Golden Gate NRA Museum Program Exhibits

The Museum Program at Golden Gate NRA is dedicated to sharing the collections it holds with the public. By using on-line exhibits and displays the Museum Program can bring stories, photographs, and artifacts to everyone and encourage individuals to learn about the unique and diverse history of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

 

Presidio Army Museum Exhibit

Explore the history of the former Presidio Army Museum. The museum once displayed the collections and told the stories of the Presidio of San Francisco. Closed upon the departure of the Army, the collections remain part of the Golden Gate NRA's Museum Program.

 

Alcatraz Island Exhibit

This exhibit features selected collections from Alcatraz Island, also known as "The Rock." Collections include objects made by notorious inmates, historic photographs and documents, escape materials and inmate artwork; items used by officers including correctional materials when Alcatraz was a military prison period from 1859-1934; federal penitentiary materials from 1934-1963; and the American Indian occupation of 1969 -1971.

 

Centuries of Defense: Golden Gate's Military Story

Centuries of Defense highlights the establishment of military fortifications around the San Francisco Bay Area, shows the development and construction of various battery and missile styles, presents the Bay Area's efforts in times of conflict, and also reveals the transfer of former military sites into parklands.

 

Parks for the People: 50 Years of Golden Gate NRA

In connection with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area's 50^th birthday the Museum Program celebrates an exhibit that reviews park lands in three local counties (Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo), examines the area's cultural and natural contributions, and how the land became part of the park. The physical exhibit was once part of the San Francisco History Expo.

 

Panama-Pacific International Exposition - 1915 World's Fair

The vast fair, which covered over 600 acres and stretched along two and a half miles of water front property, highlighted San Francisco’s grandeur and celebrated a great American achievement: the successful completion of the Panama Canal. Nine years earlier, San Francisco experienced a terrible earthquake, declared one of America’s worst national disasters. The city overcame great challenges to rebuild and by the time the Exposition opened in 1915.

 

Presidio Terrace c1920's

Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives, GOGA 33318

Panoramic View of the Past

Explore the many lands that make up the GGNRA through a wider lens. The archives has put together many of the panoramic photographs from the collection so they are visable to anyone looking to discover more about the park.

 

Excavation at the Black Point Dig Site c1983

Golden Gate NRA, Museum Program, GOGA 16050

Archeological Finds at Golden Gate Recreation Area

The archeological collection of the GGNRA Museum Program stems from discoveries, historical research within the park, and the regulatory oversight of cultural resources. Activities such as monitoring ground-disturbing projects, responding to criminal investigations, field discoveries by park staff and visitors, and formal archeological test excavations contribute to the creation of archeological field collections. This exhibit showcases a selection of the objects discovered and conveys our interpretations of their significance.