The Presidio is where San Francisco began.
This inspiring setting at the Golden Gate was home to
native peoples for thousands of years.
In 1776, Spain established a military
fort on this land. After winning its independence from
Spain in 1821, Mexico controlled the post and
established a new pueblo nearby called Yerba
Buena (later known as the city of San
Francisco).
In 1846 the Presidio became a U.S. Army post. Generations
of soldiers passed through its gates, serving our nation
around the world.
The Army departed in 1994, and the Presidio became a
national park site. Today, the Presidio welcomes all
with its beauty, nature, history, recreation, and family
activities and it’s one of the best places in American
to learn about our nation's past and to contemplate the
next chapter.
Read the
full history of the Presidio >>