bayside history walk

Historic signs, placed along the water’s edge of Fisherman’s Wharf by the Port of San Francisco, tell the Wharf’s history, give insight into today’s fishing community, and explain the need to protect the bay.

Although the Bayside History Walk signs are presented numerically, they aren’t meant to be walked sequentially. Rather, they are organized by topic, and positioned to give visitors a closer look at what makes Fisherman’s Wharf such a unique community.

While we can’t reproduce the actual signs on this site, We’ve collected the text and some of the images from the majority of these historical markers.

Topics and Locations​

North of the Ferry Building

Family Business – Pier 45

Building the Seawall – Pier 43

Luxury to the Tropics – Pier 35

Discarded Treasure – Pier 29

Italy Harbor – Pier 9, north

Business on the Wharf – Pier 9, south

World War II – Pier 7

Bustle of the City – Ferry Building, north

Splendid Survivor – Ferry Building, south​

South of the Ferry Building

Captain Shorey – Rincon Park

Waterfront Railroad – Wharf north of Pier 30

Shipbuilding at Steamboat Point – Pier 40

Tides of Shrimp – Pier 48

Saving the Bay – Pier 50

Whaling on the West Coast – Pier 52

The Bay in Mission Bay – Aguavista Park

The West’s Industrial Center – Pier 70

Butchertown – 24th & Illinois Streets

Copra Is Coconut – Cargo Way & Illinois Street

Fill Becomes a Marshland – Heron’s Head Park