomery Street rapidly grew up to become the Wall Street of the West. AN ORDINANCE Whereas, the local name of Yerba Buena, as applied to the settlement or town of San Francisco, is unknown beyond the district; and has been applied from the local name of the cove, on which the town is built; Therefore, to prevent confusion and mistakes in public documents, and that the town may have the advantage of the name given on the public map, IT IS HEREBY ORDAINED, that the name of SAN FRANCISCO shall hereafter be used in all official communications and public documents, or records appertaining to the town. Wash'n A. Bartlett Chief Magistrate