From this web site:

“The style and character of Fisherman’s Wharf can be traced to Henry Meiggs. Meiggs did not name his wooden landing Fisherman’s Wharf. It was Meiggs Wharf, starting at a cove in North Beach, where Francisco Street is now, and extending 1,600 feet into the bay, ending at what is now the Embarcadero. The wharf was completed in 1853 to serve the lumber trade, but that did not save Meiggs from being chased to South America by his creditors. Even without Meiggs, the wharf survived as a mooring for the fishing fleet and as a weekend promenade for sunbathers and swimmers who rented bathhouses.”