Special History Study: Presidio of San Francisco: An Outline of Its Evolution as a U.S. Army Post, 1847-1990

264 Pages·1992·15.4 MB·English

by  Thompson, Erwin, Woodbridge, Sally

ZT5H-
Gr5U>
^Special History Study
Presidio of San Francisco
An Outline of Its Evolution as a U.S. Army Post, 1847-1990
Presidio of San Francisco
GOLDEN GATE
National Recreation Area California
.
UNIVERSITY OF 6E0RGIA
OCT
3 1992
LIBRARIES
DEPOSITORY
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation
http://archive.org/details/specialhistorystOOthom
Special History Study
Presidio of San Francisco
An Outline of Its Evolution as a U.S. Army Post, 1847-1990
August 1992
Erwin N. Thompson
Sally B. Woodbridge
Presidio of San Francisco
GOLDEN GATE
National Recreation Area • California
United States Department of the Interior • National Park Service • Denver Service Center
'Significance, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder'
Brian W. Dippic
Printed on Recycled Paper
CONTENTS
PREFACE
vii
ABBREVIATIONS
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ix
INTRODUCTION
1
CHAPTER 1: THE BEGINNINGS, 1846-1861 5
A. Takeover 5
B. The Indians 8
C. The Boundaries 9
D. Adobes, Forts, and Other Matters 10
CHAPTER 2: CIVIL WAR, 1861-1865 21
A. Organizing 21
B. Keeping the Peace 22
C. Building the Post 23
CHAPTER 3: THE PRESIDIO COMES OF AGE, 1866-1890 31
A. Peacetime 31
B. The Division Comes to the Presidio 36
C. Officers' Club, 20 46
D. Other Buildings 47
E. Troop Duty 49
F. Fort Winfield Scott 51
CHAPTER BEAUTIFICATION, GROWTH, CAMPS, EARTHQUAKE, FORT
4:
WINFIELD SCOTT, 1883-1907 53
A. Beautification 53
B. Growth 64
C. Camps and Cantonments 70
D. Earthquake 75
E. Fort Winfield Scott, Again 78
CHAPTER 5: THE PRESIDIO AND THE FORT, 1906-1930 81
A. A Headquarters for the Division 81
B. Housing and Other Structures, 1907-1910 81
C. Infantry Terrace 84
D. Fires and Firemen 86
E. Barracks 35 and Cavalry Stables 90
F. Fort Winfield Scott 90
G. Panama-Pacific International Exposition 97
H. World War I and the 1920s 98
in
CHAPTER 6: THE THIRTIES AND THE WAR, 1930-1945 105
A. A Headquarters Post 105
B. Construction 107
C. Works Progress Administration 108
D. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Ill
E. Officers' Club 112
F. Golden Gate Bridge 116
G. World War II 117
CHAPTER 7: THE PRESIDIO, 1945-1990 123
A. Sixth U.S. Army 123
B. Construction 126
CHAPTER 8: THE TENANTS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES 135
A.l. Letterman Army Medical Center 135
A.2. Letterman's Buildings 139
B. Crissy Field 144
C. U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Point 149
D. San Francisco National Cemetery 157
E. Marine Hospital (U.S. Public Health Service
Hospital) 162
1. The Hospital 162
2. The Buildings 167
F. Fortifications 169
1. Fort Point 169
2. West and East Batteries 169
3. The Modern Era 171
4. Nike Missiles 179
G. Early Water System 180
CHAPTER THE LEGACY
9: 185
APPENDIX A
Chronology: Geography, Events, and Structures, 1847-1990 191
APPENDIX B
Sally B. Woodbridge, Glossary of Architectural Styles
for the Presidio Buildings 212
BIBLIOGRAPHY
245
IV
ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Presidio of San Francisco and the Golden Gate, 1826 x
2. Plan, Castillo de San Joaquin, ca. 1847 x
3. Presidio of San Francisco, 1852 12
4. Plan, Presidio of San Francisco, 1855 15
5. Survey, San Francisco, 1857 16
6. Photograph, Presidio of San Francisco, 1858 19
7. Plan, Presidio of San Francisco, 1861 20
8. Officers' row, Funston Avenue, ca. 1880 24
9. The Alameda, officers' row, ca. 1880 24
10. Powder magazine, 1863 and 1991 25
11. Post hospital 29
12. Plan, Presidio of San Francisco, 1870 32
13. Landscape views, 1882 and ca. 1902 33
14. Enlisted barracks, ca. 1880 39
15. Plan, headquarters, Division of the Pacific 40
16. Plan, first post chapel 41
17. Cavalry barracks, main post, ca. 1893 and 1991 45
18. Officers' club, prior to 1934 46
19. Plan, Fort Point area, 1870 50
20. Forest, southwest Presidio, ca. 1930 55
21. Architect D.H. Burnham's 1905 plan for the Presidio 59
22. Maj. William Harts' 1907 plan for the Presidio 62
