Mechanics Institute San Francisco 1 Royalty-Free Stock Photo

When James Marshall found what proved to be gold in John Sutter Mill,just north of San Francisco,in 1848,it set off an enormous stampede of peoples to the city. By 1853 with the Mill Area now pretty much played out of gold,and with people sill arriving,there was suddenly a huge number of unemployed,and unemployable people. And still with no public schools in California at the time,or even a public library,there was no way for these honest people to get any kind of training for any kind of new career. The Mechanics Institute was founded with little more then just four books and a chess board in 1854,to help tackle the problem. The University of California did not get its first charter until 1868,and the San Francisco Public Library didn't open until 1879. Yet the Mechanics Institute has kept itself relevant with lectures and film series and connecting with like societies around the world. As seen 22 March 2023.