It is relevant that "Vanished Waters" was created originally as a response to a political fight to preserve houseboats on Mission Creek. As an artist, I am interested in uncovering and illustrating the little known history of Mission Bay which on the surface may seem devoid of history or political conflict. Mission Bay is an excellent example of the political underpinnings of open space in San Francisco.
The history of Mission Bay is not widely known and very few people understand the relationship between the development occurring there and the History of the Railroad which was practically "gifted" the land in the 1860's. The corporation developing Mission Bay is a re-organized version of the Southern Pacific railroad. This history is often given a shiny veneer by the Catellis corporation in all of their public relations materials when in reality there was major conflict over how this land came into the possession of the railroad. This is not generally the kind of story that makes it into guidebooks but it is very much a part of San Francisco's hidden political history.