Biography
Hall was born in 1846 and died in 1934. He was a field engineer, draftsman, and hydrographer during the Civil War. His surveys of dunes in San Francisco led to his appointment as city engineer and first superintendent of Golden Gate Park in 1870.
In 1878, Hall was appointed the first State Engineer and was given responsibility for determining the extent of hydraulic mining debris damage. His efforts produced the earliest overall survey of California's hydrologic system. Hall left the office of State Engineer in 1888.
Hall remained in private practice until his death in 1934. He worked on the Bear Valley Irrigation Project, as a consulting engineer for the mines of South Africa 1890 to 1898, and in 1899 did a series of reports for the transcaucasus of Russia.
From the guide to the William Hammond Hall Collection, 1817-1915, (California State Library)
