by Oxpictus

Created on: October 27, 2008   Last Updated: November 07, 2008

The Presidio of San Francisco encompasses 790 buildings on 1491 acres and is designated as a National Historical Landmark District. The Presidio was an active army base until 1994, when it was transferred to the National Parks Service. It had been the longest established military base in the United States. Architectural styles range from Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Mission Revival through Utilitarian. Archeological digs have revealed many artifacts from the past, including hunting objects dated to the 8th century, A.D.

NATIVE AMERICAN ERA Located on Native American land, archeological digs show the Ohlone and Costanoan people dating to 740 A.D. They habituated not only the Presidio, but what is now Crissy Field, Fort Mason, the Sutro Baths and along the marshlands. These native tribes were hit hard by diseases brought from Europe.

SPANISH ERA
The Presidio was originally sited by Juan Bautista de Anza in March, 1776 as a Spanish fort and built within that year by Jose Moraga. The Presidio was the northernmost edge of the North American Spanish Frontier.

MEXICAN ERA
Around 1810, in the regions to the south, disgusted with Spanish rule, of being forced to work and with being indoctrinated with the enforced cultural and religious teachings of the Spanish, the people revolted, and by 1821 this revolution led to the formation of the Mexican Republic. The Presidio was now under Mexican rule. In 1835, the Presidio was abandoned, when General Vallejo transferred his military headquarters to Sonoma.

UNITED STATES ERA The walls of the fort began to crumble and erode during this time. During the Mexican-American War, United States troops took the Presidio, and began restoration on the buildings and land, turning it into an excellent military post. When gold was discovered in 1849, during the growth of the San Francisco area, President Millard Fillmore declared the Presidio to be for military use.
In 1884 the former post cemetery and surrounding land was designated as the first National Cemetery on the West Coast. In April 1898, the Spanish American War began, with fighting fronts both in Cuba and in the Philippines. Troops trained and were stationed at the Presidio, awaiting orders to fight in the Philippines. This activity took the Presidio from its frontier outpost mode, to being a modern American army base. Regiments of "Buffalo Soldiers"-African Americans soldiers fought on both the Cuban front and the Philippines. Those bound for the Philippines were billeted at the Presidio. Buffalo Soldiers who served in Cuba fought along with Teddy Roosevelt and the "Rough Riders" at San Juan Hill. After the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, a portion of the 250,000 left homeless were housed and fed at the Presidio. In 1914, General John J, (Black Jack) Pershing took command at the Presidio and in 1915, when he was in Texas, his wife and all three of his daughters died in a fire in their home. Only his son was spared. During World War I and World War II, the Presidio was a busy army base, training troops which were deployed from there to overseas.
Under the auspices of The Presidio Trust since 1998, remnants of the Letterman Army Hospital have become the Letterman Digital Arts Center, founded by George Lucas There are many restaurants in the Presidio and in nearby Crissy Field.
References: National Parks Service www.nps.gov/archive/prsf/history/index.htm sanfrancisco.about.com/od/environmentnature/p/presid io.htm

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