About the Author

Author and native of France Claudine Chalmers, Ph.D., was so captivated by the tales of these pioneers that she devoted years of study to their influence on California's development, following their trail from the goldfields to San Francisco. Her research, encompassing museums, libraries, and collectors in France and California, contributed to her doctorate in 1991 and is used here with vintage images to illustrate the roles of the French in the city's early years. From the days of "Paris of the West," to the bakeries, businesses, and schools of the modern era, there has always been a large French presence in the City by the Bay.