Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Creation of Golden Gate Park
As San Francisco prospered and matured in the 1860s, its
citizens demanded the same amenities as other great
cities. Prominent among these was a large city park, for
which they petitioned in 1865. New York had just finished
building its trendsetting Central Park, created largely by
landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted. San Francisco's
mayor, HP Coon, sought Olmsted's advice on a piece of
land that the city had recently secured for a park. This vast,
undeveloped wasteland to the west of the city by the
Pacific Ocean was known as the “Outside Lands.”
John McLaren
month. He also imported
exotic plants from around the
world. These thrived in his
care, despite the poor soil and
foggy climate of San Francisco.
McLaren devoted his whole
life to the park, personally
fighting the developers who
threatened encroachment.
He died at the age
of 93,
after 53 years in office.
Reclaiming the Land
The city planners turned to a
surveyor and engineer named
William Hammond Hall. He
had already achieved some
success in dune reclamation
in the Outside Lands, and in
1870 he applied his methods
to Golden Gate Park. Hall was
appointed the park's first
superintendent in 1871. He
started work at the east end,
laying out meandering roads
and trying to create a
seemingly natural landscape.
The developing park soon
proved popular. Families
came to picnic and
young dandies raced
their carriages.
Cyclists in Golden Gate Park
The Changing Park
The park still reflects the
vision of McLaren and Hall,
but contrary to their plans,
the park today is scattered
with buildings, and McLaren's
most prominent defeat
became a popular attraction.
In what is now the Music
Concourse, the California
Midwinter Fair opened in
1894, despite his protests.
Urban encroachment contin-
ued to press upon the park in
the 20th century, but for most
San Franciscans the park
remains what it was intended
to be - a place in which to
escape from city life.
was repeatedly cut. In 1876 Hall
was falsely accused of corruption
and resigned in protest. The park
fell into a period of decline, but
after a decade of decay, Hall was
asked to resume the task of
managing it. The remarkable
man he chose as super-
intendent in 1890 was a
Scotsman named John
McLaren, who agreed with
Hall that a park should be a
natural environment. He
planted thousands of trees,
bulbs, flowers, and shrubs,
chosen so blooms would
appear each
The Plan Falters
Despite the popularity
of the park, it was nearly
prevented from
reaching maturity by
public corruption.
Throughout the 1870s
city officials siphoned off
funds and the budget
1894 California Midwinter Fair
