Telegraph Hill
Lombard and Kearny Streets
San Francisco

Telegraph Hill is the highest point in San Francisco, offering spectacular views of the city. It is also the site of the 180-foot Coit Tower.

At the beginning of the Gold Rush, when San Francisco was fast becoming a busy port with valuable cargo passing through the bay on almost a daily basis, a lookout was posted on top of Telegraph hill to signal the arrival of incoming ships. A tall pole with moveable arms was erected at the hill’s crest. Adjusting the arms and raising a flag with a country’s colors alerted the city to the nationality of each vessel entering the port.

This unique signaling system did not last long, however, After only four years of use, the pole with moveable arms was made obsolete by the introduction (in 1853) of the electrical telegraph. Telegraph Hill continued to play a critical role in the dissemination of information, becoming a central telegraph station – hence its name.