Editing Presidio of San Francisco (section)

== {{Anchor|Chronology}} Timeline ==
[[File:Presidio plaque.jpg|thumb|left|California Historical Landmark marker for the Presidio]]
* Pre-1776: The area was [[Ohlone]] land.
* 1776: Spanish Captain Juan Bautista de Anza led 193 soldiers, women, and children on a trek from present-day [[Tubac, Arizona]], to San Francisco Bay.
* September 17, 1776: The Presidio began as a Spanish [[garrison]] to defend Spain's claim to San Francisco Bay and to support [[Mission Dolores]]; it was the northernmost outpost of [[New Spain]] in the declining [[Spanish Empire]].
* 1794: [[Fort Point, San Francisco|Castillo de San Joaquin]], an [[artillery]] emplacement was built above present-day Fort Point, San Francisco, complete with iron or bronze [[cannon]]. Six cannons may be seen in the Presidio today.
* 1776–1821: The Presidio was a simple fort made of adobe, brush, and wood. It often was damaged by earthquakes or heavy rains. In 1783, its company was only 33 men. Presidio soldiers' duties were to support Mission Dolores by controlling Indian workers in the Mission and farming, ranching, and hunting to supply themselves and their families. Support from Spanish authorities in Mexico was minimal.
* 1821: Mexico became independent of Spain. The Presidio received even less support from Mexico. Residents of Alta California, which included the Presidio, debated separating from Mexico.
* January 1827: Minor earthquake in San Francisco; some buildings were damaged extensively.<ref>{{cite journal |title=K. T. Khlĕbnikov: A Look at a Half-Century of My Life |journal=[[Syn otechestva]] |year=1836 |pages=311–312}}</ref>
* 1835: The Presidio garrison, led by [[Mariano Vallejo]], relocated to [[Presidio of Sonoma|Sonoma]]. A small detachment remained at the Presidio, which was in decline.
* 1846: American settlers and adventurers in Sonoma staged the [[Bear Flag Revolt]] against Mexican rule. Mariano Vallejo was imprisoned for a brief time. Lieutenant [[John C. Fremont]], a U.S. Army officer, with a small detachment of soldiers and frontiersmen, crossed the [[Golden Gate]] in a boat to "capture" the Presidio unresisted. A cannon that Fremont spiked remains on the Presidio today.

[[File:Prsf pres1850.jpg|thumb|The Presidio {{Circa|1850}}]]

* 1846–1848: The [[U.S. Army]] occupied the Presidio. The Presidio began a long era directing operations to control and protect Native Americans as headquarters for scattered Army units on the West Coast.
* 1853: Work was begun on Fort Point, which became a fine example of coastal defenses of its time. Fort Point, located at the foot of the Golden Gate in the Presidio, was the keystone of an elaborate network of fortifications to defend San Francisco Bay. These fortifications now reflect 150 years of military concern for the defense of the West Coast.
* 1861–1865: The American Civil War involved the Presidio. Colonel [[Albert Sydney Johnston]] protected Union weapons from being taken by Southern sympathizers in San Francisco. Later, he resigned from the Union Army and became a general in the [[Confederate Army]]. He was killed at the [[Battle of Shiloh]]. The Presidio organized regiments of volunteers for the Civil War and to control Indians in California and [[Oregon]] during the absence of federal troops.
* 1869–1870: Major General George Henry Thomas, an American Civil War hero, led the Division of the Pacific. General Thomas died in 1870 and was buried in [[Troy, New York]].
* 1872–1873: [[Modoc War|Modoc Indian Campaign]] involved some Presidio troops and command in this significant battle, the last large-scale U.S. Army operation against Native Americans in the Far West.
* 1890–1914: Presidio soldiers became the nation's first "park rangers" by patrolling the new [[Yosemite]] and [[Sequoia National Park]]s.
* 1898–1906: The Presidio became the nation's center for assembling, training, and shipping out forces to the Spanish–American War in the Philippine Islands and the subsequent Philippine–American War (Philippine Insurrection). Letterman Army Hospital was modernized and expanded to care for the many wounded and seriously ill soldiers from these campaigns. The Philippine campaign was an early major U.S. military intervention in the Asia/Pacific region. [[Camp Merriam, California|Camp Merriam]], located just north of the presidio, was established to train and house volunteers for service during the Spanish-American War.<ref name="Camp Merriam">{{cite web |title=Camp Merriam |url=http://www.militarymuseum.org/CpMerriam.html |website=Historic California Posts, Camps, Stations and Airfields |publisher=militarymuseum.org}}</ref>
* 1903: President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] visited the Presidio. His honor guard was from the [[African American]] "[[Buffalo Soldier]]" [[10th Cavalry Regiment (United States)|9th Cavalry Regiment]], then at the Presidio.<ref>{{cite web |title=Presidio Garrison |url=https://www.nps.gov/prsf/learn/historyculture/presidio-garrison.htm |website=Presidio of San Francisco |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=26 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Buffalo Soldiers: The First African American 'Park Rangers' |url=http://www.parksconservancy.org/about/newsletters/park-e-ventures/2016/02-buffalo-soldiers.html |website=Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy |access-date=26 August 2018|date=February 2016 }}</ref> This regiment took a role in Roosevelt's famous charge of [[San Juan Hill]] in [[Cuba]].

