Presidio of San Francisco (Calif.)

The Presidio of San Francisco, located on a bluff overlooking San Francisco Bay, was established by Spanish forces in June 1776. On March 7, 1847, Capt. Francis J. Lippitt's company of the 1st New York Volunteers occupied the site, which became a permanent post the following April. An Executive order of November 6, 1850, declared a military reservation for the Presidio consisting of 1,522 acres. The Post was abandoned for a brief period during early 1851 but otherwise has been continuously garrisoned to this day. Over the years, the Presidio has served as headquarters for a number of military commands, including the Department of California, Division of the Pacific, Western Department, and 9th Corps. Letterman General Hospital was established on the reservation in 1898, as a facility for wounded soldiers returning from the Philippines. War Department General Order 81 of June 13, 1901 placed the Presidio under the jurisdiction of the Artillery District of San Francisco. War Department General Order 14 of February 19, 1913, placed it under the Coast Defenses of San Francisco. During World War I, the Presidio included a training facility for the Reserve Officers Training Corps. On October 1, 1994, the Presidio was transferred to the National Park Service and became a part of the Golden gate national Recreation Area.