Born in 1804, Carmen Sibrian de Bernal married Jose Cornelio Bernal in 1819. In 1834 Jose was granted 4,446 acres of land by the Mexican government in the southeastern corner of San Francisco: today the Excelsior, Crocker-Amazon, Outer Mission, Bayview, Hunters Point and Bernal Heights Districts. He named it Rancho Rincon de las Salina y Potrero Viejo. After San Francisco became an incorporated city the Bernal family gradually sold off their land, mostly to Irish farmers and dairy ranchers.
What is today known as Bernal Heights (bounded by Cesar Chavez, San Jose, US 101 and I-280) was sold to Francois Louis Alfred Pioche, a French financier. He subdivided the foothills below Bernal Heights Summit. Streets were laid out by the Army of Engineers based in the Presidio[1] which is why the streets have military names. Bernal Heights remained relatively uninhabited except in 1876 when con-artists planted gold on the summit, inciting a huge but short-lived interest in the land. There was a migration to the area after the 1906 Earthquake and Fires[2] when Bernal Heights was left relatively unscathed. There was a second migration to this area during World War II[3] when African Americans came to the City for jobs at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard at Hunters Point[4].
The Bernal Heights Summit is a barren rocky hill with an outcropping of trees at its peak. It is a designated off-leash dog park that provides panoramic views of the City. There is a 50 foot telecommunications tower located at the top. Poppies, lavender, raccoons, hawks, owls and the occasional coyote make their home there.
The Alemany Farmer’s Market[5] is held in the southeastern corner of Bernal Heights at the corner of US-101 and I-280 every Saturday. Established in 1947, it is one of the oldest farmer’s markets in the nation.
A 30 foot stretch of Bradford Street above Tompkins has the steepest grade in the world at 41%. It is so steep that it is closed to vehicular traffic.
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[1] Presidio: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=5121 [2] 1906 Earthquake and Fires: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=2849 [3] World War II: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4222 [4] San Francisco Naval Shipyard: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4237 [5] Visit them at www.sfgov.org
