San Francisco Gold Rush History Walking Tour

Come on our History Walking Tour of San Francisco!
Travel back in time to the San Francisco of the late 1840s and early 1850s with this Gold Rush History Tour. You'll visit sites important to the early history of San Francisco, and by extension, all of California. From Portsmouth Square, to Sydney Town, to Pier 7, explore the locations, people, and legends that make up some of the darker side of San Francisco's early history, replete with tales of greed, discrimination, feuds, and lawless violence.

Meeting Point

ChargePoint Charging Station

733 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA

Meet your tour guide in front of the Hilton Financial District, at the intersection of Merchant and Kearny Streets.

What's included:

• Professional and knowledgeable local guide
• Thoroughly researched and accurate history

Not included:

• Food and drink

What to expect:

Duration: 2 hours

Portsmouth Square

50 Walter U Lum Pl, b/t Clay St & Washington St in Chinatown, San Francisco, 94108, California

This was the center of the original city of San Francisco, before California was even part of the US. Legend has it that the California gold rush officially began here.

Pass by without stopping

Old Chinese Telephone Exchange

743 Washington St, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA

Discover the true story of the struggles Chinese people faced during the gold rush, which even included a fee for the privilege of mining at all.

Pass by without stopping

Wentworth Place

Wentworth Pl, San Francisco, CA, USA

Learn more about the Six Companies that governed Chinatown, and the Tong Wars, here.

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The Devil's Acre

256 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, 94133-4518, California

San Francisco is a city of contrasts, where a short walk can take you to a completely different place. Learn the history of the area known as The Devil's Acre, once such place in San Francisco, here.

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580 Pacific Ave

580 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA

Learn the history of the Sydney Ducks, a team of arsonists, in this, the area they controlled.

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The Old Ship Saloon

298 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA

In San Francisco, as ships were grounded with the changing shoreline, they were simply repurposed into buildings. This saloon is an example of this.

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Sydney Walton Square

Front St and Jackson st, San Francisco, 94111, California

At this square, learn about "The Hounds" and the massacre that was the tipping point in creating an official police force for San Francisco.

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Shanghai Kelly's

2064 Polk St, San Francisco, 94109-2520, California

Discover the legend of Shanghai Kelly, the region's most famous "crimper".

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Pier 7

Embarcadero, San Francisco, 94105, California

End your tour with the tragic tale of James and Belle Cora.

Pass by without stopping