Outside Lands - History

History

Like all of California, the Outside Lands were a Mexican possession until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in February 1848 ceded it to the United States. The area was U.S. government land at the time of the Gold Rush. The City and County of San Francisco, which was growing rapidly, desired the land and petitioned for it in the 1850s. After years of court battles, the U.S. government declared the area part of San Francisco in 1866.

In 1866, the federal government upheld the city’s title to the Outside Lands against claims of squatters. During the course of lengthy litigation over the Outside Lands, local politicians, led by Frank McCoppin and other citizens, rallied for establishment of a public park in the western quarter of the city. A supervisory committee subdivided the Outside Lands and proposed an arrangement whereby squatters could donate a portion of their claims for a public park in return for clear title to the remainder of their lands. The proposal won McCoppin the Mayor’s office, and gained the approval of the state legislature.