San Francisco's Presidio looks quite different in these rare photos from the 1800s

Looking toward the Golden Gate, decades before the bridge was built, from The Presidio of San Francisco ca. 1880's. Looking toward the Golden Gate, decades before the bridge was built, from The Presidio of San Francisco ca. 1880's. Photo: Wyland Stanley Collection Photo: Wyland Stanley Collection Image 1 of / 54 Caption Close San Francisco's Presidio looks quite different in these rare photos from the 1800s 1 / 54 Back to Gallery

Today the city of San Francisco borders the Presidio, a green oasis within the West Coast's most densely-populated city. But in the 1880s and 1890s the Presidio was a military instillation surrounded by green hills. It looked more like modern West Marin than a recreational area that would someday draw an estimated five million tourists annually.

In the Chronicle archives we found files of the old base in those years before the turn of the century. In the photos, the base is already over 100 years old. It was first established by the Spanish in 1776 after years of providing a home to the local Ohlone. The U.S. Army took over operation from Mexico — which also held the base for 24 years — in 1846. The archival photos came from one-time Chronicle researcher Wyland Stanley. Several are striking.

We may be accustomed to seeing Fort Point tucked under the Golden Gate Bridge, but these are from a time where the fortress was the main structure welcoming people through the Golden Gate. There's no Warming Hut or walking trail on Crissy Field and the towering trees that now cover the park were just being planted.

The post developed significantly under U.S. control. And as the Chronicle reports, a new exhibit at the Presidio is shining a spotlight on a darker period in the base's past.

The slideshow above offers a chance to compare the base at (roughly) 100 to the park we can't live without today.

Bob Bragman is a producer for SFGATE. His writing reflects his love of the Bay Area, in addition to his passion for vintage pop culture, ephemera and vernacular photographs. To see more of his content, please click here.