Sutro Heights Park (main entrance)

Adolph Sutro, a silver baron who once owned one-twelfth of San Francisco, fell in love with this bluff in 1881 while taking a carriage ride with his daughter. He immediately placed a deposit on the cottage and land, eventually transforming the area into an expansive private estate that he opened to the public for a ten-cent entry fee. To maintain the grounds, he employed seventeen staff members, including gardeners, a coachman, and a dedicated road maker. Visitors at the time were strictly forbidden from bringing picnic baskets inside, as the gatekeeper would confiscate them until they departed.