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At the Rincon Center in downtown San Francisco there used to be a post office (until 1978) which is now a food court (sadly). In it there is a series of murals (27) by Anton Refregier which chronicle the history of California from Indians to World War II.

These are murals seven and eight in the series, along with the outside of the annex. The descriptions from the post office are below.

7. Fort Ross: "Fort Ross was founded in 1812 by Ivan Alexander Kuskov, the governor of the Russian settlers in California. Inside its walls and blockhouses were the governor's house and a chapel. About 50 other buildings were located outside the fort. John A. Sutter bought the property from the Russians in 1841. In 1906, the San Francisco Examiner acquired and donated it to the state of California. The original buildings which were destroyed by the fire and earthquake have been accurately reconstructed."

8. Hardships on the Emigrant Trail: "Emigrant Trail was a term used to describe various overland routes to California in the 1840's and 1850's. The subject of the panel is the trail through Donner Pass. Donner Pass, Donner Summit and Donner Lake are all named after the George and Jacob Donner brothers of Illinois. Their party of 87 settlers was forced to spend the winter of 1846 along the shore of Donner Lake after being trapped by heavy early November snows. Only 47 group members survived."

What that last one doesn't mention is the cannibalism that ensued...

Part of my trip to Rincon Center. For more on New Deal Post Office murals, check out this website: http://www.parmaconservation.com/newdealpostoffic.html