Steamboat Point facts for kids
Steamboat Point is a piece of land that sticks out into San Francisco Bay. It's located at the northeastern edge of Mission Bay. This spot got its name because many shipyards were located here. From the 1850s to the mid-1860s, these shipyards built and fixed steamboats.
Steamboat Point: A Hub for Ship Building
The name "Steamboat Point" first appeared on a map in 1852. This map was made by the U.S. Coast Survey and showed San Francisco. The point was located southeast of where Third and Townsend Streets are today.
Early Shipyards and Famous Builders
This area was very important for building and repairing ships. One of the first shipyards belonged to H.B. Tichenor. His shipyard had a special "marine railway" to pull ships out of the water for repairs. This was the first one of its kind on the Pacific coast!
Many famous steamboat builders worked here. People like John G. North, Domingo Marcucci, and Patrick H. Tiernan had their boatyards nearby. They built and repaired many of the best steamboats and ferries. These boats traveled all over the bays and rivers of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory.
How Steamboat Point Changed Over Time
Steamboat Point was San Francisco's main shipbuilding area for many years. But by the mid-1860s, things started to change. The shipyards slowly moved south across Mission Bay. They went to a place called Potrero Point.
After the shipyards moved, the shoreline along the bay was filled in. This means more land was created where water used to be. Only a narrow channel was left for Mission Creek. Steamboat Point, which was once right on the bay, became a small hill located further inland.