In February 1846, pioneers boarded the ship Brooklyn in New York City, bound for the rugged outpost town of Yerba Buena (San Francisco). 239 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, led by Samuel Brannan, made the arduous journey around Cape Horn. Six months later, they sailed into San Francisco Bay and nearly doubled the population of the scrappy little town.

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Why did they come? What did they bring with them?
What did they contribute? And why did most of them leave by the fall of 1849? Join historian Rebecca Ellefsen as she tells the stories of these adventurous pioneers and their lasting legacy on the city-especially the area around Portsmouth Square.

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Rebecca Ellefsen is a professional researcher, author, conservator, and genealogist. She is an accomplished speaker who uses humor to tell of the extraordinary journey of pioneers aboardthe ship Brooklyn, who played a vital role in the development of early San Francisco from 1846-1850. Ellefsen, a fifth-generation Californian, is an alum of Brigham Young University.