There is some disposition to doubt this explanation of the name Golden Gate, partly on the ground of a distrust of Fremont’s trustworthiness, and partly because of its far-fetched nature. As to the latter objection it should be remembered that he was that kind of a man. He was possessed of a certain amount of erudition which he was fond of showing off, and this labored method of seeking for a name in the old Greek was quite in keeping with his character. As to his reliability, although it is quite possible that he colored events of a political character to suit his own purposes, in ordinary matters there seems to be no reason to doubt his statements. At all events, the name Golden Gate does in fact appear upon his map of 1848 as he says.
THE GOLDEN GATE.
“ ... called by the Indians Yulupa, (the place where the sun plunges into the sea.)”
According to Dr. Vallejo, the Golden Gate was called by the Indians Yulupa, pronounced ee-oo-loo-pa, which means “near the sea plunge,” that is, the plunge of the sun into the sea, and may be freely translated as the “Sunset Strait.” The suffix pa is said by Dr. Vallejo to signify “near.”—(Memoirs of the Vallejos, edited by James H. Wilkins, San Francisco Bulletin, January, 1914.)
ALCATRAZ
Alcatraz (pelican), the fortress-like island in the bay, just inside the channel, performs the triple duty of a fortified military post, prison, and light-house. Although but 1650 feet in length, it rises to a height of 130 feet above the water, and in the shadowy light just after sunset, its high, rocky walls, topped by the buildings of the fortifications and prison, make a silhouette against the sky strikingly like a great dreadnaught, standing guard at the harbor’s entrance.