Gold, Greed, and Gunslingers: Forging San Francisco

Gold, Greed, and Gunslingers: Forging San Francisco

How the West Was Won

Did you know the 1849 Gold Rush can be blamed for some of the wildness of the West? The unprecedented growth it sparked turned small settlements like San Francisco into dens of depravity overnight.

With its historic architecture, distinctive neighborhoods, and romantic scenery, San Francisco is known as a cultural getaway destination, but during the California Gold Rush, this area was named for Africa’s Barbary Coast, infamous the world over for its cutthroats and pirates at that time. Look past the quaint alleyways and picturesque views to the darker side of how the Golden West was won and hear how thousands of fortune hunters from every corner of the Earth flooded into the bay, bringing every kind of crime, violence, and vice in their wake.

“This is one of the most eye-opening tours I’ve ever been on. These stories are fascinating!” 

What is the Gold, Greed, and Gunslingers: Forging San Francisco Tour about?

Our San Francisco History Tour brings to life the city’s den of iniquity, an infamous red-light district characterized by lawlessness and danger. Discover the historic neighborhoods where saloons, gambling halls, opium dens, and brothels stood in place of today’s restaurants, clubs, and shops, and take in a history lesson with a spicy side on this walkable tour. 

What You Will See on This Tour:

This fascinating tour will take you on an immersive mile of the most notorious areas of San Francisco’s historical wickedness, such as:

• The infamous street gang of Sydney Town
• The rowdy entertainment of Portsmouth Square
• The dangerous past of Hotaling Place
• The terrifying massacre at Sydney Walton Square
• And so much more…

Professional guides will introduce you to the original city districts where greed and lawlessness combined to create an atmosphere of danger and iniquity among the residents of early San Francisco.

Join us to explore the darker elements of San Francisco’s gold rush legacy, where money and mayhem ruled the day amidst the formation of the Golden City.

“When gold was first discovered at Sutter’s Mill, back in 1848, San Francisco, still in its infancy, was barely settled. New arrivals lived in canvas tents – poor shelter from the rainy weather. The city’s first buildings were made from ships run aground in the harbor. In 1849, the population was estimated at two thousand men and almost no women.” 

- Ruth Franklin