Fort Baker is one of the components of
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
's
Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Fort, which borders the City of
Sausalito in
Marin County
Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is acros ...
and is connected to
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
by the
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Pen ...
, served as an
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
post until the mid-1990s, when the headquarters of the
91st Division moved to
Parks Reserve Forces Training Area
Parks Reserve Forces Training Area (PRFTA), commonly known as Camp Parks, is a United States Army base located in Dublin, California, that is currently an active military and training center for U.S. Army Reserve personnel to be used in case of ...
. It is located opposite
Fort Point at the entrance to the
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland.
San Francisco Bay drains water f ...
.
Fort Baker was previously named the Lime Point Military Reservation. It was renamed in 1897.
Fort Baker is named for
Edward Dickinson Baker
Edward Dickinson Baker (February 24, 1811October 21, 1861) was an American politician, lawyer, and US army officer. In his political career, Baker served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois and later as a U.S. Senator from Ore ...
, a former U.S. Senator from Oregon. Active in California politics in the 1850s, Baker lost his life while leading a regiment of Union troops in the Civil War. He and his wife are buried in the
San Francisco National Cemetery
San Francisco National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery, located in the Presidio of San Francisco, California. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with Golden Gate National Cemetery, a few miles south of th ...
at the
Presidio.
Fort Baker was included in a historic district listing on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1973, as part of
Forts Baker, Barry, and Cronkhite.
Fort Baker features essentially intact historic structures and landscapes, and is currently under the jurisdiction of the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...
(NPS). It is known for its views of the
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland.
San Francisco Bay drains water f ...
.
History
Military usage
The military history of the area that is now Fort Baker began in 1850 when President
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...
created The Lime Point Military Reservation, for
coastal defense positions and logistic support facilities, on the north side of the
Golden Gate, across from
Fort Point. However, due to lengthy litigation the land was not acquired by the Federal Government until 1866. Between 1872 and 1876, four
barbette
Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships.
In recent naval usage, a barbette is a protective circular armour support for a heavy gun turret. This evolved from earlier forms of gun protectio ...
batteries were built: at Point Cavallo (Battery Cavallo), on the ridge above Lime Point (Cliff and Ridge Batteries), and on Gravelly Beach to the west (Gravelly Beach Battery). The only buildings on the reservation were barracks-like quarters for construction crews, storehouses, and offices, to the west of Horseshoe Bay.
In 1890 plans were drawn up for modern
"Endicott Type" coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications.
From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form o ...
batteries to be built from Point Cavallo to
Point Bonita. Four batteries were completed by 1901: Batteries Spencer, Kirby, Duncan, and Orlando Wagner.
In 1897 a tent camp was established where the present Main Post is today, and the reservation was renamed "Fort Baker". Construction of permanent structures began in 1901.
Fort Baker is named for
Edward Dickinson Baker
Edward Dickinson Baker (February 24, 1811October 21, 1861) was an American politician, lawyer, and US army officer. In his political career, Baker served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois and later as a U.S. Senator from Ore ...
, a former U.S. Senator from Oregon. Active in California politics in the 1850s, Baker lost his life while leading a regiment of Union troops, the
California Regiment, during the
Battle of Ball's Bluff
The Battle of Ball's Bluff was an early battle of the American Civil War fought in Loudoun County, Virginia, on October 21, 1861, in which Union Army forces under Major General George B. McClellan suffered a humiliating defeat.
The operatio ...
in the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
. He and his wife are buried in the
San Francisco National Cemetery
San Francisco National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery, located in the Presidio of San Francisco, California. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with Golden Gate National Cemetery, a few miles south of th ...
at the Presidio.
The
Baker–Barry Tunnel, a half-mile long tunnel connected
Fort Barry
Fort Barry is a former United States Army installation on the West Coast of the United States, located in the Marin Headlands of Marin County, California, north of San Francisco. Opened in 1908, the fort was part of the Coast Artillery Corps and ...
and Fort Baker.
In June 1937, the tunnel was widened to 20 feet wide.
[
By December 1942, during ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, there were 159 structures at Fort Baker, many of them temporary. For example, a temporary frame hospital, built near the beach at the foot of the parade ground, was completed in October 1941 and demolished in 1981.[Gordon Chappell]
"Historic California Posts: Fort Baker (Lime Point Military Reservation, Fort at Lime Point)"
The California State Military Museum, California State Military Department, retrieved March 3, 2008
During WWI and WWII Fort Baker became the headquarters and training command post for the newly formed 91st Division (United States)
The 91st Infantry Division (famously nicknamed as the "Wild West Division" with a "Fir Tree" as its Division insignia to symbolize its traditional home of the Far West) is an infantry division of the United States Army that fought in World War ...
