Presidio of San Francisco in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Landscaping the Post: From Grassy Hills to Forests

Landscaping the Post: <i>From Grassy Hills to Forests</i> Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 2, 2021

1. Landscaping the Post: From Grassy Hills to Forests Marker

Inscription.

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

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

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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

Erected by National Park Service and The Presidio Trust.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Horticulture & Forestry.

Location. 37° 47.952′ N, 122° 27.141′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Presidio of San Francisco. It is at the intersection of Letterman Drive and Presidio

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 2, 2021

2. Landscaping the Post: From Grassy Hills to Forests Marker

Boulevard, on the left when traveling west on Letterman Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: San Francisco CA 94129, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on California’s Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Old and New on O'Reilly Avenue (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); First Women in the Army: U.S. Army Nurse Corps (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lover’s Lane (approx. 0.2 miles away); Building a Historic Landscape (approx. 0.2 miles away); Old Post Hospital (approx. 0.2 miles away); Presidio of San Francisco (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bringing A Creek Back to Life: Thompson Reach (approx. 0.2 miles away); French 24-Pounder (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Old Post Hospital (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Additional keywords. Landscaping the Post: From Grassy Hills to Forests

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 244 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.