A City's Beginning

Read the story

If you want to find the place where San Francisco truly began, look no further than the Presidio. This land at the Golden Gate was the traditional territory of the Yelamu, a tribe of the Ramaytush Ohlone people, long before it became a military outpost. Starting with the Spanish arrival in 1776, the Presidio served under the Spanish Empire, the Mexican Republic, and finally the U.S.

Army. For 219 years, it was a site of military use, becoming the oldest continuously used military post in the nation. Today, it welcomes the public as a national park, where the sounds of soldiers have been replaced by the footsteps of hikers and historians.

Updated June 2026