Women of the Gold Rush: San Francisco’s Fearless Rebels Walking Tour

Briefly About the Tour:

🚶‍♀️ Walk through San Francisco’s Gold Rush era on a story-led walking tour that reveals the powerful, rule-breaking, overlooked entrepreneurs, artists, activists, and madams who built the city on their own terms — and helped reshape the West.

From brothels to boardinghouses, stagecoaches to printing presses, and women’s clubs to suffrage, this bold, inclusive tour uncovers the stories left out of textbooks, designed to surprise, inspire, and expand your understanding of the American West.

More About the Tour:

Uncover the untold stories of the bold, brilliant, and scandalous women who shaped San Francisco — from the city’s earliest days through the Gold Rush and into the Gilded Age.
From waterfront empires to stage lights, society salons to underground networks, this tour digs into the rule-breakers and visionaries who built wealth, sparked culture, challenged power, and redefined the West.

Walk the streets they transformed. See the city they built. Hear the stories the textbooks left behind.

🌉🌄 On this tour, you will uncover:

👑 Mary Ellen Pleasant — Black business powerhouse, abolitionist, and self-made millionaire who sparked civil rights in California 💼✊🏾💰

⚖️ Ah Toy — SF’s first Chinese madam who fought the courts and won 🧧🏛️💥

🎭👛 Lotta Crabtree — Gold Rush stage child star and savvy investor who became California’s first woman millionaire 🌍💃🔥

🌿 🏠 Juana Briones — Entrepreneur, healer, and early Californio landowner who built wealth and community care 🌱💛🌆

🛣️ Charlie Parkhurst (One-Eyed Charlie) — Legendary stagecoach driver who lived as a man and stunned California when his truth emerged after death 🏇🏳️‍⚧️🔥

📖 Untold founders — Sex workers, suffragists, artists, outlaws, and rebels who built early SF on their own terms 🚪💰✨🔥

🔥 The West wasn’t won — it was built in San Francisco by fearless women who made history impossible to erase.

Ready to roam through the eras that built the West? Book your Gold Rush Women tour now — where inspiration meets revelation, from founding to frontier to feminist fire.

Tour Details:

⏱️Distance & Pace: This is a 3-hour guided walking tour covering approximately 2.5 miles. We move at a moderate pace with frequent stops to discuss the history and landmarks.

🗺️ Neighborhoods: This tour travels through San Francisco’s most historic districts, including North Beach, Chinatown, and the Financial District (FiDi).

🖼️ Ending Point: Lotta’s Fountain on Market Street — the perfect springboard to unwind and explore Yerba Buena Gardens, MoAD, or SFMOMA after the tour.

💪 Who it’s for: Solo travelers, locals, feminists, activists, history buffs, and LGBTQIA+ visitors ready to explore San Francisco’s hidden herstory—no expertise or special skills required, just bring your curiosity and come as you are.

Know Before You Go:

📍Meeting Point: The tour starts at Saints Peter and Paul Church across from Washington Square Park. Please arrive 10–15 minutes early to check in with your guide.

🥾 Difficulty: Easy to Moderate walking at a comfortable, steady pace, including two short, half-block steep inclines.

🌦️Weather: Runs rain or shine (within reason + comfort).

See below “Good to know” for more FAQs about this tour.

About Your Tour Guide:

Meet your guide, Heather Cassell—a San Francisco Bay Area native, queer feminist, award-winning journalist, travel writer, and lifelong storyteller. With 30+ years covering politics, LGBTQ+ rights, gender equity, and travel, Heather brings deep research, lived knowledge, and unforgettable narrative flair to every tour.

💬 Questions before booking? Whether you have accessibility needs, want to know more about the route, or simply prefer to chat with a human before committing, we’re here for you. Drop us a message at 415-517-7239 — we’re happy to help.

🎧 Ask about self-guided and virtual options if you can’t join us in person!

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