Islais Creek

Islais Creek is a straight, concrete-lined channel that cuts through the industrial landscape of the southeast waterfront. It was the largest natural watershed in San Francisco, flowing through marshlands where the Ohlone people gathered the hollyleaf cherry, or islay, which provided the name for the creek. During the late nineteenth century, the city’s meatpacking industry moved into the area, resulting in the location gaining a reputation for receiving slaughterhouse waste.