Golden Gate National Recreation Area

The Presidio of San Francisco stands as the oldest continuously used military post in the United States. Its history began in September 1776, when Spanish explorers established a fortified base here to protect their northernmost interests in the New World. The site served as a focal point for colonial power, transitioning from Spanish to Mexican control, and eventually into the hands of the United States military in 1846 following the Mexican-American War. For more than two centuries, it functioned as a strategic anchor for the defense of the Pacific coast before its closure as a base in 1994.