Gold Rush-Era Boat Evidently Unearthed in Downtown San Francisco

Residential construction unearths vessel from 1840s-1860s.

It's no nugget, but a Gold Rush-era relic has apparently been unearthed in downtown San Francisco.

It's a boat -- and it's in remarkably good shape, according to reports.

The 23-foot wooden vessel was dug up on Folsom Street this week, according to Reuters.

Boats were built over with some frequency in San Francisco during its Wild West Days, the news wire reported -- but it's "extremely rare" to find a boat that is in such good condition.

This boat -- a flat-bottomed cargo vessel called a lighter -- is "nearly intact," Reuters reported.

The boat was found in what is now the South of Market District, close to Financial District skyscrapers -- in other words, far from the present-day shoreline, which was pushed further and further away from the city's original landmass by landfill.

The boat, if sturdy enough to be transported, will be shipped east to the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park's warehouse in Livermore for viewing, Reuters reported.

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