the presidio

past and present

For 10,000 years the Ohlone people, a Native American tribe, lived in harmony with the land and waters of the central California coastal region in what is now San Francisco. In 1776, Spanish missionaries settled in the Presidio giving it the name El Presidio Real de San Francisco. Through a combination of enslavement by the Spanish missionaries and persecution by settlers, the Ohlone people had their land taken from them and their population dropped from 10,000 to hundreds. We honor the Ohlone people’s history of protection of this land and acknowledge their rightful place in the history of the Presidio as the first stewards and only native people of this land.

From 1776 through 1994, the Presidio was a military outpost for Spain, Mexico, and the United States. In 1994, the Presidio was decommissioned as a military base and in 1996 turned over to the National Park Service and the Presidio Trust. The Presidio is a self-funded National Park and has been financially independent of the National Park system since 2013. To read more about the history of the Presidio, click here.

Today, the Presidio is a place that provides respite for wildlife and people alike, through careful stewardship of the land. We hope you’ll spend a few moments while you’re here, experiencing the peaceful sounds of the water washing upon the shore, listening to the birdsong, and enjoying the light and wind as they filter through the trees. Click here for more information about all the Presidio has to offer.