 The shield shows the Golden Gate and the hills on each side as it looked in 1859, and a paddlewheel steamship entering San Francisco Bay.Above the shield is a crest with a phoenix, the legendary Greek bird rising from the ashes.The shield is flanked by two supporters, a miner, holding a shovel, in dexter; and a sailor, holding a sextant, in sinister, both in 1850s period clothing.