Pioneer Monument, Historical monument in Civic Center, San Francisco, United States.

The Pioneer Monument is a granite memorial by Frank Happersberger topped by a bronze Minerva holding a staff and shield, with a small grizzly bear beside her. Bronze reliefs and circular medallions line the column, and four seated bronze figures on corner pedestals include Commerce, Plenty, and In '49. It stands on a paved area enclosed by a low metal fence on Fulton Street.

James Lick's estate funded the monument with a bequest of $100,000; Lick died in 1876, and in September 1890 the trustees chose Frank Happersberger's model from four submissions. The 820-ton bronze and granite work, 47 feet tall, was dedicated on November 29, 1894 at Marshall Square. It stayed there through the 1906 earthquake and fire until 1993, when it was moved to make room for the new public library.

The female figures Commerce and Plenty hold an oar and a full cornucopia, symbols of San Francisco's shipping trade and of the new life California promised immigrants. The three miners of "In '49" were modeled after James Marshall, and Lick's trustees originally wanted Commerce or Plenty to lead the group. A plaque added in 1996 at the base of the removed Early Days group noted the deaths of 150,000 Native Americans during the mission period of 1769 to 1834.

The monument sits between Hyde and Larkin Streets and is easily reached from the public library plaza area. It stands in an open setting where you can view it from all angles around the column.

The monument includes engraved medallion portraits of important California figures that visitors often overlook. These portraits show faces of people who played roles in founding and developing the state.