23. Lombard Street entrance 63
24. Brick barracks, ca. 1898, and brick BOQ, 1991, main post 66
25. Artillery troops at battery practice, ca. 1901 67
26. Cavalry barracks built 1902 71
27. Volunteer camps, Spanish-American War, 1898 72
28. East Cantonment, ca. 1907 72
29. Map, East and West Cantonments, 1912 73
30. Map, main post and general hospital, 1912 74
31. Officers quarters, Infantry Terrace, 1925 83
32. Fire, the Funston quarters, 1915 87
33. Presidio fire station, 1991 88
34. Barracks 35 (Ninth Corps Area headquarters) 91
35. Cavalry stables 91
36. Officers' quarters, Fort Winfield Scott 92
37. Commanding officer's quarters, Fort Winfield Scott 92
38. Headquarters building, Fort Winfield Scott 94
39. Barracks, Fort Winfield Scott 94
40. Stockade (guardhouse), Fort Winfield Scott 95
41. Aerial photo, Presidio main post, 1925 100
42. Aerial photo, parade ground area, Presidio, 1925 103
43. Noncommissioned officers' club, Fort Winfield Scott 109
44. Noncommissioned officers' housing, Presidio of San Francisco 109
45. Cooks and Bakers school (Presidio post headquarters) 110
46. Barracks 38 (Sixth U.S. Army headquarters) 110
47. Presidio Officers' Club, 1991 114
48. Central Reserve Magazine 115
49. Map, mobilization construction, Areas A and B 119
50. Aerial photo, Fort Scott, Presidio, San Francisco, ca. 1945 121
51. Aerial photo, Letterman General Hospital, 1957 128
52. Map, Wherry housing, 1987 129
. .
53. Noncommissioned Officers' Club, Presidio 134
54. Chapel of Our Lady 134
55. Letterman General Hospital, ca. 1910 137
56. Letterman General Hospital, 1991 137
57. Corridor, pavilion-type hospital, Letterman 140
58. Crissy Field 147
59. Officers' quarters, Crissy Field 148
60. Bachelor Officers' Quarters, Crissy Field 148
61. Commander's quarters, Fort Point Coast Guard Station 153
62. Fort Point Coast Guard Station 153
63. Map, Fort Point Coast Guard Station 154
64. Plan, San Francisco National Cemetery 160
65. U.S. Marine Hospital, ca. 1929 164
66. Hospital, Marine Hospital 165
67. Nurses' residence, Marine Hospital 165
68. Aerial, Fort Winfield Scott fortifications 170
69. Mine loading buildings, Submarine Mine Depot, Fort Scott 176
70. Harbor Defense Command Post, Battery Dynamite 177
71. Presidio of San Francisco, ca. 1867 189
72. Presidio of San Francisco, ca. 1890 190
VI
PREFACE
With research and writing limited to a mere six months, its objective restricted to informing
park planners briefly regarding the overall history and development of the Presidio, with
primary focus on major events and buildings still standing, this history makes no pretense
to being a thorough history of the Presidio of San Francisco. That would require several
volumes and several years work, and could not be done in the short time or in the fewer than
200 pages devoted to this study. This history was undertaken pursuant to Work Order 1,
Presidio Cultural Resources, issued by the Presidio Planning Team, National Park Service,
dated September 21, 1990, with a Clarification of Scope dated February 6, 1991. The National
Park Service expects in the future to undertake a more comprehensive study of the history
of the Presidio of San Francisco.
vn
ABBREVIATIONS USED
AAG
Assistant Adjutant General
ACP Appointment, Commission, and Personal file (maintained on army officers)
AAQM
Acting Assistant Quartermaster
AQMG
Assistant Quartermaster General
CCC Civilian Conservation Corps
CCF Consolidated Correspondence File (Quartermaster records)
CE Corps of Engineers
CG Commanding General
DEH Directorate of Engineering and Housing (Presidio)
GCGF General Correspondence Geographical File (Quartermaster records)
LSS Life Saving Service and Life Saving Station
NA
National Archives
OCE Office of the Chief of Engineers
OQMG
Office of the Quartermaster General
ORS Official Records of the Civil War
PAM Presidio Army Museum
PSF Presidio of San Francisco
QMG
Quartermaster General
RG Record Group
ROTC Reserve Officers Training Corps
USCG United States Coast Guard
USN United States Navy
USS United States Ship
WAC Women's Army Corps
WPA Works Progress Administration
viu