San Francisco's Gold Rush Century: a walking tour

Discover the key to the USA's promise and ongoing heartache as we walk back in time unpeeling the frontier mentality. California's Gold Rush only lasted as long as there was no land title in the state. As soon as land title was generally and broadly possible, new arrivals discovered they could only be employees, not mad-for-gold self-employed opportunists. If you love history and politics, this tour will unlock the key to understanding the USA. We'll tramp through SF's downtown, walking back in time from 1898 to 1804, uncovering the promise of land for the taking that created the American mythos of the daring, rugged individualist who left civic questions and landlord constraints behind. We start with Martin Luther King's challenge to share the footprint of the USA with all people, then explore the frontier mentality that brought millions to California and San Francisco, and instilled in so many the real estate virus that now threatens America in its 250th year.