In 1776 the Native Ohlone and Coast Miwok people witnessed the beginning of a massive transformation when several hundred Spanish colonists arrived on foot to make a new home and a large sailing ship arrived by sea to deliver their supplies. Work quickly began to build a fortified village called El Presidio de San Francisco. El Presidio and nearby Mission Dolores (created at the same time) were the first institutions built in the area that would become San Francisco. El Presidio is truly the “birthplace of San Francisco.”
Today, El Presidio, along with the nearby Officers’ Club and Archaeology Lab, form the epicenter of the park’s archaeology program. In the coming year, exciting new visitor programs will begin, and critical research will continue for years to come.