Mare Island in Vallejo in Solano County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Pillar of the Future Built by the Pillars of the Past
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, February 25, 2023
1. Pillar of the Future Built by the Pillars of the Past Marker
North Face:
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Honoring the thousands of Military and Civilians who made Mare Island one of the Great Navy Yards
1854 1996
West Face:
1854 1904
Commander Farragut assumes command September 16, 1854
USS SAGINAW Launched, First Mare Island constructed ship, March 3, 1859
Mare Island Earthquake, March 31, 1898
Quarters A Completed, 1901
St. Peters Chapel Completed October 13, 1901
South Face:
1904 1954
First flight deck USS PENNSYLVANIA, January 11, 1911
USS WARD Launched in 17 ½ days, World Record, June 1, 1918
Causeway opened July 3, 1919
Battleship USS CALIFORNIA Launched November 20, 1919
Submarine USS NAUTILUS Launched March 15, 1930
East Face:
1954 2004
Centennial Cavalcade, September 16, 1954
USS SARGO Launched, First Nuclear Submarine, October 10, 1957
USS MARIANO G. VALLEJO Launched October 23, 1965
USS DRUM Launched, Final launching, May 23, 1970
Shipyard Closed, March 31, 1996
Erected 2004.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Military. A significant historical date for this entry is September 16, 1854.
Location. 38° 5.878′ N, 122° 16.287′ W. Marker is in Vallejo, California, in Solano County. It is on Mare Island. It is on 8th Street west of Railroad Avenue, on the right when traveling east. The black granite obelisk is in Alden Park on the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Vallejo CA 94592, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, in Sacramento Valley, and specifically in the Central Valley. 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,
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: H.B.M. Centurian Anchor (here, next to this marker); German Marder and Torpedo (within shouting distance of this marker); Farragut Plaza (within shouting distance of this marker); Officers' Houses (within shouting distance of this marker); Mare Island Navy Yard Work Bell (within shouting distance of this marker); A Large Carved Eagle (Wood) (within shouting distance of this marker); Breech Loading Cannon (within shouting distance of this marker); Fourth Marine Division Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Vallejo.
Also see . . .
1. Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on October 11, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Mare Island Naval Shipyard Centennial Film 1954.
"This b&w 1954 film directed by Tom Mullahey and Doug Elleson celebrates the centennial anniversary of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY), tracing its history through two world wars."
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, February 25, 2023
2. Pillar of the Future Built by the Pillars of the Past Marker
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, February 25, 2023
3. Pillar of the Future Built by the Pillars of the Past Marker
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, February 25, 2023
4. Pillar of the Future Built by the Pillars of the Past Marker
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, February 25, 2023
5. Pillar of the Future Built by the Pillars of the Past Marker
via Naval History and Heritage Command, 1885
6. Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Naval History and Heritage Command website entry
Click for more information.
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Wikipedia Public Domain
7. Admiral David Farragut
Naval Heritage and Command website entry:
First Commander of Mare Island Navy Yard
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Photographed by Naval History and Heritage Command, unknown
8. USS Saginaw (Side-Wheel Steamer), 1860-1870
Naval History and Heritage Command website entry
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Photographed by Naval History and Heritage Command
9. USS Pennsylvania (Armored Cruiser #4)
Naval History and Heritage Command website entry
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via Naval History and Heritage Command, 1918
10. USS Ward (Destroyer #139, later DD-139, and APD-16)
Naval History and Heritage Command website entry
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Photographed by Naval History and Heritage Command
11. USS California (BB-44), 1921-1959
Naval History and Heritage Command website entry:
The ship is painted in camouflage Measure 32, Design 16-D.
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The ship is painted in camouflage Measure 32, Design 16-D.
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Photographed by Naval History and Heritage Command
12. Launching of Nautilus III (SS-168) 19301945
Naval History and Heritage Command website entry
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Photographed by Naval History and Heritage Command
13. Sargo II (SSN-583) 1958-1988
Naval History and Heritage Command website entry
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Photographed by Http://photos.wikimapia.org/p/00/01/65/79/67_big.jpg
14. Mariano G. Vallejo (SSBN‑658)
Naval History and Heritage Command website entry
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Photographed by Naval History and Heritage Command
15. USS Drum (SSN-677)
Naval History and Heritage Command website entry
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Credits. This page was last revised on November 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 1, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 323 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 1, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 6. submitted on October 7, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. submitted on March 6, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.
