Fisherman's Wharf

The style and character of Fisherman's Wharf can be traced to Henry Meiggs, "a scheming, nefarious, unscrupulous businessman who got run out of town with a vengeful posse nipping at his heels," according to "Crab Is King: The Colorful Story of Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco" by Bernard Averbuch. His book details the wharf's history as follows: Meiggs didn't name his wooden landing Fisherman's Wharf. It was Meiggs Wharf, starting at a cove in North Beach, where Francisco Street is now, and extending 1,600 feet into the bay, ending at what is now the Embarcadero. The wharf was completed in 1853 to serve the lumber trade, but that didn't save Meiggs from being chased to South America by his creditors. Even without Meiggs, the wharf survived as a mooring for the fishing fleet and as a weekend promenade for sunbathers and swimmers who rented bathhouses. The preferred dining spot was Abe Warner's "Cobweb Palace,'' where clam and crab chowder was slung beneath spider webs. Amusements started up. There was Cockney White's museum, where an "educated pig" played cards, Driscoll's Salt Water Tub Bathing Emporium, Riley's Shooting Gallery and a place where people could try to climb a greased pole and claim the $5 gold piece on top. The wharf was the same in spirit as it is now, though Meiggs Wharf was cut off by a seawall the state built and was later replaced by a new Fisherman's Wharf around the turn of the century. © Janet Aguila Krause