Walking Waterhoods: Temescal Creek — Bay Street/Shellmound

This is a highly contested piece of land, with a long history of human habitation. First and foremost, what is now called Bay Street was once home to the largest village with the largest shellmound of the Ohlone people living on the shores of San Francisco Bay. Early reports by European colonizers, describe the mouth of Temescal Creek was spectacularly beautiful — a wide mouth pouring crystal clean water into the bay. The area was also home to elk, grizzlies, fox, coyotes and likely wolves.

The area where the current shellmound memorial is now was the original mouth of the creek before land was "added" through landfill, creating new land for the addition of a highway beyond the train tracks running along the shoreline. The creek is culverted (in a pipe) as it enters the Bay Street area, and as it leaves. Had you been here in 1600, you'd be in the middle of a thriving Ohlone village.

Read more about the construction of Bay Street over the Ohlone shellmound.