A graveyard with a view
The Presidio was established in 1776 by the Spanish, who occupied it as a settlement until 1822, when it fell under Mexican rule. The U.S. Army then took control in 1846, and it became a staging zone for many of the country’s major conflicts. Its military heritage ended with the Sixth Army’s deactivation in 1994. Two years later the Presidio was privatized. Many of the former barracks have since been remodeled and leased to the public. Among the tenants are Lucasfilm; the charming Walt Disney Family Museum; and some lovely eateries, such as the Presidio Social Club.
For a visitor there are dozens of places in the Presidio worth seeing, but one that bears singling out is the San Francisco National Cemetery, which was established in 1884 and remains a great historical landmark, as well as a place for reflection and renewal. The National Cemetery Overlook, hidden among the eucalyptus trees above the steep manicured green slope dotted with white grave markers, also offers unparalleled views of the bay and Golden Gate Bridge.
Info
Address 462-498 Nauman Road, San Francisco, CA, 94129, www.presidio.gov/explore/trails/Pages/national-cemetery-overlook.aspx | Public Transport Bus: 28L, 43 (Letterman Dr & Lincoln Blvd stop) | Tip Take the dramatic Batteries to Bluffs Trail, which leads you along the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean all the way to Marshall’s Beach. The views are spectacular.
Among those buried here are the likes of Buffalo Soldier and Medal of Honor winner William H. Thompkins, and the Union general Irvin McDowell, who famously lost the first major battle of the Civil War. There are also the graves of two very interesting women. One was “Miss Major” Pauline Cushman, a stage performer who became a Union spy. Later, P. T. Barnum featured her among his circus acts. She died in 1893 in San Francisco, down and out, and alone. The other woman is the “Great Western,” Sarah Bowman, who stood six feet tall, had red hair, and wore pistols. She served as a nurse in the Mexican wars, later ran a brothel in El Paso, and in 1866, died of a spider bite in Fort Yuma, Arizona. She was buried with full military honors in Yuma, and was later reinterred at the Presidio.
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