San Francisco Bay

From two-man sailboats to ocean-going vessels like the square-rigger seen in the background, ships of all sizes and types have docked in the San Francisco Bay since the middle of the 19th century. Twenty years after the '49ers headed west to mine for gold in the mountains and streams of California, farmers and fishermen tapped into the state's real cash cows - the grain trade and the fishing industry. Hauling hundreds of pounds of wheat, salmon, cod and other cargo certainly provided a lucrative livelihood, but the camaraderie, excitement and fun of navigating the Bay, the Pacific Ocean and other bodies of water were equally enticing to early American sailors.