HUNT #1  Locating the Natives of San Francisco |
Background: What did the San Francisco Peninsula look like 200 years ago? Were there redwood groves? Were there any trees at all? What type of wildlife was there? The San Francisco of 1700's and before was a varied landscape of live sand dunes, teeming creeks and marshlands and rolling hills of scrub brush and bunch grasses. A higher water table sprouted springs and creeks throughout the peninsula, offering the richest of natural ecologies: Mixed wetlands and dunes, with lots of borders between live dune, freshwater and saltwater estuaries. Coast Redwoods grew in Marin and in San Mateo, but not in San Francisco, though in a mere 100 years most of them would end up here in the form of lumber. Of the limited trees clustered around lakes, creeks and hollows, only the Arroyo Willows are still found today within San Francisco. The California Live Oak, California Laurel, California Buckeye, Madrone and California Wax Myrtle made up the rest of the trees found back then, and these still grow today in Marin County. Angel Island on the other hand, just North of San Francisco, was covered with a thick forest of Madrone and Live Oak, and came to be known by original settlers as "Wood Island" - before it was cleared. Large and small mammals were basically unafraid of humans, making for easy hunting. Grizzly bears were VERY COMMON, so the hunter sometimes became the hunted! Mountain Lions, cougars and bobcats all roamed freely. Fox, coyote and deer were everywhere. Herds of Elk tramped seasonally through the portions of the Bay Area. Rabbits, squirrels, skunks, beaver, raccoon all made their homes here. Birds just couldn't get enough of this place. Eagles, Hawks, Herons, Cormorant, Pelicans, Osprey and Owls were quite common, as were hundreds of different smaller birds ranging from sand pipers to mountain sparrows. Sea life was unstoppable, and highly delicious. Sea otters, Seals, Whales, Sharks, Rays and other large sea animals were huntable, or collectable after storms anyway. Fish and shellfish made up a more reliable fare, coming in uncountable varieties. Depending on the season, Salmon, Sturgeon, and Bass ran in the thousands. All types of shellfish including Clams, Mussels, Oysters and Abalone were also readily available. That's Real diversity! Nature is always the best economist. |
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