[[File:San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, A refugee camp in the area adjacent to and south of Letterman General Hospital... - NARA - 531073.tif|thumb|A refugee camp at the Presidio after the San Francisco earthquake]]

* 1906: The [[San Francisco earthquake]] of April 1906 led to an immediate Army response directed by General [[Frederick Funston]], who had earned the [[Medal of Honor]] for his bravery in the Philippines. Army units provided security and fought fires at the direction of the city government. After the fire that resulted from the earthquake, Presidio soldiers gave aid, food, and shelter to refugees. Temporary camps for refugees were set up in the Presidio.
* 1912: [[Fort Winfield Scott]] was established in the western part of the Presidio as a coast artillery post and the headquarters of the Artillery District of San Francisco.
* 1914–1916: The Presidio Commander, General [[John J. Pershing]], commanded the [[Mexican Punitive Expedition]] to eliminate the threat of [[Pancho Villa]], a Mexican rebel and bandit, who conducted raids across the U.S. border. General Pershing's family died in a tragic fire while he was away. As a result of the 1915 fire in General Pershing's quarters, the [[Presidio Fire Department]] was established as the first fire station staffed 24 hours per day on a military post.
* 1915: Part of the [[Panama–Pacific International Exposition]] was located on the Presidio waterfront, which was expanded by a landfill for the purpose. Soldiers supported the Exposition with parades, honor guards, and artillery demonstrations. The Exposition was to celebrate the opening of the [[Panama Canal]].
* 1917–1918: The Presidio rapidly expanded with new cantonments and training areas for World War I. Recruiting, training, and deploying units again become the Presidio's role. An officer training camp was located here. Quickly assembled buildings covered the waterfront area, and the railroad track into the Presidio was busy with wartime traffic. During the war, the [[30th Infantry Regiment (United States)|30th Infantry Regiment]], "San Francisco's Own", whose motto, "OUR COUNTRY NOT OURSELVES", fought with distinction in World War I as a key fighting element of the 3rd Infantry Division who earned the title "Rock of the Marne". The 30th Infantry Regiment was frequently based at the Presidio.
* 1918–1920: The Presidio was the center for forming and training the [[American Expeditionary Force Siberia]]. This little-remembered force moved into Siberia during the [[Russian Civil War]]. The mission of this force changed often. It encountered hostility from another part of the Expeditionary Force, Japan, while fighting bandits and protecting Allied civilians.
* 1920–1932: The Presidio became home to [[Crissy Field]], the major pioneering [[military aviation]] field located on the West Coast. Trailbreaking transpacific and transcontinental flights occurred here. At Crissy, future General "Hap" Arnold developed techniques for the new military aviation. Arnold later commanded the [[United States Army Air Corps|Army Air Corps]] and [[U.S. Army Air Forces|Army Air Forces]] in World War II.
* 1941–1946: World War II saw intense activity at the Presidio. It continued as a coordinating headquarters, deployment center, and training site, as it was for most of its existence. The Western Defense Command was responsible for the defense of the West Coast. This included supervising combat in the [[Aleutian Islands]] for a time. The Presidio again was crowded with temporary barracks and training facilities. Letterman Army Hospital was filled with casualties. At one point, entire trains filled with war-wounded arrived at the Presidio from the battles of [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] and [[Iwo Jima]]. A Japanese Language School was set up to train Japanese Americans to be interpreters in the war against Japan. Ironically, some of these soldiers' families were interned in camps for the rest of the war while they performed bravely in the Pacific.
* 1941–1945: The Commanding General of the [[Western Defense Command]], General [[John L. DeWitt]], responded to public hysteria directed against all Japanese on the West Coast. He recommended removing all Japanese, including citizens, from the Western Seaboard. The [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] and some Western politicians also expressed alarm, although no incidents of sabotage occurred. President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, to direct [[Internment of Japanese Americans|removal of ethnic Japanese residents to internment camps]].
