Sunny view Satterlee Road descending from Battery Yates to 'Endicott-era' Fort Baker, below misty hills, San Francisco, USA
By the 1890s, the US War Department was concerned about the state of the country's seacoast fortifications and made recommendations to modernise and re-arm all existing sea-ports. The 'Endicott Board', named after Secretary of War, William C. Endicott, ranked San Francisco as the most important harbour defence on the Pacific Coast. Fort Baker was built between 1902 and 1910 to house the soldiers at eight new 'Endicott' batteries on the north side of the Golden Gate Strait. In contrast to the dark, cramped and often infested 19th century frontier barracks, those at Fort Baker were large, well ventilated, having clean, running water and modern indoor toilet facilities. There were also concerns with the health and education of the soldiers, so the fort also had a 12-bed hospital and fully equipped gymnasium, that housed a reading room, post exchange (which functioned as both a small store and lunch room), and even a bowling alley. The fort has 24 historic army buildings, built in a Colonial Revival Architectural Style, clustered around a main parade ground. The fort also has a sheltered harbour (left background), protected by jetties. In the shot, the houses representing the US Army's new interest in healthier living conditions for soldiers, include (right background) duplex houses for the wives and children of married captains and lieutenants. The building centre background now houses the US Coastguard. The buildings left foreground were part of the Fort Baker Marine Repair Shop, for the repair and maintenance of fishing boats conscripted into service for the defence of San Francisco Bay during World War 2. Fort Baker was transferred to the National Park Service in 2002. The road in the shot leads to the reinforced concrete gun emplacements of Battery Yates, behind the camera. US Route 101 crosses the hills in the background of the shot.
Size: 4221px × 2814px
Location: Satterlee Road, descending from Battery Yates towards Fort Baker, Marin County, San Francisco, USA
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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