Fort Point National Historic Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Point National Historic Site |
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Fort Point beneath the Golden Gate Bridge
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 Fort Point National Historic Site
Location in San Francisco
Fort Point National Historic Site
Location in San Francisco Bay Area
Fort Point National Historic Site
Location in California
Fort Point National Historic Site
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | San Francisco, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Area | 29 acres (12 ha) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Established | 16 October 1970 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Visitors | 1,682,041 (in 2005) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Governing body | National Park Service | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Fort Point National Historic Site | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Official name: Castillo De San Joaquín | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Reference #: | 82 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Designated: | 10/16/1970 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Reference #: | 70000146 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fort Point is a historic fort located on the southern side of the Golden Gate strait in San Francisco Bay. It's also the name of the land where the fort and the southern part of the Golden Gate Bridge were built.
The United States Army finished building this fort just before the American Civil War. Its main job was to protect San Francisco Bay from enemy warships. Today, Fort Point is a special place called Fort Point National Historic Site. It's managed by the National Park Service and is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Many tourists visit to see the fort and get amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge right above it.
History of Fort Point
Early Days: Spanish and Mexican Control
In 1769, Spain took control of the San Francisco area. By 1776, they had set up the first European settlements, including a mission and a military base called a presidio. To protect their land from the British and Russians, Spain chose a high white cliff called Punta del Cantil Blanco at the narrowest part of the bay's entrance.
In 1794, they built a fort there called the Castillo de San Joaquín (which means "Saint Joachim's Castle"). It was made of adobe and had nine to thirteen cannons.
Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821 and took over the fort. However, in 1835, the Mexican army moved away, and the fort's adobe walls started to fall apart. In 1846, during the Mexican–American War, U.S. forces captured the empty fort and disabled its cannons.
Over time, Punta del Cantil Blanco became known as "Punta del Castillo" ("Castle Point"). When the U.S. took over, this name was roughly translated to "Fort Point."
The U.S. Era: Building a Stronghold
After the U.S. won the war in 1848, California became a state in 1850. The California Gold Rush brought many people to the area, making it very important for trade and defense. Military leaders decided to build several forts to protect San Francisco Bay. Forts were built at Alcatraz Island, Fort Mason, and Fort Point.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started building Fort Point in 1853. They designed it so the lowest cannons would be very close to the water. This way, cannonballs could bounce across the water's surface and hit enemy ships at their waterline. Workers had to blast away a 90-foot cliff, leaving it only 15 feet above sea level.
The fort had walls that were seven feet thick and multiple levels for cannons. This style was common for "Third System" forts, which were built to defend coastlines. While there were over 30 such forts on the East Coast, Fort Point was the only one on the West Coast. In 1854, an inspector named Joseph K. Mansfield called it "the key to the whole Pacific Coast."
About 200 workers, many of them miners who had lost their jobs, worked on the fort for eight years. In 1861, as the Civil War was about to begin, the army placed the first cannons at the fort.
Fort Point During the Civil War
During the American Civil War, soldiers at Fort Point were ready for an attack, but no enemy ever came. A Confederate ship, the CSS Shenandoah, planned to attack San Francisco. But before it reached the harbor, its captain learned that the war was over in August 1865.
Other forts on the East Coast, like Fort Sumter, were badly damaged by new, powerful cannons during the war. This showed that thick masonry walls might not be strong enough against these new weapons. Because of this, troops soon moved out of Fort Point, and it was never again used as a continuously occupied army base.
However, the fort was still important enough to be protected. In 1869, a granite seawall was finished. The next year, some of the fort's cannons were moved to a more protected spot nearby. In 1882, Fort Point was officially named Fort Winfield Scott, after a famous war hero.
Into a New Century: Changes and Preservation
In 1892, the army began building new concrete forts with modern steel cannons. Within eight years, all 103 of Fort Point's old cannons were removed and sold for scrap metal.
The fort was slightly damaged in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. After the earthquake, the U.S. Army used the fort as a temporary camp for people who had lost their homes. For the next 40 years, the fort was used for housing soldiers, training, and storage. In 1913, part of an inner wall was removed to try and turn the fort into an army jail, but this plan was not finished. Later, a federal prison was built on Alcatraz Island instead.
During World War II, soldiers from the 6th U.S. Coast Artillery were stationed at Fort Point. They guarded minefields and a net that stretched across the Golden Gate to stop enemy submarines.
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Fort Point in 1934, with the Golden Gate Bridge being built
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View of the fort from under the Golden Gate Bridge
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A general view of the northwest wall, near the Golden Gate Bridge arch
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A view of the interior, showing a wooden structure on top of a circular staircase
Saving Fort Point
In 1926, a group of architects suggested saving the fort because of its amazing military design. But there wasn't enough money, so the idea didn't go anywhere.
When plans for the Golden Gate Bridge were made in the 1930s, they originally called for the fort to be torn down. However, the bridge's Chief Engineer, Joseph Strauss, changed the design to save the fort. He said, "While the old fort has no military value now, it remains nevertheless a fine example of the mason's art.... It should be preserved and restored as a national monument." The fort now sits directly below the southern part of the bridge, under an arch that holds up the roadway.
Efforts to save the fort started again after World War II. On October 16, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed a law that made Fort Point a National Historic Site.
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Middle level of Fort Point
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Cannons on display at Fort Point
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Interior of Fort Point
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The courtyard inside the fort
Landmark Status
Fort Point is recognized as California Historical Landmark #82. It's officially listed under its original Spanish name, Castillo De San Joaquín.
Recreation at Fort Point
The rocky area north of the fort gets good waves in the winter. This makes it a popular spot for surfers.
Fort Point in Media
Fort Point has been a popular place for filming movies and TV shows. It's also mentioned in other types of media.
In Movies
- In the 1958 thriller Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock, a famous scene shows a character jumping into San Francisco Bay near the fort.
- The 1967 film Point Blank shows Fort Point as the location for a scene, though it's meant to look like Alcatraz Prison.
- In the 1977 comedy High Anxiety, a phone booth scene takes place below the Golden Gate Bridge at Fort Point.
- The 1985 James Bond film A View To a Kill shows the fort in several aerial shots, especially in the final scene above the Golden Gate Bridge.
- In the 1999 film Bicentennial Man, Fort Point is shown as a busy market and home to a robotics company.
- The 2014 film Dawn of the Planet of the Apes shows humans using the fort's armory to get more weapons and armored vehicles.
- The 2019 film The Last Black Man in San Francisco has several scenes filmed around the fort.
In Games
- A building based on Fort Point appears in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as a nightclub.
- Fort Point is also included in the video game NBA Street.
- You can find Fort Point in the game Midtown Madness 2.
- It's one of the surf spots in Transworld Surf.
- Fort Point is a mission location in Watch Dogs 2.
- Fort Point and the Golden Gate Bridge are recreated in Duke Nukem 3D 20th Anniversary World Tour.
In Television
- In The Amazing Race 16, teams had to figure out that Fort Point was a clue to find their next destination.
- In an episode of The West Wing, Fort Point was the planned target of a terrorist attack because it's so close to the Golden Gate Bridge.
- The TV show Emergency! featured a rescue scene above the fort on the girders below the Golden Gate Bridge.
- The opening credits of a Murder, She Wrote episode called "Birds of a Feather" show Fort Point.
In Music
- The album cover for Editors' album, The Back Room, features an image of Fort Point.
In Books
- The 1980 science fiction novel Wizard by John Varley starts at Fort Point, which is an embassy in the book.
See also
- Fort Point Lighthouse
- 49-Mile Scenic Drive
- Alcatraz Island
- Presidio of San Francisco