* 1946: After World War II, the Presidio command was redesignated the [[Sixth United States Army|Sixth Army]] under the leadership of General [[Joseph Stilwell]]. Again, it was responsible for all U.S. Army forces in the Western U.S., including training, supplies, and deployment. It also was the federal agency to coordinate disaster relief by the military. During this year, President [[Harry Truman]] had offered the Presidio as the site for the future [[United Nations Headquarters]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Presidio Trust |journal=Urban Ecosystems |year=1997 |volume=1 |number=3 |page=133 |doi=10.1023/A:1018519410163 |last1=Walbridge |first1=Mark R. |s2cid=9853002 }}{{subscription required |date=August 2012}}</ref> A United Nations Committee visited the Presidio to examine its suitability for the site, but the [[UN General Assembly]] ultimately voted in favor of its current New York City location instead.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19461216&id=JRwaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9yQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2700,422600 |title=San Francisco's Proud Presidio |newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]] |date=December 17, 1946 |access-date=2012-08-05 |archive-date=2016-01-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123001901/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19461216&id=JRwaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9yQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2700,422600 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* 1950–1953: The [[Korean War]] tasked the Presidio's headquarters and support functions. Letterman Army Hospital was mobilized to care for casualties from the war.
* 1951: The Presidio hosted ceremonies for signing the [[ANZUS Treaty]], a security pact of [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], and the U.S. The [[Japan-US security treaty]] was signed at the Presidio, while the Japanese Peace Treaty was signed in downtown San Francisco.
* 1961–1973: The Presidio filled a supporting role during the [[Vietnam War]]. Antiwar demonstrations took place at the Presidio's gates.
* 1968: Richard Bunch shot, initiating the [[Presidio mutiny]] at the Presidio stockade prison. The [[XV Corps (United States)|XV Corps]] Deactivated.
* 1969–1974: Letterman Army Hospital (LAMC) was modernized, and Letterman Army Institute of Research (LAIR) was built.
* 1991: The Presidio sent its few remaining units to war for the last time in [[Desert Storm]], the First Gulf War. The role of the Sixth Army was the management of training and coordinating deployment of [[Army National Guard]] and [[U.S. Army Reserve]] units in the Western U.S. for Operation Desert Storm.
* 1994: [[Sixth United States Army|Sixth Army]] was inactivated, and the Presidio closed as an active U.S. Army installation per [[Base Realignment and Closure|BRAC]]. The Presidio was transferred to the National Park Service.
* 1996: Presidio Trust was created to manage the park as part of the [[Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996]] by the [[104th United States Congress]]. {{citation needed|date=September 2021}}
* 1996–2009: The [[Internet Archive]]'s headquarters were located in Building 116<ref>{{Cite web |title=DFG – GEPRIS – Internet Archive The Presidio of San Francisco |url=https://gepris-extern.dfg.de/gepris/institution/126320060?context=institution&task=showDetail&id=126320060& |access-date=2024-09-16 |website=gepris-extern.dfg.de}}</ref> from its founding until 2009.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carroll |first=Rory |date=2013-04-26 |title=Brewster's trillions: Internet Archive strives to keep web history alive |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/apr/26/brewster-kahle-internet-archive |access-date=2024-09-16 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
* 2001: Letterman Army Hospital was demolished. Later, the [[Letterman Digital Arts Center]] was constructed on the site.[[File:Muwekma Ohlone singing at ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Presidio Visitor Center.jpg|thumb|Muwekma Ohlone singing at ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Presidio Visitor Center]]
* 2005: [[The Bay School of San Francisco]] opens in Building 35.
* 2009–2015: [[Doyle Drive Replacement Project]] – Demolition of the Doyle Drive viaduct, to be replaced by an eight-lane boulevard, including two pairs of tunnels between Crissy Field and the Main Post and a pair of elevated viaducts, at a total project cost of approximately $1 billion. The original Doyle Drive was demolished on April 27–30, 2012.
* 2017: The William Penn Mott Jr. Presidio Visitor Center was opened to the public and is meant to be a focal point for visitors to explore the {{Convert|1,500|acre|ha}} of the Presidio grounds. The center is operated by the [[National Park Service]], the Presidio Trust, and the [[Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.presidio.gov/presidio-trust/press/new-presidio-visitor-center-debuts-saturday-february-25-2017|title = New Presidio Visitor Center Debuts Saturday, February 25, 2017|website=www.nps.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/news/presidio-visitor-center-opening.htm| title = New Presidio Visitor Center Debuts Saturday, February 25 – Golden Gate National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service|website=www.nps.gov)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.presidio.gov/places/presidio-visitor-center|title = Presidio Visitor Center – Presidio of San Francisco (U.S. National Park)|website=www.presidio.gov}}</ref>