If you were headed down 16th street towards the Bay in 1887 you would be headed for a muddy swamp land that by De Haro street is all but impassable. Notice the house built up on piles at the bottom of the image. Meanwhile, across the shallow waters and mudflats of Mission Bay you would see tall masted ships like lumber schooners, whaling vessels and cargo ships of all stripes. You might also see billowing smoke pouring out of steam locomotives and the new factories springing up on the rapidly changing water front.
from the 1887 Sanborn maps stored at the SF Public libraries' History room.