Landscaping the Post: From Grassy Hills to Forests

Landscaping the Post: From Grassy Hills to Forests. . The main idea is, to crown the ridges, border the boundary fences, and cover the areas of sand and marsh waste with a forest. … In order to make the contrast from the city seem as great as possible, and indirectly accentuate the idea of the power of Government … Major William A. Jones, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1883, The Spanish colonists who trekked to San Francisco in 1776 brought their cattle and horses with them. These herds consumed and trampled the native grasses and exotic plants soon took over. After the U.S. Army occupied the post in 1847, cattle continued to be run on the over-grazed land. An early Army inspection in 1847 considered the almost treeless, sandy, windswept Presidio “unfit for human habitation.”, In the late 1870s, Major General Irvin McDowell and his staff engineer, Major William A. Jones, began a landscaping program for the Presidio. Scenic carriage drives were carved through the post and along the ocean bluffs. Trees were planted to control erosion, protect water quality, act as windbreaks, and to beautify the post. Monterey pine, Monterey cypress, and blue gum eucalyptus were the dominant species introduced. Acacia, California live oak, and redwoods were also planted., (Sidebar at bottom right) Restoring The Forest , Presidio arborists maintain the historic forest with pruning and new plantings. The Presidio has a Vegetation Management Plan to help rejuvenate the forest, replant gardens, and to restore dunes, wetlands, and native plant and wildflower communities. Francis da Silva, Captions , Top: The Main Post in 1882 with early tree planting in the foreground. The road to the left is Presidio Boulevard, the winding road you are looking up across the street. It was the main entrance to the post in the Victorian era. The line of houses is Officers' Row, which survives today along Funston Avenue. Park Archives, Presidio Army Museum Collection , Bottom: This late 1880s view looks up Presidio Boulevard (across the street) at the recently landscaped approach to the Main Post. Park Archives, Presidio Army Museum Collection