Army. During WWI the division served in France. In WWII the division served in Italy. Since the soldiers in this division came from the far western states it became known as The Wild West Division. Since the Powder River in Wyoming was a well known river during the army's campaigns against the native American peoples, this river was also known by this era's soldiers. Out of this they developed the custom when an enlisted saluted an officer he would say, "Powder River!" when the officer returned the salute he would say, "Let'er buck!" This became a tradition in the 91st Division which was practiced into the third millennia.
During the 1960s and 1970s the World War II wooden Army Hospital buildings were occupied by the Sixth U.S. Army Medical Laboratory. This medical Laboratory was the Reference Laboratory for all medical facilities in the Sixth Army area excluding Class II facilities such as Letterman General Hospital. The Sixth Army Medical Laboratory also performed testing for rabies, all virology tests, and virology research.
In the later 1980's the fort became an army reserve training facility/resource called the 91st Training Division with the mission of being staffed with a cadre of leadership personnel (experienced officers and NCO's/Sergeants) and drill instructors so that in the event of a major war—with the draft re-instituted—draftees would be sent to the 91st to receive their basic training (about 9 weeks) followed by advanced infantry training to prepare the draftees for combat. Then the 91st would become an active army infantry division to be deployed to whatever theater of war the army selected for them. In the parlance of soldiers this is called,"The infinite wisdom of the army."
In 2000, the final uniformed elements of the US Army left the Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...
and Fort Baker, a subpost of the Presidio. The 91st Division (Training Support), an Army Reserve unit, moved its headquarters from Fort Baker to Parks Reserve Forces Training Area
Parks Reserve Forces Training Area (PRFTA), commonly known as Camp Parks, is a United States Army base located in Dublin, California, that is currently an active military and training center for U.S. Army Reserve personnel to be used in case of ...
, in Dublin, California.
Current activities
Many of the military-built buildings still stand, and current institutions in the area include Coast Guard Station Golden Gate, a motor lifeboat station, the Travis Marina (an Air Force Morale, Welfare and Recreation
Morale, Welfare and Recreation, abbreviated MWR, is a network of support and leisure services designed for use by U.S. servicemembers (active, Reserve, and Guard), their families, military retirees, veterans with 100 percent service-connected disab ...
facility) and Presidio Yacht Club and the Bay Area Discovery Museum. A sustainability and climate change focused think-tank, The Institute at the Golden Gate, has its offices at Fort Baker ().
Cavallo Point conference center
In January 2005, an agreement was reached by the city of Sausalito and the National Park Service with developers for a retreat and conference center. Construction began in October 2006.[Mark Prado]
"New luxury hotel at Fort Baker to open this summer"
''Marin Independent Journal'', March 1, 2008 Thirteen historic lodging buildings and seven historic commons buildings are being renovated; thirteen new lodging buildings are being built, as well. It is due to open in May 2008.["Inside Scoop: Myth restaurant sold; O'Brien out as chef"]
''San Francisco Chronicle'', December 5, 2007 It will have of indoor space and of outdoor event space, for events of 10 to 250 guests, a restaurant seating 100 people ("Murray Circle"), and an full-service spa."Cavallo Point names sales manager"
''Hotel and Motel Management'', December 5, 2007 The 142-room resort will be run by Passport Resorts, which also runs the
Post Ranch Inn in
Big Sur
Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ...
.
[ The property is undergoing ]LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a
green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...
accreditation for its reuse of existing buildings and green designs.
The resort at Cavallo Point is open and hosts guests.
In popular culture
*The site is the home to both Starfleet Headquarters
Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduc ...
and Starfleet Academy in the ''Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' universe.
*This site was also used as the Finish Line of ''The Amazing Race 2
''The Amazing Race 2'' is the second season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two in a race around the world.
The season premiered on CBS on March 11, 2002, and ended on May 15, 2002.
Lifel ...
''.
*Featured in the third '' Dirty Harry'' film, '' The Enforcer'', for a scene featuring a demonstration of a LAWS rocket.
*This was used as the '' Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon'' Finish Line from 1989 through 1993*
See also
* Mission blue butterfly habitat conservation
*Fort Cronkhite
Fort Cronkhite is one of the components of California's Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Today part of the National Park Service, Fort Cronkhite is a former US Army post that served as part of the coastal artillery defenses of the San Francisc ...
References
Further reading
Ft. Baker - Greening Case Study
EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
's Federal Register Environmental Documents, June 22, 2000.
Fort Baker Official Brochure
Fort Baker Parade Ground Walk: Innovations in Army Life self-guided tour
Marin Headlands/Fort Baker Map
External links
Website for Cavallo Point, "The Lodge at the Golden Gate"
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Institute at the Golden Gate non profit site
{{authority control
Baker
A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery.
History
Ancient history
Si ...
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Buildings and structures in Marin County, California
Sausalito, California
Closed installations of the United States Army
Military facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area
United States Coast Guard stations
Historic district contributing properties in California
Baker
A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery.
History
Ancient history
Si ...
Tourist attractions in Marin County, California
National Register of Historic Places in Marin County, California