Book excerpt: In July 1846 San Francisco was a tranquil settlement of about 150 inhabitants. Three years later it was an international metropolis with more than 30,000 people thronging its streets. Recalled in this intriguing collection of personal anecdotes from those tumultuous times are the days when -- San Francisco Bay extended inland to Montgomery Street. -- Bears, wolves, and coyotes roamed the shore. -- The arrival of 238 Mormons more than doubled the town's population.